Tony’s guide to eating and drinking on the Golf del Sur

Tony’s guide to eating and drinking establishments on the Golf del Sur

I have now created a listing with a Map to show you where the restaurants are in relation to each other.

If you click on this link it should open up google Maps

Tonys Guide to Eating and Drinking on the Golf del Sur

If you have Google Earth try viewing it in that as it looks much better. You can download Google Earth here http://earth.google.com/


Knowing that we love it out here on the Golf del Sur members often asking me for recommendations so I thought I would try and put something together hopefully it will be useful to someone.

On the Golf del Sur we have 3 resorts I will start with the one nearest to us which is Royal Tenerife Country Club (RTCC). On site you have the pool bar where they serve food all day and also offer evening meals. There was an on site restaurant “Bachus” but this is currently closed and isn't going to open again as Diamond are going to turn it into offices. At the front near reception is Cafe Med a nice eating place for breakfast or lunch and they are also open in the evenings. we have had lunch there and that was nice, not tried the evenings yet but judging be the comments in the book in reception the food is very good so will let you know when we have tried it.

If you walk down from the resort to the main road you meet the one way system. Opposite you is the Golf Club where you can get drinks etc but it is a bit expensive as you can imagine. Turning left at the main road you can walk down to San Blas (I will cover San Blas later) on the way down you will pass on your right a road that leads up to “Fairways Village”, if you walk up there you will first of all come to Chloe’s coffee shop but if you venture a bit further in to the resort you will find the Oasis Bistro (922738985). Good food and friendly service, we eaten there a couple of times and it was very good.

Going back up to RTCC, if you walk to your right and follow the one way system round to the left you come to a big round glass building that has been empty for years although they are currently working on it and hopefully we are getting a Chemist a Dentist and a medical centre one of these days, if you turn left at this building and follow the road around to the right you will see the reception for Las Adelfas II on your left, if you walk down by the side of reception there is a good shop at the bottom before you reach the swimming pool where you can get most things (they open at 9am and close at 6pm) and by the pool there is a nice bar “La Cava” to sit and have a drink. This is also a lovely restaurant but is currently closing at 6pm due to it being so quiet at the moment.

If you were to carry on walking around the one way system there is an entrance on your left to the Palms where again there is a very nice bar with a lovely patio area and a good menu, (they also do toasted teacakes which is nice for elevenses!) We had a Sunday roast there and I have to say it was the best roast dinner I have had on the Golf! The Palms have cabaret most nights of the week and the room with a proper stage & sound system seems good as the acts sound good compared to out in the open on the top square at San Blas. (667098126)

At the bottom of the Palms on the one way system you will find a Danish Bakery, great for your fresh bread and cakes and I think they offer afternoon tea too.

Following the one way system down will lead you to Grandee O’Donnells on the left, a good Irish bar with a lot of sports on television, they seem to have up to 4 different sports on the numerous televisions all at the same time but only sound from one sport thank goodness. You can get bar snacks here and they also have cabaret on in the evenings. Next to Grandee O'Donnell's is another shop that is open from 7:30am until about 11pm. There is another restaurant on Las Adelfas 1 next door to the shop and Grandee O'Donnell's, this is the Lansdowne another good restaurant, the daily special is always a good deal! Across the road there are another couple of bars and restaurants at Green Park but not eaten at those so can't say how good they are.

A little further around the one way system and on your right you will find the Winter Gardens, you can walk through the Winter Gardens to get to the Marina area near Santa Barbara. The restaurant at the Winter Gardens “Pedro’s” (922738602) is a good place to eat and Pedro is attentive as are the staff so can definitely recommend Pedro’s. Monday is always a good night as they have a Flamenco show on Mondays starting at around 9:00pm.

