Olympus World

As we mentioned last week, the Top Pool at Club Olympus, Garden City was closed for a few days to carry out some repair work. We also took the opportunity to give it an autumn spring clean!

Pictured above is Maintenance Team member Ismail working at full blast to get the pool repairs completed as quickly as possible.

The work was completed yesterday (29th Nov) and here we see our Chief Gardener Manolo doing the final clean at first light this morning.

In the background is Feliciano, a member of the painting team, repairing, skimming then doing final touch-up on the walls around the pool area. Painting at Garden City is definitely a “Forth Bridge” job!

Here below are some shots of the completed and newly opened pool taken today (30th Nov) at 12 noon. Please note beautiful blue skies and glorious Tenerife sunshine

Pictured below is Maintenance Team member Jose Antonio as they complete the pool area for opening.

And finally one last shot just to whet your appetite for your next holidays at Club Olympus, Garden City, Tenerife.

Come on, dive in!

I just managed to grab this shot of the sun setting last night as I drove towards Club Olympus at 6.30 in the evening (28th November). We do get fabulous sunsets here in Tenerife. I was quite pleased with the shot so I wanted to share it with you all - Ivan

As you know, we have an owners and guests party at Club Olympus every Monday night. As part of our 20th year anniversary celebrations we have selected quite a few Monday nights to have a special party. This Monday (26th November) was one of those and we had a blast!

Suzanne White (our sales manager/manageress) was in fine voice as Master of Ceremonies or should that be Mistress of Ceremonies? In-House team member Joanne Morrisey is on stand by with bottles of Brandy and Banana Liqueur (a Tenerife speciality)

Prize draws were held for bottles of spirits and coveted Olympus 20 year anniversary T-shirts were up for grabs as you can see below.

Owners, Points Club members and RCI guests joined the party as did Hedley and Jane Rhodes and Ivan and Peter Rhodes (Developers at Club Olympus).

Below we have Geoff and Marilyn Hartley being entertained by Hedley. Geoff and Marilyn have owned with us for 8 years.

It was a pleasure to have long time members of Club Olympus with us. Below we have Jane and Brian Castle, they are visiting the resort with their friends Mo and John. At the back of the shot are Harold and Hilda Mumberson from Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. 

It was a lovely warm evening and our guests enjoyed a pleasant evening in late November without coats, jumpers, cardigans, shawls etc. (we are just saying this to irritate everyone freezing to bits in the UK!)

Congratulations were in order for David and Paula Whitfield (above) who were also celebrating their 30th anniversary this week. They have owned with us here in Tenerife since ‘97 and are from Plymouth, The Ho, to be exact!

RCI Points owners Tracy and Chris Law from Gloucester have enjoyed a great family holiday at Club Olympus this year and are pictured below.

Tracy, Chris and family had a near miss during the floods in Gloucestershire earlier this year. Floodwaters covered their back garden but spared the house, many others in the area were not so fortunate but the Law family are definitely enjoying the glorious sunshine of Tenerife at the moment.

Roseanne and Vanessa pictured above, certainly enjoyed the party. They are now officially known as “The Sangria Girls”

Prize draw winner Audrey Wood collects her fine Champagne from Suzanne below.

Audrey and husband Alan, from Selkirk in Scotland, are points owners who return year after after year. It’s always a pleasure to see them.

It was a great night and we will be having other similar events through until the end of the year. Then next year we will think of another excuse to have some great parties down at the resort. Come and join us at Club Olympus in Tenerife!

where would you start?

This section of road on the way to Guia De Isora in the south of Tenerife has now become a famous landmark. About a 1o minute drive away from Club Olympus is this crazy network of pipes. If you go to end of the TF-1 motorway, heading towards Los Gigantes, you come to a roundabout. Instead of taking the 3rd Exit to Los Gigantes, you go straight across heading to Guia De Isora. You will then pass this phenomenon in just a few minutes.

The amazing thing is that a couple of guys who work with the local water authority know exactly which pipe goes where and why. Water management in Tenerife is a serious business and is very well run. Despite fabulous weather and very dry conditions there are never any hosepipe bans (it makes you think doesn’t it?).

