Olympus World

We hit Siam Park today for the first time and honestly it exceeded all expectations, in fact I am slightly sunburned, still covered in sun cream and sand and pleasantly exhausted as I am writing this!

This Theme Park is without a doubt on a par with anything that you will find in Florida, California, Cancun or wherever. The water rides are superb, particularly “The Dragon”, “The Volcano” and the Wave pool. There is a glorious white sandy beach and when you are relaxing there you could honestly be in the Caribbean (without the hurricanes, daily downpours, humidity or insects!). The entrance fee is 28 Euros for adults and it is worth every penny. Once inside, the prices for food and drinks are very reasonable and the quality is very high. The entrance is literally a 3 or 4 minute walk from Club Olympus in Garden City.

We think it is a superb day out and had a blast so do give it a shot when you are down here. If you have already been, leave us a comment (click on “comment” just below) or if you have any questions drop us a line via “comments”. Click here for the official Siam Park website.

Cheers - Ivan

Our guests and owners at Club Olympus have been using the new theme park extensively since it opened nearly two weeks ago. Everybody is reporting that it is a brilliant day out. Siam Park is virtually next door to Club Olympus in Garden City and is less than a five minute walk to the entrance. Here are some shots taken by Mark and Dave O’Neill who visited the Park this weekend.

Here is the “Wave Pool” and “Lagoon”. It features a fabulous beach with glorious white sand and the biggest, surfable, artificial wave in the world.

Dave and Mark managed to get to the park very early and get towels on sunbeds before other “continental visitors” managed to get their towels on!

Dave is obviously quite pleased with his sunbed acquiring skills and is set to enjoy the day!

Here is the “Lost City” Childrens area with lower level slides, however there is still plenty of action to keep the kids entertained. Here below we see the famous “Tower of Power”. A 90 foot sheer drop followed by a trip through a glass tube surrounded by Piranha fish.

And here below are the the Piranha fish!

Mark has just sent his brother Dave down the slide and is enjoying watching Dave whizz through the Piranha’s.

Not everything in the park is like the “Tower of Power”. There are quite a few much gentler attractions such as the “Lazy River” featured below.

Although even the “Lazy River” has an optional diversion which takes you through rapids and drops you down a waterfall if you wish!

And the amazing thing is that all of this is just the first phase at Siam Park. There a 2 more phases that will happen over the next couple of years so we shall see what that brings.

Siam Park is a great feature of the south of Tenerife and our Club Olympus owners and guests are using it to the full. If you need a break from the UK weather and economic climate, come down to Club Olympus as soon as you can and enjoy being next door to one of the worlds finest theme parks.

The fabulous Siam Park had its official opening ceremony yesterday evening and Club Olympus were invited. Peter Rhodes represented Club Olympus as the park was opened by a Princess from the Thai Royal family.

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn signs the opening page of the visitors book at Siam Park. Stood at her side is Mr Wolfgang Kiessling the owner of Siam Park and also of the world famous Loro Parque in Puerto De L Cruz.

Over 2,000 guests were present at this grand occasion which marks a very important point in the history of the south of Tenerife.

The opening ceremony was attended by many local dignitaries including the President of the Cabildo of Tenerife and the President of the Cabildo of the Canary Islands.

Here on the left is Senor Paulino Rivero, President of the Canary Islands and in the centre rear is Senor Ricardo Melchior, President of Tenerife.

The Park is going to be the largest of its kind in the world and will be mainly a water based theme park with a flavour of Thailand.

Guests at the ceremony enjoyed traditional Thai Dancing as well as arts and crafts from ancient Siam as Thailand was known.

The visitors had a tour of the Park and saw the various rides, slides and attractions in action.

 Siam Park will feature the biggest “Wave Pool” in the world. It has an enormous ‘beach’ area and amazingly generates surfable waves!

There are many different types of slides include “The Tower of Power” which features a 90 foot sheer drop! However there are many more gentler slides such as this one below.

Lots of animals will be a part of the Park and the first ones have begun to arrive as the first phase nears completion. There are two more phases yet to be constructed and one of them will include the worlds largest Roller Coaster using the natural contours of the parkland. Animals are still being located at various Zoos and theme parks to bring into the Park. The Kiessling family have a great reputation for conservation and the breeding of endangered species. They also are insistant on keeping animals in the conditions that closely resemble their original habitats.

