Canary Islands Celebrate Lottery Wins with Tenerife Treats

The big Christmas Lottery draw, held every December 22nd, once again brings hope to the people of the Canary Islands. While the top prize, "El Gordo," often misses the islands, smaller wins are common and much appreciated.

People usually use their winnings for important things first, but it's also nice to treat yourself. Tenerife offers many unique ways to celebrate and enjoy special experiences.

Seeing Tenerife from above is a truly special experience. A helicopter ride lets you discover the island's landscapes from an amazing viewpoint. You can find different flight options starting from about 100 euros.

The island has a wide choice of hotels, especially in the south, where you can enjoy a fantastic stay. There are five-star resorts with everything you could want, so much so that you might not even need to leave the hotel to have a fantastic time. However, if you're new to the island, we suggest you explore its main sights.

Food lovers can celebrate their win at one of Tenerife's Michelin-starred restaurants. The island is home to several places recognized by the Michelin Guide.

One such restaurant offers a surprise six-course menu for 68 euros per person. The chefs create this menu freely and creatively, featuring a cold starter, a hot starter, fish, meat, a pre-dessert, and a dessert. This restaurant also has a longer, eleven-course "Long Menu" for 96 euros per person, designed for a complete culinary journey. Dishes include tuna with Flor cheese and sun-dried tomato, white prawn with cherry, wreckfish with green apple and cucumber, scallop, a liquid croquette (Iberian acorn-fed ham and crispy crumbs), eggplant with coffee, pistachio, and ricotta, stew ravioli, Canarian sea bass, confit suckling pig, particha (banana and coffee), and chickpea (green lemon and spices).

Another Michelin-starred restaurant offers two distinct menus. The first, called "Atlántico," reflects the journey between Tenerife and La Gomera, with dishes inspired by the sea and local land. This menu starts with Gomero caviar and lupini beans, followed by tomato and basil kombucha, fermented tomato and king crab, squid salad, barbilla wheat, black wreckfish in boiled mojo sauce with pil-pil foam, and cabrito embarrado wrapped in a banana leaf. To finish this special meal, dessert includes banana, gofio, small pastries, and Canarian timba. The Atlántico menu costs 130 euros per person, or 180 euros with wine pairing.

The second option is the "Raíz" (Root) menu, which draws inspiration from La Gomera's landscape and heritage. It features dishes like Gomero caviar, lupini beans, liquid garlic tortilla, rabbit tartlet in salmorejo, goat stew arepita, tomato and basil kombucha, squid salad, black wreckfish in boiled mojo sauce, or cabrito embarrado wrapped in a banana leaf, among other selections. This menu is 165 euros per person, or 180 euros if you opt for wine pairing.

Tenerife boasts some of the best skies for stargazing. So, an astronomical tour around Teide is a highly recommended activity for astronomy enthusiasts, especially if you've won a prize in the Christmas Lottery. Volcano Teide offers various options for these tours. If you have some extra winnings, a VIP experience is recommended for a more exclusive night.