An Apartment with a View

It is amazing how much life can change in a very short space of time.

A couple of years ago, I came to live in this apartment close to the sea, in the South of Tenerife. I was looking for a place that was close to work, so I could be there in 5-10 minutes but I also wanted a place that was quiet, where I could rest at night. When I found this apartment complex, 5 minutes away by motorcycle to the office, in a quiet area, and with 3 adult swimming pools, one of them heated, I thought I found the perfect place.

But the realities of living here where slightly different. For 6 months a year, every evening, from 5 pm to 8 pm, the hotel behind the complex (the yellow buildings you can see close to the sea) would play entertaining music for children. So, after work, instead of being able to relax at home, I had to listen to the same loud songs evening after evening for 3 hours, every single day.

I was thinking about moving out to an area away from tourist resorts, I even had started to look at real estate somewhere else, then COVID-19 hit us, and, on March 14th, the "State of Alarm" was declared in Spain; all business except those providing essential services to survive, such as supermarkets, pharmacies & hospitals, were shut down. The loud music that would keep me from resting at home, stopped. Hotels had to be closed 12 days later, by March 26th.

The photo above was taken a few years ago, when I moved in, but the view today is quite similar. The hotel is closed and silent and our swimming pools are off-limits during lockdown. The only thing that has changed is the aloe vera plant in my terrace, which is now looking much healthier.

Photo taken with my Samsung smartphone.