After the tour the Mayors of Adeje and Arona Districts gave speeches welcoming the opening of the Theme Park. Here below is Senor Jose Fraga, the mayor of Adeje Province under which jurisdiction Siam Park comes as well as that of Club Olympus in Garden City.

The evening was topped off with a superb show followed by a spectacular firework display and the Park was officially open. Here below, at the conclusion of the event, the President of the Canary Islands, Senor Paulino Rivero congratulates Christoph Kiessling (left) on the inaugural event.

The Park officially opens to the public tomorrow on Wednesday the 17th of September. Tickets and passes to Siam Park will be available through reception at Club Olympus. Don’t forget that Siam Park is next door to Club Olympus in Garden City and is one of the many attractions surrounding the resort that make Club Olympus one of the best placed resorts in Tenerife to have a fantastic holiday.

Club Olympus, it’s a way of life!

The opening is imminent! Indications are that Siam Park could be opening in mid-September although we are not holding our breaths. Most of the rides are up and running and the infrastrucure is in place. Check out this short video of the Tower of Power on Youtube. Technical difficulties have held off the opening but we are getting word that things are very close. Very shortly Club Olympus owners and guests will be able to use this outstanding theme park! We will keep you posted!

As a bit of a treat we went to the Aqua Thermal Spa in Playa De Las Americas last night. It is a 2 minute taxi ride or 10 minute walk to the Spa from Club Olympus in Garden City. This beautiful, modern facility is really superb. There is a large swimming pool with many different powerful water jets that massage every bit of your body. There are Jacuzzi’s, sauna’s, steam rooms, Turkish and Roman Baths, a fabulous gym, health and beauty areas and all manner of ways in which to pamper yourself. Check their website here!

Sea fishing is very popular down in Tenerife. If we want to get away from it all then there is no better way than a days fishing. During this week we snuck off for the afternoon and went with our mate Keith who has a small fishing boat. The weather down in Tenerife is fantastic so fresh sea breezes, salt spray and ice-cold heineken make for a great afternoon’s fishing.

The deep blue water of the Atlantic is fabulous for fishing. On this particular occasion we were just bottom-fishing about a mile offshore. Sometimes we “Troll” for Tuna, Marlin, Wahoo and other game fish. But today was about relaxing.

Two fine figures of men! Here is me with “Captain Keith”.

We used fairly light tackle and our bait was baby squid. This works a treat because it stays on the hook and is attractive to fish. We actually caught about 35 fish, most of which were eatable and most of which I caught! Sedge came a close second and Cap’n Keith a miserable third, however he loses fishing time by skippering the boat so we let him off.

We caught Snappers, Dorada, Sea Bream, Mackerel, Weever fish, Lizard fish, Trigger fish and Sedge caught a large Moray eel shown below. I didn’t get many photo’s of fish because my hands were covered in slime and squid ink from the bait and I was too busy catching fish to organise myself properly with the camera as I am sure you will understand.

Morays make great eating too and the Locals love ‘em. We generally throw the Weever fish back even though they are good eating. The problem is that Weevers pack a powerful sting that puts you straight in hospital so we try not to bring them on board. All the rest end up on the barbecue.

The Skipper and Sedge. For this shot we were actually quite close in to shore here, fishing a small reef that has been productive in the past, not so good this day so we moved back out and had more success in deeper water.

Here’s me just striking into a fat Sea Bream! Who mentioned fat!!

I know, I know, I am actually dieting right now so don’t start.

You know just being out on a boat on a beautiful day, with Tenerife in the background is a fabulous experience in itself. We saw a great variety of seabirds and had dolphins swimming by the boat. We also kept dropping into the water for a swim to cool off, wonderful!

There are lots of big or small charter boats that go out from either Los Cristianos, Puerto Colon (Las Americas) or Los Gigantes. They are not expensive and well worth a try if you would like to experience this sort of thing for yourself.

We always recommend The Crested Wave with Skipper Mick Hinson down in Cristianos. The Crested Wave (click that link to their website) provides a brilliant day out for game and bottom fishing and is very reasonably priced. They will take individuals or parties and are extremely friendly. We have known Mick and his family for years and they are great people. More importantly, they catch fish! I took this shot below just as we were heading back in at about 6.30 pm. It shows Mount Teide and the South Coast from just outside Puerto Colon.