As you go down the one way system on your left is the road to Sunningdale one of the Club de Costa resorts and next to this road is a big plot of land with signs announcing California a new Club de Costa resort, this sign has been there in different versions for 10 years so just be glad you are one of the 50% who have supposedly reserved their apartments! Anyway just after this plot is another road on the left that leads down to an excellent bar/restaurant called Marcos & Lynda’s Espanola Noches or as most of us know it “Spanish Nights” they now have a menu as well as a few specials on the board inside. We have eaten here a few times and found the food to be excellent and big meals so very good value! The Food is typical pub food but good portions and the beer is the cheapest on the Golf with beer just €1 a pint! They have a nice bar inside and an excellent outside terrace and are very friendly, this is one of our locals! Note! I don't recommend going on a Friday night as that is Darts night and if they are playing at home it can be a bit noisy.

Continue to the end of the road and the road to the right leads down to Santa Barbara! (if you turn left and left again Spanish Nights is at the top of that road too). When staying at Santa Barbara you have the choice of the Pool Bar or the restaurant upstairs, the pool bar is good for snacks & happy hour of course!

If you walk out of reception at Santa Barbara and turn left you will find after a short walk, La Marina (922738049), Bistro 27 and a bit further on the Golden Bay Chinese (922738447), you can also walk up to Pedro’s through the Winter Gardens from here too. It is also possible to walk down to the Marina area from this road, although if you were staying at Santa Barbara it would be easier to go down to the Pool area and go through the gate and turn right as this also leads down to the Marina area.

As you walk down you will find several restaurants, including a Mexican Mis Cuates (922736501) an Indian Nawaab, Trasmallo Steakhouse (922708247) La Marina II (922708198) most of them we have found to be mediocre to be honest but two that do stand out are Sakura (922738393) & Harbour Lights (922736677). Sakura is a restaurant where they serve a range of dishes from Thai to Chinese to Japanese. If you want a really lovely meal go into Sakura and tell Jimmy that Tony sent you and you want Tepanyaki! They have at the back of the restaurant a Tepanyaki area which seats only about 16 people, this is without doubt our favourite restaurant on the Golf. At the Tepanyaki we order depending on how many of us there are, typically Fillet steak, Chicken, Duck, Sea Bass & King Prawns, a couple of portions of Fried Rice, one Noodles and one Vegetables mmm lovely my mouth is watering now just thinking about it!

The food is cooked in front of you on the Tepanyaki plates and the smells and flavours are to die for and watching the chef cook is an experience in itself and not to be missed!

Harbour Lights is further around towards the Harbour, they do a typically English menu but cooked very well with home made food and everything is always fresh and very tasty. Next to Harbour lights is a underpass under the hotel, in here you will find the offices for the Yellow submarine if you fancy that but at the end you will find our favourite bar The Memphis Bar run by Rene & Grietje (pronounced Creature). They are a lovely Dutch couple and really good friends of ours now, the Memphis as you might imagine is choker bloc with Elvis Memorabilia. It is a Karaoke bar not that either of us have ever uttered a note but Rene sings quite a bit and hasn’t got a bad voice, to hear Rene sing some great songs well but mispronouncing some of the words is a delight not to be missed, some of the singers are good some are bad but if Barry is in you can look forward to some great songs from him including a few duet’s with Rene where they really compliment each other’s voices. Duets with Rene & Grietje are something you will never forget.

Going back up to the one way system from Santa Barbara there are a few restaurants within easy walking distance including a small Italian "Golf Park" (922738136) on the corner, a Chinese at the end of the block between the first block and the second is a little windy path that leads up to Mama Roma's an excellent Italian restaurant, we have eaten here a couple of times and really enjoyed the food and the surroundings. On the next block there is "Dabda" a very nice Tapas & Wine bar and two more restaurants "Volcanic Isles" and the Angus Steak House.

If you carry on up the one way system you will see on your right a terracotta resort named Terrazzo de la Paz and here you will find the excellent “new” Big Al’s restaurant (630463044), much bigger than the old Big Al’s and a lovely setting to eat with excellent food too but make sure you are hungry. Big Al's is only open from 5pm so no good going for lunch!

