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So what is it like to live in Costa Del Silencio? Is it a good place to book a holiday?

Updated October 2007

Having lived in Costa Del Silencio since 2000, I can tell you that it is a pleasant place to stay. It offers the best of both worlds - easy access to Las Americas and Los Cristianos or in the other direction Los Abrigos and El Medano.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants covering all tastes including the ubiquitous Britsh breakfast as well as Belgian, Chinese, Italian and local Spanish and Canarian fare. Some of them are described in Round and About in Costa Del Silencio and Bars in Costa Del Silencio. To book a hotel or self catering apartment visit Costa Del Silencio Accommodation

There are a couple of small parks. Though neither are currently well maintained, the public works that have recently been planned with the (possibly reluctant) cooperation of Ten Bel should see them spruced up in the near future.

The small park directly in front of Ten Bel (which used to be known as Plaza John Huygen until his bronze bust was nicked) has a fairly new kids' play area but offers no other facilities or entertainment except for the occasional colourful display of the resident flock of wild green parrots and a family of hoopoe who are often to be seen scratching about in the short grass.

Damon Park which can be found in the same general area between the Primavera and Eureka complexes has a bit more to offer. Once upon a time this little park was quite an attraction with beautifully maintained paths through mature trees and a mini-train. Now sadly neglected and rather shabby the park itself hides a local secret. It contains a tennis club with mini-golf and petanque courts. Tennis courts can be hired by the hour or you can book a course of regular lessons. The petanque crowd who are mostly Belgian are quite entertaining to watch - especially when there is a squabble over touching balls (ooh err!).

You don't have to be sporty to enjoy Damon Park though. The little bar is run by two very friendly barmen who speak Spanish, English and Flemish and is surrounded by greenery. It makes a pleasantly quiet oasis with the full stretch of the mini-golf area for kids to run about in. There is an ancient set of kids play items here but avoid them at all costs. The heavy iron swing could easily knock a kid's teeth out or worse and the wooden slide causes splinters and friction burns.

The overall section of CDS that encompasses these two parks is soon to be the focus of some major improvement. Between Carabela and the Bollypan restaurant there are plans afoot for a water park while in front of Carabela taking over the Ten Bel park, we are told to look forward to a 'theme park'. Time will tell.

You would be very unlucky to book a holiday in CDS and find that your holiday accommodation did not include a pool. In the unlikely event that this is the case or you fancy a change of scenery you can hire sunbeds by the Westhaven Bay, Club Marino, Alborada or Primavera pools.

Like everywhere, Costa del Silencio has its downside. Most annoying and dangerous is perhaps the poor lighting of some of the roadside walks and paths. Given that many tourists in the area are from the UK and often forget that the cars are driving on the opposite side of the road, it is not surprising that I have witnessed many a near miss especially on the opposite corner to Hermusa/Whitehaven Bay.

Thankfully the poor street lighting and lack of designated walkways have been targetted for improvement in a large €2.2 million public improvement project recently won by Treysasa. Quaintly all works which are mainly focussed on the Av. Jose Antonia Tavio and Calle Diana thoroughfares are pledged to be completed in twelve months though with no start date in sight twleve months from when is anybody's guess.

In early 2007 some utility works were carried out which involved digging up the roadside which runs along the edge of the Geminis Complex. It included laying cables and both 'black' and 'white' water pipes.

You would think that this could have been co-ordinated rather than dig up the roadside three times but heh, who's counting? With that in mind the much needed improvements will no doubt bring with them a touch of Tenerife-style chaos but I've no doubts the end result will be

There are links to holiday accommodation in Costa Del Silencio below but some readers may be wondering how much it costs to live in the CDS/Las Galletas area. The best place to look for longterm rental accommodation is in the free English newspapers you can find just about anywhere. You can expect to pay about €500 per month for a one bedroom apartment in either area though it is worth spending a bit of time looking around as standards vary wildly.

Schooling in the area consists of state schools in Las Galletas and Las Rosas or you can elect to pack your kids off on school buses to one of the South's several private schools. the Luther King private school in Aldea Blanca is subsidised or you have Wingate in Cabo Blanco, Brittania in Los Cristianos or the E.E.C in the Golf Del Sur/ Amarilla area.

Personally, I chose to send my children to Spanish state school and far from causing any lingual confusion both my kids are fluent English and Spanish speakers. They switch easily between both languages and delight in showing up their mother by correcting her mangled Spanish in front of confused shopkeepers.

The key to getting your kids into the school facility of your choice is to get your paperwork in on time. If you have decided to go the Spanish education route, then you are only allowed to apply to one school and places are allotted on a point system.

Apart from a quirky relationship with time and the occasional surprise holiday I find the local school has given my kids a very positive introduction to education. The pre-school teachers are more affectionate than you would expect to see in the UK and giving the maestra a kiss goodbye is standard procedure for the little ones.

Although Costa Del Silencio is quite well served by the TITSA bus service, with a bus station near the Chayofita complex and stops all down the main road to Las Galletas but I'd still recommend hiring a car to get the most out of the area. Should you want to spend the day in Las Americas and are going by bus, you should try to avoid the regular rush hours. With a car you have the freedom to move around as you wish, without experiencing the unsightly scrum that can erupt on the return journey between 4 and 6 o'clock.

There are a number of holiday complexes in Costa Del Silencio as well as private apartments in semi residential complexes like Tagoro Park, pictured here.

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