White Tenerife

Took a 5 hour cruise last week and have to say that overall I feel rather disappointed. Starting with the good points - saw dolphins and pilot whales, even one turtle, so the company delivered on the advertisement. This is where the stars start disappearing. Lunch provided was underwhelming - bland paella with a sip of cava. The biggest problem as I see it was that the boat was overcrowded. Over 40 people with the catamarans capacity of 50 would have been fine, except that thanks to covid regulations, everyone was required to wear masks at all times. Now, I understand White Tenerife has to abide by and enforce government imposed regulations, but it clearly was enough to argue for a minute to be left alone, as I have witnessed certain British couple did. It is up to the businesses to enter into a dialogue with the local governments and find a suitable solution. Furthermore I'd like to know what's the point of the whole mask exercise, and announcements every 15 minutes or so, if halfway down the trip during the swimming break most of the passengers proceed to crowd the stern of the boat, chatting and breathing on each other while waiting to be let into the water, obviously without face masks. Additionally, quite a few people were seasick and they also seemed to have been exempt from the continuous badgering about wearing a mask. Perhaps if the company decided to reduce the number of people onboard, it would lead to a much more enjoyable experience with a naturally occurring social distancing.

My final point and last star taken is due to the fact the entire trip has been done under power. I booked a trip on a sailing catamaran because I enjoy sailing. The weather and wind conditions were perfect, so there was no need to be breathing diesel fumes for all this time. Shame really, but with its current form, I couldn't honestly...

As whales and dolphins were a must in Tenerife, I decided to go on an excursion with White Tenerife, and booked the 3-hour catamaran tour on TripAdvisor. You first arrive at the pier where staff welcomes you kindly. Many people can be boarding, so you might want to arrive at least 15 mins before departure so you get to choose the best seats onboard. However the catamaran never gets too crowded. The crew is remarkably nice, once sailing, and explain clearly what you can expect to see, and what's happening, knows what they're talking about. They speak English and Spanish (not french unfortunately but oh well). Because of the "topology" of the sea off the coast of Las Américas and Los Cristianos, you actually don't have to go very far to see whales! That means that after perhaps 30 mins of sailing you can already spot some! The day we did it was very nice because we also had the chance to encounter dolphins which was quite rare. After 2 hours of spotting, you get to swim in the sea right in front of the cliffed coast between Los Cristianos and Palm Mar. Beverages are included all along the trip : Pepsi, Schweppes Orange, and water, while beers and coffee are offered at a fair price. You also have bananas, biscuits and after spotting, sandwiches included + a glass of champagne at the end. Because the trip was cool, my brother insisted to go there a second time, and we managed to book within 3 days! I had the chance to chat a bit with the crew that time on the way back and they even offered to give a spare bottle of champagne, however we were on a plane next morning and would not have time to enjoy it so we kindly refused. Anyway, this was a worthy experience, and I won't mind doing...

We had the most incredible 5-hour boat tour with White Tenerife, and I cannot recommend them highly enough! From start to finish, this was truly a magical experience.

The crew was absolutely fantastic - the captain and his team were humble, friendly, and incredibly helpful throughout the entire journey. Their warm hospitality made the trip even more special.

The wildlife viewing exceeded all expectations! As promised, we spotted both dolphins and whales, which was absolutely thrilling. We were even lucky enough to witness flying fish gliding over the ocean - what a spectacular sight!

The highlight was reaching Los Gigantes cliffs, where we enjoyed swimming in crystal-clear waters near these majestic rock formations, all while amazing music played in the background. The natural scenery was breathtaking and created the perfect atmosphere.

On the return journey, we were treated to a delicious meal of pasta and salad. Throughout the entire trip, drinks were unlimited and generously provided - the crew never said no to any request and happily served various soft drinks multiple times. The fresh watermelon slices they offered were particularly refreshing and made the perfect complement to our meal.

A couple of practical tips for future travelers: bring two swimsuits if possible, as the return journey can get quite cool, and consider packing a light jacket or windbreaker for comfort during the ride back.

Despite these minor considerations, this was an absolutely delightful voyage. If I'm ever back in this area, I would definitely choose to sail with this same amazing crew again without hesitation!

Thank you, White Tenerife, for an unforgettable day...