If you are walking then before that if you turn right down towards El Nautico a nice looking apartment block with an outside bar and a restaurant, continue walking up the slope you will come to San Blas, this is also an easy walk from RTCC. On your left opposite San Blas is my favourite resort Sunset View with it’s excellent on site restaurant “Tasca Macos” (922 738324) run by Colin Stevens who provides the entertainment and Mark who is the chef. The bar is open every day except Sunday and during the day you will be ably looked after by the lovely Amanda who looks after all the guests and visitors so well! Mark’s food in the evenings is superb but you do need to book especially on Wednesdays & Saturdays when it is Colin’s show night!

Opposite Sunset View the top square hosts a number of restaurants and entertainment 7 nights a week. You have the Great Wall a very good Chinese restaurant, next to that our wonderful estate agents Tenerife Property Links! (922738039) Inside the top square there is entertainment every night, the normal comapare is Sonny who has good voice but twice a week we are treated to SuzyQ as compare and Sue has an excellent voice and she is lovely to listen to as you eat. There are two cabaret acts every night one starting at around 9ish and the second around 10:15, one not to miss is the Abba show on a Tuesday night, two lovely girls SuzyQ & Jan Monroe dressed as Agnetha Fältskog & Anni-Frid Lyngstad blasting out all the old Abba tunes!

Next to the Great Wall is Latham’s (922727907) run by Simon & Jane (this is the old Big Al’s if you have been before) the food here is probably the best on the squares and Simon will cook anything for you if he has the ingredients he will cook it! Simon will tell you the menu is only a guide so don’t be afraid to ask if you fancy something you don’t see.

Next to Latham’s is what used to be the Trawler a fish and chip shop / restaurant that is n ow closed and is being turned into a bar which I understand is going to be called the Red Lion! (not the best name for a bar in Tenerife is it), next to that is Country Kitchen where again they serve good food. Opposite the Great wall is the Tavern a good bar to enjoy the entertainment at the end of the night or enjoy a drink before eating. Next to the Tavern is one of the 3 Indian restaurants on the top square! It used to be called the Himalaya, then it was Cilantro and now it is “Moti Mahal”, we have eaten here and the food was superb, not over facing but very tasty indeed! All reports are that it is the best of the three Indian restaurants! Next door is Arcadia a very nice restaurant if you want to enjoy the entertainment and a nice meal with good friendly service from Becky and Emily. Next door to Arcadia is J’R’s have only eaten here once and that was years ago but with so many reliably good restaurants we aren’t risking going back!

As you walk down towards the middle square you will pass what used to be the Canton but is now the Kohinoor (922738828) and next to that is the third Indian the Taj (922738801), we have now eaten at both of these Indian restaurants and they are both good if you like Indian food, better than a lot of Indian restaurants in the UK.

On the middle and biggest of the squares there are 3 restaurants that could almost be one as they are all next to each other with open adjoining terraces. The Plaza, The Opera and La Cueva all much of a muchness and not amongst our favourites to be honest. On the right you will find Bar Verde, not a bad restaurant and great for Breakfast as is La Taberna which is just off the main road at the front near Netto. At the bottom of the middle square there used to be a shop which is now a restaurant named Las Pergolas, the menu is excellent and the food lovely, they aren’t cheap but they are busy which is always a good sign! We did find the wine a bit expensive mind you!

On the bottom square the only restaurant left is the Lobster Pot (627603408) which is small and expensive, however they have now started to do a special offer every night, 3 courses for just 14.95€ per person. We tried it a couple of weeks ago and the food was really excellent, however be aware that they don't sell draught beer only bottles at 3.50€ each! I would recommend the food but suggest a bottle of wine rather than individual drinks. On the bottom square one of my favourite watering holes “Swigs” is no more but the place has been completely gutted and refurbished and opened again as "Bar 180" obviously a darts theme with new owners, drinks still cheap but needs something to give it a bit of atmosphere as it is all a bit to clean at the moment if you know what I mean. By the side of Bar 180 is the Internet café, very important if you haven’t got a laptop and you need to keep in touch! Please note the Internet cafe is only open now from 10am until 1:30pm and then from 4pm until 8:30pm and is closed on Sundays.

