Text and original photographs: Osama Samaha — OUISTARS Travel.
Just a short walk before breakfast, you tell yourself. Then back. In south Tenerife, that promise can be surprisingly hard to keep. There is sea ahead, a line of palms to follow and, around the next bend, another reason to keep going.
Breakfast can wait
Our photographs from this outing catch a morning occupied with simple pleasures: someone running beside the water, someone taking a slower pace beneath the palms, a couple walking on together. Sunshine and a little movement give the scene all the energy it needs.
You set off with the return journey in mind. Then comes another opening onto the sea, a bench facing the waves or a view worth stopping for. Phone out, photograph taken, phone away. Somehow the short walk keeps getting longer.
November, travelling light
That is the pleasing surprise behind these pictures: it is November. On this outing, sunshine and light clothes made winter feel a long way from the waterfront.
There is a climatic reason for that impression. At Tenerife South Airport, Spain’s weather agency AEMET records a November average daily high of 24.8°C and low of 18.2°C for 1981–2010. Those are historical averages at one station, rather than a forecast for every day or beach. Check the forecast for your own travel dates.
The sea becomes the plan
On the beach, rows of loungers and parasols face the water, with buildings and mountains rising behind them. You might simply enjoy the view, or come back after breakfast to spend a little longer by the shore. The scene makes an empty diary look quite appealing.
A swim deserves a separate decision when you get there. Check beach flags, waves and lifeguard instructions: a clear sky does not tell you whether the water is safe. Use an authorised swimming area and admire the rocks from a sensible distance.
Coffee after “five more minutes”
After the walk, breakfast becomes another part of the outing. An outdoor seat if the weather suits, a look through the photographs, then the familiar holiday question: what shall we do now?
Perhaps another turn along the waterfront, a browse through the shops or a morning with no fixed programme. These are small pleasures you could happily repeat tomorrow: a walk, breakfast, the sea and time to decide what comes next.
One last photograph before we go
By the end, it is hard to remember where we meant to turn around. There are more photographs than expected and breakfast is a little later, but the morning has had room to unfold.
Send this story to the person who always asks for five more minutes near the sea. They will probably understand already why that pre-breakfast walk is going to take a while.
Weather: AEMET climate normals, Tenerife South Airport, 1981–2010.
To cite this photo story: OUISTARS Travel — South Tenerife: We Went Out Before Breakfast. The Sea Had Other Plans. — 5/11/2026.
