It lived up to all expectations, the third annual Spring Hoteles Golf Tournament on Saturday 25 September attracted 120 players to Golf Las Americas. The format was stableford individual and both men and women were well catered for with five categories to compete in.
Helping to focus the minds on the play, the weather was a little overcast with a welcome cool breeze. The players set off in pairs, eager to enjoy this top Tenerife course and determined to savour the natural delights of lakes and wildlife that abound there.
It wouldn’t be a true Spring Hoteles event without their trademark attention to detail and sure enough the ninth hole offered a hospitality marquee with every food and drink temptation a golfer could want. Re-vitalised at that point, players found new inspiration and as the rounds finished it was clear there had been some top notch golf played.
For those keeping count, the winners of the male and female top category were Guilleremo Moreno Masia (40 points) and Maria Dominquez Jerez (32 points). The other groups were equally keenly contested, Aurelio Ricardo Perea Gonzalez (40 points) and Andres Afonso Guerra (39 points) claimed the other male titles and Candelaria Carrillo took the womens second category with 32 points.
There was only one way to finish such an enjoyable day, that was food, drinks and prize giving at the Arona Gran Hotel in Los Cristianos.

With our multi lingual staff Spring Hotels are proud to welcome such a mix of guests from different nations and different regions within those countries. So we were very pleased to see that low cost airline Jet2.com is adding a base at Glasgow airport in 2011 and we can welcome many more visitors from Scotland.
Glasgow will be the 8th base for this fast growing airline and flights to Tenerife will operate from April to November 2011. As well as a welcome link to our sunshine island, the move will also create 150 jobs for the Scottish economy, a great boost in these lean times. Flights will be available from 56.99 sterling one way and 7 day breaks in Playa de Las Americas will be up for grabs from 329 pounds.
The majestic 737′s and 757′s look set to become a regular addition to Tenerife skies and with ABTA backing there are plenty of reasons to smile and head for the pool.

Tenerife is moving with the times, if your reading this website your already one of the converted so you will appreciate that technology is being embraced in an effort to keep everyone informed of the attractions of this wonderful island.
The Tenerife Tourism Corporation has launched its own You Tube site to showcase great videos of the island from the main tourism resorts to all those hidden gems. Brochures can only tell so much but now people can access and browse before taking their holiday and get a rough idea of their must see places and events.

Maybe you are ahead of that wave so try this, new large touch screens are being installed at Tenerife South airport so passengers can interact with the new www.webtenerife.com site. Still not impressed? how about information on the move. From 1st November 50 taxis based at Tenerife South airport will have touch activated video screens in the back of the headrest of the front passengers seat. Even as you speed to your destination you can be tapping into everything from news to weather as well as all the excursions and attractions you might want to visit.

If that all sounds a bit too impersonal fear not, Spring Hoteles still pride themselves on customer relations with knowledgeable members of staff always willing to give advice or adjust anything that’s not quite as perfect as you should expect. That’s why our hotels are so popular with families and we have so many return visitors.

When your hotels are as close to the major golf courses of Tenerife as Spring Hotels are, it’s only natural to become a fan of the game. We believe in going that bit further to please our guests, so started an annual Spring Hotels Golf Tournament, and on 25 September you are all invited to enter the third yearly contest, at Golf Las Americas.
The last two years have been great fun and some of our guests surprised us with their skills on the course. We go one better than the big name professionals, we serve drinks and snacks to players as they journey around this wonderful oasis of greenery just a short chip away from the main beaches. After the action there is time to relax and swap tall tales as the raffle is drawn and prizes are presented.
To make it really special,why not take advantage of a mini break at the award winning four star Arona Gran Hotel just along the shore in Los Cristianos. Prices start at 50 euros per person per night half board, two or three day packages include green fees for players and accompanying persons. To book go to our website or email spring@springhoteles.com. Please add your. handycap and licence number if you have one. If you are not staying with us you can still book the green fees, 45 euros,  direct with the course through this link.

What a beautiful island Tenerife is, to see it is to love it, and last week 120 countries saw coverage of the Tenerife Ladies Open from Buenavista in the north west corner of the island. Golf tourism is a big growth area for Tenerife and even for non sports fans it was a glimpse into the less publicised side of the island.There is something here for everyone from family fun to walking, culture, history and beaches galore.

Here for the golf fans is a brief round up of the Tenerife Ladies Open

England’s Trish Johnson captured her 19th career victory as she edged Frenchwoman Virginie Lagoutte-Clement by a shot at the Tenerife Ladies Open.

The 44-year-old started the final round with a three shot lead and fired a final round of 70 to complete 72 holes on the Buenavista Golf course in 14 under 274.

Tied for the lead with Lagoutte-Clement at the turn, Johnson slipped a stroke behind Anne-Lise Caudal after 13 holes, but regained her advantage with back to back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes.

At the par-four 16th, she hit her tee shot over a low wall, out of bounds, but the ball pitched on a footpath, bounced twice and returned over the wall.

Making the most of her good fortune, Johnson took two pars on the 16th and 17th holes and had a two stroke lead with a hole to play.

Lagoutte-Clement had a chance to tie for the lead with an eagle putt at the par-five last, but her ball slipped past the hole.

Despite hitting her tee shot into a fairway bunker, Johnson holed a six-footer for par and took the €41,250 first prize.

“They say it’s the luckiest one that wins and that was me today,” said Johnson, who earned a place at this month’s Evian Masters.

Lagoutte-Clement shot 68 and took second place at 11 under par, with her compatriot Anne-Lise Caudal (67) a stroke back in third.