On the back road the first place you come to is Taboo’s a night club for the young ones amongst us, they have a takeaway Pizza place attached that I understand is good if you like Pizza!

Next to the Taboo’s is Gullivers Steak House, really excellent food, can be a bit slow but hey you are on holiday right! Always worth checking out the specials mmm. On Tuesday's they are now offering a special 3 courses for €17.50 Euros with Leon the Sax man entertaining you whilst you eat. Definitely need to book for this (922738303).

Next to Gullivers is the Wok Direct Chinese (922738381) where you can eat as much as you like for just €7.95 from their excellent Buffet including the wok service where you take your chosen meet, vegetables etc and choose your sauce and they cook it whilst you wait!

El Inti the Peruvian restaurant is closed.

Simpsons (922738456) is what used to La Strada and is now open. On the table there is a paper menu, very much like La Strada & Gullivers but this menu is different to the old La Strada menu and is more of a Tapas menu. The prices on this menu are very good and the selection quite varied. We used the big menu and have an excellent Char Grilled fillet steak. Not cheap but excellent food, we will be returning here for sure.

Pate de Oro (922738482) is open and serving fantastic Tapas or main courses so we can heartily recommend eating there.

That is just about it for now all of this without leaving the Golf del Sur that can’t be bad can it! Nearby you have Los Abrigos for lovely fish restaurants and numerous other places to visit, restaurants to eat at and bars to drink at but that is another story.

I hope this is useful for anyone coming out to the Golf del Sur.

Happy holidays


Tony Pearce
tony@dri-members.co.uk

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Circle broken by CIB petitions

Circle broken by CIB petitions

MANCHESTER, UK: Two Cheshire based companies that offered to help owners dispose of valueless timeshare products and also marketed a potentially worthless cash back scheme have been wound up in the High Court following an investigation by the Companies Investigation Branch (CIB) of the Insolvency Service.

CIB’s investigation found that Full Circle Management Ltd (which traded under the style of FC Management) targeted existing timeshare owners, who were invited to attend a presentation at which they were persuaded to pay the company a fee, in return for which they were promised they would be “rid of the [timeshare] problem once and for all”. Clients were also invited to participate in a cash back scheme through which they were offered the opportunity to earn back what they had lost on their timeshare investment. The cost of the combined options varied between £1,800 and £8,000 and the company signed up nearly 450 clients between September 2006 and March 2008, generating a turnover of more than £2m. However, the enquiry found that almost £1m of that sum had been diverted to a Gibraltan company under common ownership and could not be accounted for.

Furthermore, CIB’s investigation also established that the timeshare disposal contract was not legally binding on the timeshare management company who, in the event of default by Full Circle, would continue to look to the client for outstanding management fees; a fact that was not made known to the client by Full Circle. As at February 2008 the company had potential future annual management fees of more than £150,000 but less than £12,000 in its bank account.

Regarding the cash back scheme, the investigation established that Full Circle had received more than £280,000 as agents for the cash back providers (in addition to £95,000 in sales commission) but that, as at March 2008, had handed over only £107,000 of that sum. As a result, 51% of clients are prevented from pursuing their claim to cash back, having not received the required paperwork, whilst the potential of the scheme for the remaining clients cannot be assessed.

Recent information reveals that the company ceased to trade in July 2008, having been abandoned by its management team, who are ex-patriots living in Spain and who failed to co-operate fully with the investigation.

Full Circle’s sister company, FC Management Ltd, although dormant, was also wound up by the Court on the grounds that its name was identical to the trading style of Full Circle and could lead to confusion in the minds of the general public.

In winding the companies up the District Judge commented that Full Circle’s business model appears to be one that significantly disadvantages the public.

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