If you are into fishing or would like to try a new experience then have a chat with us when you are at Club Olympus or speak directly to the Crested Wave via their website. If you need any help talk to me or any of our staff and we will point you in the right direction. Either way, you will have a great time.

See you soon - Ivan

As mentioned in a recent post, the fabulous Siam Park is due to open its first phase shortly. Press reports indicate that this could happen in May of this year. Siam Park is virtually next door to Club Olympus in Garden City and will be a brilliant attraction for all our guests and all visitors to Tenerife.

This photo shows progress up until this weekend. As you can see, the Park is really taking shape.

Here you can see the top of the “Tower of Power”, a 90 foot slide that ends in a tunnel through the crocodile lake shown below!

The Lagoon and beach area is also nearing completion. It will feature the largest man-made surfable waves in the world and glorious white sand as you can get an idea below.

Siam Park is already listed in the top five European Theme Parks by The Times Newspaper. By its completion it will be a world class attraction. It is already set to break a number of world-records for various features. Siam Park already has its own Wikipedia entry (Here) which is worth a look at.

As you can imagine, we are all very excited about Siam Park here in Tenerife, especially at Club Olympus because of its proximity to our resort.

Here we can see the edge of Siam Park, the red building to the right is Exit 29 Palace (the famous show venue), going towards the sea is our next door neighbour the San Eugenio Clinic and then Garden City on the extreme right.

Weather this weekend on the resort can be appreciated from this shot below! (We always like to chuck that one in when the UK weather is abysmal!)

Happy Holidays - Club Olympus

Well they are telling us that Siam Park will be open on May the first of this year! We have seen construction come on at a rapid pace and it really looks impressive. Follow this Siam Park link to see a list of the attractions at one of the worlds biggest Water Theme Parks.

Club Olympus in Garden City is right next door to this outstanding attraction! We will keep you informed of all developments.

I managed to sneak off and have a bit of a walk the other day with walking pal Terry. We headed for the tiny mountain village of ‘Vera De Erques’ which is about a 20 minute drive from Garden City in Playa De Las Americas. To the rear of the village is a spectacular mountain gorge (or ‘Barranco’ in Spanish) called the Barranco Erques. At one one time there must have been a considerable amount of water rushing through the gorge but the water is now running through pipes!

There is a clearly defined footpath that takes you down one side of the Barranco, along the bottom for a way and then up the other side. The views throughout the whole of the 3 hour walk are spectacular as we are at about 3,000 feet.

The path can get a bit loose underfoot so care is needed. Terry always uses ‘Ski-Poles’ to walk with and they do make a massive difference to your stability.

At one time this must have been a spectacular waterfall but now there is just a little puddle at the bottom. When there is a heavy downpour (pretty rare for Tenerife) then we might get an idea of what it was like. 

Tenerife is often just associated with the “sun, sea and sand” image but literally minutes away from Playa De Las Americas we have very dramatic scenery, beautifully peaceful countryside and varied wildlife. If you want to know more about walking in Tenerife then speak with me personally or any of our staff down at the resort.

All the best - Ivan

Darren Clarke and Harry Bradley won the first round of the Tenerife Open Moto-Cross Championship in their categories this week. Both are staying with their parents and families at Club Olympus in Garden City.

Darren (left) and Harry (right) show off their trophy in the Olympus Poolside Bar above. The championship is held at Motocross 365, San Miguel, Tenerife.

Both are ranked in the top ten of their respective Championships in the UK (85cc, age 11-15). Harry recorded 3rd, 9th place at the world famous Weston-Super-Mare beach race in recent years.

The 365 Championship first stage trophy on display in the Poolside Bar.

Moto-cross motorcycle racing is taken very seriously in Tenerife and has a big following. The 365 organisation have a fabulous track and facilities at San Miguel which is about a 15 minute drive from Las Americas. Moto-cross and Enduro bikes can be hired and instruction is available if you are an absolute novice or an experienced rider.

The lads with their dads, Darren Clark (left) from Knottingley near Pontefract in Yorkshire and Wayne Bradley (right) from Tamworth, Staffs.

Darren’s family have owned timeshare with Club Olympus for nearly 20 years and they, along with the Bradley family, are having a blast down here in Tenerife.