Tenerife is one of the most beautiful and diverse islands in the Atlantic. More than five million vacationers visit the sunny and warm travel destination every year. We spoke to Tenerife travel guide author Jörg Metzner in an interview about the advantages of the Canary Island and the differences to other popular holiday destinations like Gran Canaria or Mallorca. What insider tips does the author have at hand?

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There are some Tenerife travel guides. Both from the big and well-known publishers of such compendiums or simply read on the Internet. But hardly a Tenerife travel guide is so special to hikers and friends of the sunny southwest, takes Tenerife so clearly and precisely under the magnifying glass and is currently as close to the action on the Canary Islands as the reference book by C. Jörg Metzner.

Metzner, born in 1961, lives and works in Cologne as managing director of a mechanical engineering company. He originally comes from this area Marketing, sales and advertising. As a student, he was editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, which is where his passion for writing came from, says the author. About five years ago, the Cologne native also discovered his preference for them Canary island discovered and has meanwhile written a Tenerife travel guide, the second edition of which is now available. We at Just Wanderlust spoke to the Tenerife travel guide author Interview spoken. You can order Jörg Metzner’s travel guide here.

When and why did you travel to Tenerife for the first time? How did you find out about the island?

Jorg Metzner: Having visited the other major Canary Islands over the years, Tenerife remained about five years ago. I wanted to relax for a week in December, in winter, with some sun. That's how I came to Tenerife.

What were your impressions of the Canary Island at first? And how have they changed over time?

Jorg Metzner: I loved the weather. Hiking in the T-shirt through the mountains in December, sitting outside with a beer in the evening while the drizzle gets into the mantle at home. This feeling impressed me a lot. Nothing has changed to this day. Five to six years ago, there were still a few conspicuous construction ruins that were causing the financial crisis Spain had left. Many of them have now disappeared or been completed into splendid hotels. The island is today more well-kept than it was then. The transport infrastructure is noticeably better.

How did you find your favorite place Playa San Juan? You wrote that you spend a lot of time in Tenerife. How much is it and how do you like spending your time there?

Jorg Metzner: Playa San Juan caught my eye on the first visit, because there is the classic tourism with huge Hotel facilities, Entertainment in front of the restaurants and the whole hype does not exist.

As part of a healthy work-life balance, I try to balance business stress with appointments and business travel through more relaxed phases. Nowadays, office work offers many technical possibilities. That's why I try several times a year to retreat to Tenerife with creative work to work from there. Fiber optic cables and excellent mobile coverage are also available in Tenerife. If you keep your professional and leisure time in a healthy mix, you can live and work well on the island. There come together a few weeks a year.

I spend the rest of the day at the pool, in the mountains or just in the cafe on the beach with a barraquito.

What makes Tenerife so special? What are the most beautiful corners? What should not be missed?

Jorg Metzner: Tenerife is really three-dimensional by the Teide, the highest mountain of Spain. This is pure variety in nature. Within an hour you can easily change from the beach in the middle of a high altitude mountain landscape. The southwest is in my view, with statistically 14 rainy days a year more attractive than the north.

The north brings it over 60 days, but distinguishes itself by lush vegetation and a varied landscape. Due to the excellent road network but no place is really far away on the island. A must for tourists are in my view, the Cañadas, so the large crater landscape below the Teide on about 2000 meters. There presents an almost unreal world, which also invites to some walks.

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How do you experience tourism or mass tourism on the island? Are there ecological consequences? Is the island government doing anything to establish more sustainable, moderate and ecological tourism? If yes, what?

Jorg Metzner: The mass tourism presents itself after my feeling on Tenerife much less penetrating than on Mallorca or Gran Canaria, On the other hand, there is also Tenerife tourist centerswhere one hotel connects to the other with all the rip-offs and din, which attract tourists. In comparison, it is even there controlled and civilized.

Maybe that's because the provincial government of Tenerife strives to uphold the hotel standard. Only 4 star hotels and upwards will be built. Even 3 star hotels are set to upgrade. In this way you want to keep the bowling clubs out, which has been very successful so far.

What can travelers do that want to avoid the excessive tourism in Tenerife? What are your insider tips?

Jorg Metzner: The island is quite big. You can drive a lot of miles on the island when traveling with a rental car. Car hire in Tenerife are very cheap and the traffic situation relatively relaxed. By the way, you will hardly find any traffic lights in the southwest. Occasionally in Santa Cruz or Puerto de la Cruz, but the traffic also rolls without traffic lights. Actually much better than traffic lights.

What motivated you to write a guide about the island? What sets your guide apart and differentiates it from other travel guides?

Jorg Metzner: My openly communicated passion for Tenerife, of course, also made friends and acquaintances aware that asked me again and again, where to find good beaches and where to eat well. And of course I should recommend unusual hiking trails.

At some point I wrote down a list of bathing facilities, hikes and special locations for me. Later I highlighted them with photos and constantly developed them until a small private travel guide emerged, which I subsequently revised as a publication and published as a book.

The difference to large, commercial publishing products is that this guide deals specifically with the southwest of the island. In my view, it does not make much sense to buy a guide over the whole island if you only move within a certain area. If you live in the south, visit the north, but moves in the vicinity and should deal with it more intensively. And it's a very individual travel guide with personal notes, tips and recommendations for events like live music and important phone numbers.

What are your plans for the future?

Jorg Metzner: Since I have formed some roots on this island and settled down there with an apartment, I will become this Travel Guides hardly transferred to other islands. However, I will continue to capture my experiences and discoveries in Tenerife in this guidebook and expand it over time. With e-books, there are no problems updates. Therefore, the guide has appeared as a paperback and as a Kindle e-book.

We would like to thank you for the exciting and informative conversation with Jörg Metzner and look forward to our next trip to Tenerife.

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