As you fly into Tenerife you can see the incredible Mount Teide, towering above the clouds. You guys know I’m not a huge beachy holiday kinda gal, so hiring a car and heading up to see the volcano itself was definitely on the top of my list when we visited Tenerife last October.

The roads up to Teide are seriously windy, but unusually I didn’t get car sick. Maybe it was the excitement or maybe it was the sheer amount of views outside the car, like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Forests, mountains, complete and utter nothing but rock. It was a roller coaster of scenery!

The Lower Station at Teide has a small car park with incredible views of the surrounding areas. It’s difficult to actually see Mount Teide from this point, but you can hop on the cable car to get up to The Upper Station located at 3,555 m altitude. Tickets are available from The Lower Station priced at €27, which at the time we felt was pretty pricey, but actually the whole experience was really worth the money. We headed up about 3pm and were greeted by a pretty small queue to get up in the cable car. It was October though, so it wasn’t peak season and it’s recommended to get there early to avoid disappointment.

You get about an hour to explore Mount Teide from The Upper Station, which is pretty much just a box with a couple of toilets and cable cars sailing in and out. The rest of station is out in the open air, with a rocky path around the volcano and incredible views out across the skies. Make sure you dress appropriately, take some layers and have some solid footwear. I just wore some cute trainer/pumps, but try to avoid flip flops which my brother found out the hard way! The air is pretty thin up there too, so you might feel a bit lightheaded. Just take it easy and don’t wander too far if you’re feeling sketchy, there are plenty of people around up there so there’s nothing to worry about.

You can hike up to the crater of Mount Teide from The Upper Station, which is Spain’s highest peak. You need to obtain a permit to do so, which is free of charge. All information on routes and permits is available from the Teide experience website.

Loves x xx

I was positively giddy to discover Cafe Steps, an adorable Belgian bar in Costa Adeje Tenerife. I’m not a big fan of your typical tourist bars where you can get a pint for a Euro… mostly because I don’t like pints, haha! When I’m on holiday I want the same things from a bar as I look for back home: great atmosphere, cool decor, good selection of reasonably priced drinks plus the most important factor – a sense of the local culture. If I want to hang out with a bunch of British folks and drink Carlsberg I don’t have to venture far from my house in the UK.

Tucked down a side street, Cafe Steps is one of the best bars in Tenerife with everything I’m looking for! Even though it’s not on the beach front, if you look over the edge of the veranda in the daytime you can see the sea at the bottom of the hill, plus the view up the hill is of the incredible, towering Tenerife mountains. I loved the vintage vibe and Moroccan style decor too!

Cafe Steps is owned and run by Leon & Sabine who could not be better hosts. Leon was always dressed up in a kooky jacket and bow tie and they have an incredible selection of beers including my favourite Liefmans, which tastes 100x better on a beautiful afternoon in Tenerife.

Early evening in October the bar was very quiet and so we essentially got our own private veranda with table service, some of my most favourite hours of the holiday sipping my new favourite cocktail, the Hugo (Prosecco, elderflower & mint!). When the rain came rushing down unexpectedly we were expertly moved to a dry area while cushions were stripped and water whisked away. By the time the next guests arrived you wouldn’t have known it had been raining at all.

Cafe Steps is in the heart of Costa Adeje, by Playa Fanabe, close to lots of restaurants and bars so it’s the perfect addition to your night out. We revisited later in the evening on another night for a completely different atmosphere to our peaceful private drink, the bar was humming with chatter and music, but still enough room to settle in our large group of 6!

Cafe Steps is situated on the hill down from Calle Londres, just opposite the Royal Sunset Beach Club in Playa Fanabe, Costa Adeje, Tenerife