Most of the water in Tenerife comes from underground reservoirs called “Galerias” or Galleries. There are also quite a number of wells.

Rainfall in the mountains and snowmelt on Mount Teide permeates through porous volcanic rock and is then collected in huge natural and hand dug reservoirs. It then flows through networks of pipes to all the various parts of the island. There are also two desalination plants. One in the south near Playa De Las Americas and the other in the capital Santa Cruz

Expert water managers known as “Candelarias” regulate and measure the water to thousands of outlets. In agricultural areas (which consume about 50% of total output), water is measured in “Pipas”, this is an amount of time that water is allowed to flow to certain areas. Water ‘rights’ and water conservation are taken very seriously, so next time you drive past this tangle of pipes, bear in mind that somebody knows exactly which pipe goes where!

This road out to Guia De Isora is one of the picturesque routes to Mount Teide and the Canadas valley. It passes through lots of little villages where there are dozens of brilliant little restaurants and bars.

Just past the tangle of pipes is the village of Los Menores (The Midgets). On the left hand side as you drive through the village, is a famous bar and restaurant called “El Volante”. This restaurant serves traditional ‘Tapas’ and also the South American staple food known as ‘Arepas’. These are hot corn buns filled with a variety of spicy, savoury fillings. Well worth a try and ‘cheap as chips’. On your next visit to Tenerife, go off the beaten track and head on the road past the Pipes, you will not be disappointed.

Frequent bus services go this way or you can hire a car at very reasonable rates from the Club Olympus reception.

Just click on “comments” below this article and drop us a line if you recognise this particular landmark or if you have any comments or observations.

This photo of the top pool was taken at 5pm on Wednesday 21st of November (please note glorious sunshine and blue skies here in Tenerife the day after the first snows in England were reported for this year - just to make you all feel better!)

Just a brief note to let you all know that on Monday the 26th of November we are closing the top swimming pool for some necessary repairs and maintenance. We are repairing the concrete fringe and taking the opportunity to empty, scrub down, clean and tidy the interior. We expect the work to take about or less than a week and do not anticipate much noise (unless something goes adrift). The sunbathing terrace will remain open and sunbeds will be provided if everything is straightforward. The main pool (below) remains in normal service and we expect minimal disruption. There is never a good time to close any of the pools and we apologise in advance for any inconvenience. Owners and the exchange companies have been notified as well as the CLC points reservation team. Our timeshare owners and guests are aware that this work needs to be done and we really appreciate your patience.

If you need any further information or have any questions, please call the resort direct on 0044 922 795606 and speak with Sue or Cassie in the reservations office. Or email info@olympusworld.com or ss2@olympusworld.com

Thanks again for your patience and understanding - Club Olympus

 

Over the last few weeks we have been making a concerted effort to raise the profile of the Saturday morning welcome meeting and have enjoyed a great response. Dave O’Neil (one half of the world famous O’Neil twins) hosts the Welcome meeting at the Poolside Bar. Free Bucks Fizz flows freely (say that after half a dozen Buck’s Fizz’s) from 10.45 in the morning.

 

A prize quiz and free raffle are held to win a highly sought after “Club Olympus 20 Year anniversary T-shirt”. We introduce you to all the team who are going to look after you. We highlight recommended trips and excursions. Hopefully we give you an insight into the do’s and don’t’s whilst on holiday in Tenerife and generally get your holiday off to a brilliant start. It is well worth coming and spending half an hour with us and familiarising yourself with our staff and the resort in general.

Enjoying the Welcome Meeting is Norman Riddler along with friend Jamy (above). Norman and late wife Connie first acquired timeshare with Club Olympus in 1990. Norman has been with us every year since and spends more and more of the winter with us.

At the Welcome Meeting we also run through all the events and sports being hosted by the Olympus Poolside Bar. Mark and Denise Atkin, “Mein Hosts” at the bar, hope you will join them throughout the week and enjoy their company. Bar Manager Tim Brears from Normanton, West Yorkshire (pictured above) will give you his wise thoughts and views about Rugby League, the state of Yorkshire football, what music is acceptable to the working man, which stars of stage, screen and cinema would be allowed in the bar or not, which politicians are talking sense or nonsense (usually the latter), which current housemate of Big Brother needs a serious chat with themselves, which soap opera is remotely worth a look at etc. etc. I think you get the picture!

