We finally arrived at our apartment around 10pm, Mrs.Gibbs had once again excelled herself by booking this place. We've got an 800 square foot apartment in the Diamond apartment complex. It,s too dark to see the views, so that will have to wait. We ditch our bags and head down the steep hill to find some nightlife. Where the might of Nelson's Royal Navy failed, Essex's, food & beverage sector managed to succeed and the first watering hole we find is run by a lady from that particular county. A quick walk down the road and we come across the Church Square and very nice it is too, surrounded by nice little cafes and seating areas. One carbuncle though is Paddy's Highland Bar...the Irish entertainment industry have also made inroads here. The place looks ghastly from the outside and looking in we see two drag artists bellowing out the old favourites for those who sat there. To be avoided. The shame is this place was given planning permission as the rest of the area is pretty. The one saving grace is that really there's no blasting noise. So Paddy's is the exception.

There's a mix of Brits & other Europeans here and very few young ones. There's plenty of the sandal & socks brigade here. We speak to few of them and it turns out there's lots of retired Brit expats here. The place is very hilly and so we opt for a taxi up the hill. As we get in, it starts raining again. Tenerife hasnt had rain for two years, our visit marks the end of the drought and has ushered in an unheard of monsoon season.

The next morning was much better, we have a fantastic view looking over the Atlantic on to Gomera Island, which sometimes shows itself and then vanishes in the clouds. To our right are the stunning Los Gigantes cliffs, these are awesome and we have taken far too many photographs as they are constantly changing in the different lights of the day.

Our first cultural visit was to the nearby Lidl supermarket, which gets glowing reviews in every guide pamphlet. Titter ye not.....it flogged excellent local products and the local Rosada Vino was 60 pence a bottle!!!!! So we stocked up along with local cheeses, bread and the various hams. All at very reasonable prices. Other Supermercados are available.

So, has anyone famous lived here? Well the most famous former resident was none other than Francisco Franco & from here in 1936 his plottings led to the Spanish Civil War. I havent seen any memorials to him here, so I guess the locals are not too fussed about him.

And on the topic of civil war, Mrs. Gibbs and myself have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here and the easy going way of life here is very relaxing.