FINAL RESULTS

1.          Trish Johnson (ENG)                   67       71       66        70 =  274        (-14)

2.          Virginie Lagoutte-C. (FRA)             67       70       70        68 =  275        (-13)

3.          Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA)                68       71       70        67 =  276        (-12)

If you want to know how good a Tenerife hotel is have a look at how the tour operators regard it. Spring Hotels emerged as the stars of the recently held Thomas Cook Tourism Excellence Awards held at the Hotel Vulcano in Las Americas. They needed a well placed bright and popular hotel with top facilities for the awards night so the Vulcano sprang to the top of the list.

The awards refer to standards set and maintained over the course of 2009 and all three Spring Hotels in Tenerife South picked up awards. Hotel Vulcano, Hotel Bitacora and Arona Gran Hotel proudly accepted their awards knowing that all of their dedicated staff had made a big input into getting them noticed.

There will be no sitting back and polishing the trophies, it just encourages the staff and management to keep up and improve the high standards to impress new and old guests all over again.

What could be better than enjoying a concert beneath the stars on a balmy Tenerife evening. Fiestas and carnavals have always given Tenerife a musical backing track of traditional and regionalised music but now top international acts are flocking to the island.

Following on from mega outdoor concerts by Elton John and Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys and Simply Red are the two latest super acts to recognise the attractions of Tenerife. Alicia Keys is playing at the Santa Cruz dockside on Sunday 6 June at 9pm. The Atlantic behind her and the Plaza de España in front will add to the ideal setting and will help to spread Tenerife’s reputation throughout the world.

Then on 20 July Simply Red bring The Farewell Tour to Golf Costa Adeje in the south, scene of the Elton John and Rod Stewart concerts. Both concerts will atract around 30,000 music fans and lead the way for further performers to follow. Tickets are widely available drom the big department stores in Santa Cruz and many of the record stores across the island but for internet bookings try www.generaltickets.com/cajacanarias

Spring Hotels have three top class hotels in the south, Bitacora, Vulcano, and Arona Gran, that make great bases for these and other concerts, Santa Cruz is barely an hour away from the south. A long weekend would give you a flavour of Tenerife as well as the concert of your choice, but you might need longer to fit in all the attractions of the island.

Politicians may come and go but some things in life are more enduring, like the appeal of Tenerife. The latest flight enquiry figures from Skyscanner, one of the leading search sites, shows Tenerife standing firm in third place behind Malaga and Alicante. That leaves Tenerife well clear when it comes to choosing medium range holidays, the consistency of weather, great beaches and fine hotels like the Spring Hotel range ensure that Tenerife is still a great family favourite.

Hotel Bitacora, Arona Gran Hotel, and Hotel Vulcano have worked hard to make sure that they are the hotels that people want to keep going back to. It’s all about attention to detail and making sure that there is something to please all age groups and plenty to occupy young energetic visitors.

Spring is just giving way to summer and Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Americas have never looked better, the council are constantly improving the sea front promenade. This means you can now stroll traffic free from Arona Gran Hotel in the east, along to Hotel Vulcano and Hotel Bitacora just off the front at the Las Americas end. The range of large children friendly beaches may well entice you away from your walk or the lure of a cold drink may cause you to take a break to watch the world go by.

Tenerife is ready for the return of old friends and the arrival of new visitors, and Spring Hotels are always glad to see their swimming pools, bar and restaurants bustling with happy holiday makers.

Clash Of The Titans is bursting onto cinema screens around the world, if you have been to Tenerife before you may recognise much of the scenery. Around 20% of the movie was shot in Tenerife and even though giant 3D screens make it look good, there is nothing like walking in the sandal steps of the gods – or at least the actors that played them.

Mount Teide is the most familiar landmark in the film, you can’t fail to admire it whether you are staying in Hotel Bitacora, Hotel Vulcano or Arona Gran Hotel in the south, or Hotel Playa La Arena on the west coast. Life was simple in those far off days of mythology, sleeping under the stars and foraging for food sound romantic but you might as well enjoy great service. Spring Hotels make it easy for you from FREE taxi transfers (minimum stay 7 nights) to FREE Wi Fi in reception. Add in great family facilities like swimming pools, buffets and friendly staff and you can see why you might end up feeling like a film star.

The beaches, golf courses, mountain walks and Canarian cuisine are all ready for you and the scenery is fabulous without the need for any special effects. Contact Spring Hotels and you can soon be checking out Tenerife for yourself – and that’s no myth.

Santa Cruz has set the standard but now it’s the turn of Los Cristianos to dazzle and delight with colour and music galore during their Carnaval celebrations. This year the theme is Mexico but a willingness to give in to the muisc and have a good time is the only real requirement for visitors. Events are a little more spread this year so even more chance to have fun.

Fri. 5 March – Presentation of the Carnaval Queen candidates outside the Cultural Centre at 8pm.

Weds. 10 March – Carnaval dance for seniors at the Recinto Ferial from 6.30pm.

Thurs. 11 March – Election of the infant Carnaval Queen at the Recinto Ferial from 8.30pm.

Fri. 12 March – Election of the adult Carnaval Queen at the Recinto Ferial from 9pm.

Sat. 13 March – Make up and costume workshop outside the Cultural Centre from 4.30pm.

Sat. 13 March – Street Carnaval from the Cultural Centre to the beach from 7pm.

Sat. 13 March – Dancing to live bands at the Recinto Ferial from 11pm.

Sun. 14 March – Carnaval parade from Paloma Beach to the Recinto Ferial from 5pm.

Mon. 15 March – Sardine Funeral from town to the beach, start at approx 8pm.

If you have any energy left after all that you deserve a medal. Just get out and mix and have fun.