Anyway, please come and join our timeshare owners, guests, families and everybody else who will be at the Saturday morning Welcome Meeting. The free bucks fizz flows freely from 10.45!

Tresor Kandol (pictured above with Hedley and Tony Rhodes) is Leeds joint top scorer. Club Olympus in Tenerife have been Kit Sponsors of Tresor for the last couple of years and he hasn’t let us down. The Congolese born striker has netted 8 goals so far this season to put him in joint top slot with his Leeds strike partner Jermaine Beckford.

26 year old Tresor is cousin of Kazenga LuaLua of Newcastle United and shares the same celebration style of his other cousin Lomana LuaLua of Olympiacos, a back somersault. Before coming to Leeds  he played for Barnet, Darlington and Dagenham and Redbridge.

Leeds United, despite beginning the season with a 15 point reduction, have put themselves within a point of the play-off positions.

The Olympus Poolside Bar is the home of the Leeds United Supporters Club Tenerife Branch. We know that lots of you are not Leeds fans but you are more than welcome in the Poolside Bar whoever you support. We show up to 5 Premiership games every Saturday and cover virtually all major sporting events.

We at Club Olympus hope to see lots more somersaults from Tresor Kandol this year.

Timeshare owner Warren Warner from Leicestershire (pictured left) is enjoying his 20th year at Club Olympus. Warren joined us back in 1986 and has been to the resort in Tenerife every year since. This year he was joined on holiday with his pal Terry Booton (pictured right) who happened to win the 20th Year anniversary Olympus shirt at the Monday night party. In the centre is In-House team member Mick Wilkin.

Welcome back Warren and we hope to see you here at Club Olympus for years to come!

One of our more well known committee members is Brian Bottomley. Brian has been part of the Club Olympus Owners Committee for virtually a decade and has tremendous experience. Brian and wife Josie have owned timeshare with Club Olympus since 1988 and really enjoy the island of Tenerife.

68 years old Brian is originally from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire. Prior to retirement Brian worked all over the world as a commissioning engineer for major oil companies. He has a great interest in sport, particularly Rugby League and is close friends with some of the greats of the sport such as Billy Boston and Mick Sullivan. Brian even featured in Hello! magazine a few years ago with articles and pictures about their local Dewsbury football team. The team turned out with the exactly the same original side that played together 52 years previously. The pace was a tad slower, the skills were slightly rusty but the aftergame party was pursued with the same youthful vigour!

Brian has a great passion for looking after the interests of Club Olympus owners and works extremely hard on behalf of our valued owners. He is particularly keen on improving facilities for the disabled at the Club and is currently working on a number of ways to make that happen. Brian always makes himself available to our timeshare owners and is always happy to assist in any area he can. His down-to-earth, honest and straightforward approach to everything make him a tremendous asset to the committee and the club.

All at Club Olympus would like to express their appreciation for Brian’s invaluable contribution to the team effort on the resort and behind the scenes.

Directly at the rear of Garden City, situated between the lifts is Hedley’s Gym. This popular ‘keep fit’ venue has had a very busy year as Club Olympus timeshare owners and many other guests to Garden City strive to maintain their physical fitness.

Personal trainer and qualified instructor Lynn Sharpe (above) runs a tight ship at Hedley’s Gym. Lynn has lived in Tenerife for many years and has been chief instructor at Hedley’s Gym for the last 7 years. Originally from Leeds, Lynn trained in physical fitness at Leeds University.

Hedley’s Gym, while not the largest gym in the world is certainly well equipped and fits the requirements of most people. As well as lots of free weights, exercise machines and multigyms there are beautiful changing rooms, sauna and shower facilities. Lynn provides personal training, diet plans, fitness regimes and personal training programmes for both beginners and advanced students alike.

The Gym is open from 10am until 6pm and welcomes everybody to train and learn in a warm, friendly and non-competative atmosphere here in the beautiful surroundings of the island of Tenerife.

Prices are 3 Euros per day, 8 Euros per week or 13.5 Euros per fortnight. Sauna is 3 Euros per person per half hour.