Puerto de Los Gigantes, Tenerife, Canary, Islands, Spain

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Flipper Uno. Aboard the pirate ship

After watching Pirates of Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl back in 2003 I got obsessed with the wooden ships, and ever since I was hoping that one day it will be possible to sail one. I also remember how excited I was being onboard the Russian frigate Shtandart during the Turku Tall Ship Races in 2017. If someone asked me then would I leave my 9 to 5 job and join the crew for a minimum wage, I would happily say yes without any hesitation.

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Las Americas and Los Cristianos

The only thing we wanted to do after a long and exhausting day we had yesterday was to take it easy and have as less driving as possible. And since we didn’t want to spend the whole day in the apartment or by the pool, we went to see one of the most famous beaches in Tenerife, Las Americas.

Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Puerto de la Cruz and the sea of clouds

For our fourth vacation day we wanted to do something special. Something big. A real road trip! But not just any road trip, we were planning to drive around the whole Tenerife island and make at least four stops on our way: Puerto de la Cruz, Mirador la Tarta, San Cristobal de la Laguna and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Spoiler alert, it didn’t go as planned.

Vigilia Park Apartments, Los Gigantes, Tenerife, Spain

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Los Gigantes

I thought it would be nice to have one day when we don’t need to drive anywhere. A day-off for my husband since he is the only driver in our family. Yep, I am 30+ and I still don’t have a driving licence. Why not? Well, first of all, driving schools are extremely expensive in Finland, and secondly, I work in Helsinki center and it’s much easier to come there by public transport than by car. Although I admit, sometimes driving license can be really handy during our travels.

Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Costa Adeje and Monkey Park

I woke up early in the morning but kept my eyes shut as long as I could. The surreal feeling hasn’t left me, and I was almost sure that all our yesterday’s adventures were just a wonderful dream. But as soon as I opened my eyes and looked around, I breathed a sigh of relief. The dream was actually a reality. Good morning, magical Tenerife! And good morning, beautiful ocean view!

Masca village, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Mountain village Masca

My eyes saw the ocean scenery, saw the mountains, palms and cactuses, yet my brain was still in trance and couldn’t process the information. It refused to believe that I was on the Canary Islands. And no wonder! I haven’t had much time to prepare myself emotionally for this vacation. That’s why looking at the Tenerife landscape I felt like I was in a dream, a beautiful magical dream. It felt surreal. And I was afraid that if I close my eyes even for a moment it will all be gone.

I wanted to make sure, so I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, counted till ten and opened them again. To my surprise, it was not an illusion, it was real. I was in Paradise!

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Where we stayed

Usually when we are planning our holiday, we go through the hotel and apartment options given to us by the ebookers.com. And before ordering accommodation we always check reviews on TripAdvisor to avoid unpleasant surprises. Lesson learned, London, lesson learned! Anyways, if reviews are good or average, we book the place. I call it travel accommodation hunting. And just like any other hunting it is time-consuming, and it takes a lot of patience. Now, when you are buying a last-minute holiday package like we did on aurinkomatkat.fi, there is not much to choose from, and you just take what is offered. Sometimes it’s like buying a pig in a poke, or cat in a sack, if you will. And in our case, it was Vigilia Park Apartment hotel, located in Los Gigantes.

Last minute deal: 7 days in Paradise. Intro

Should I spend my vacation at home? If so, what would I do? Eat potatoes and sign every time I look at the grey depressing landscape through the window? Day after day… Or should I waste all the money I have left on a trip? A little getaway that my soul, mind and body are desperately craving for? Although, I most likely will have to eat potatoes there as well. But it’s not a big deal. I think. In any case it’s better to eat potatoes with the ocean view than at home in front of the TV. Yes, as long as there are three holiday essentials – sun, palms and the sea – I don’t really care. I should definitely go. I must go. I need to go!