Tenerife Canary Islands

Tenerife

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The map requested shows only a limited number of the resorts on the island, if the resort you are looking for is not indicated on the map, please don't give up. If you are looking for a specific resort or place, you may find by browsing through our image gallery that you will find the location you are looking for and a brief summary of the place or image submitted.

We hope to give you a good idea about the location, hotels and places of interest to help you make your mind up and find the perfect holiday destination for you.

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About Tenerife

It is located at 28°19′N 16°34′W and has a surface area of 2 034 km². Like the rest of the Canary Islands, it is of volcanic origin. The 3 eruptions that created the island finally went quiet about 3.5M years ago, although small murmurs occur. The most recent Earthquake of about 4 on the Richter scale was in 2002. The highest point of Spain, Teide (3 718 m), is on this island.

The largest city, Santa Cruz, is the capital of the island and seat of the cabildo insular (island government); it is also the capital of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and officially co-capital of the autonomous community of the Canary Islands together with Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, although clearly behind this one in terms of population, industry, tourism or gross domestic produce.
The village Güímar is the site of the mysterious Pyramids of Güímar.
The island's population is 778,071.

Tourism is concentrated more in the south of the island, which is hotter and drier and especially around Playa de las Americas, and Los Cristianos. More recently coastal development has grown northwards from Playa de las Americas and now encompasses the former small enclave of La Caletta.
In the north of the island the main development for tourism has been in the town of Puerto de la Cruz .

Due to the nature of the island there are few natural beaches and these are generally made up of black shingle. In order to cater with the high demand from tourism beaches have been created by importing sand, this has also led to new villages springing up close to these beaches. The main beaches on Tenerife are -

Los Gigantes; San Juan; Los Christianos; Farnabe; Torviscas; Playa las Americas; Candaleria; Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz Terasitas

Around the Island

Santa Cruz

In 1723 Santa Cruz became the capital of all the Canary Islands but in 1927 it lost some of it's prestige when it became the capital of the province of Tenerife and lost its previous title. Santa Cruz is a major port playing host to some of the large cruise ships and large tankers. The main shopping centre lies just behind the Plaza de Espana and further inland you will find the residential homes.

Places of interest include the Mercado De Nuestra Senora De Africa, Franco Monument, Plaza De Espana and the Museo Arqueologico.

Las Teresitas

Las Teresitas is fringed with palm trees and is the only white sanded beach in Tenerife, the sand coming from the Sahara in 1973. The beach is just north of Santa Cruz and is about one mile long and is an artificial beach. The beach is a wide stretch of sand with small tropical palms dotted along the beach, a man made break water protects the beach from erosion and gives the beach a a nice tranquil feeling. The beach is ideal for families and has a number of small restaurants and little beach bars and plenty of amenities such as showers, toilets and water sports.

Playa de las Americas

Another artificial beach resort that has grown considerably since the 1970's with large hotels and apartment blocks. The resort comes alive at night primarily with the younger tourists who can be a little over the top at times. The main resort area has a large number of shops, restaurants and bars. In the evenings the resort can be a little like blackpool but there are quieter areas so don't let this put you off if your looking for a more relaxed atmosphere.

The beach at Playa De Americas can become very crowded at times and the usual water sports can be found, such as jet-skiing, parascending, diving and many more. Facilities on this beach include toilets, showers and sun beds.

Puerto de La Cruz

The resort of Puerto de la Cruz is probably one of the best resorts on the island, it offers a mixture of old and new with the charming old part of Puerto and the new. The climate is a little cooler than the resorts in the south and Puerto has a much slower pace of life and is probably more suited to couples who are looking for a more relaxing holiday. The beach's in this area are generally very good, such as Playa de Punta Brava and Playa del Castillo. All the beaches have artificial black sand and the normal beach facilities such as sun beds, and water sports, all can found on these beaches.

El Medano

The resort of El Medano is quite close to the airport and is a wind surfers paradise, the beaches in this area although popular with the british tourists never seem to get too crowded. The long sand beaches and windy conditions are ideal for those who like to windsurf or you can try your hand at kite flying.

Los Gigantes

Los Gigantes is one of the most picturesque resorts on the island. The towering cliffs rise to over 500 metres high and form an impressive backdrop to the town of Los Gigantes that took it's name from these cliffs. The resort has been built up to one of the best on the island with beautiful beaches that are near the resort and great accommodation that caters for all tastes.

Playa de los Cristianos

Five kilometres south of Playa de las Americas is the resort of Los Cristianos, the resort is one of the most influential tourist resorts on the island. Los Cristianos has everything from a small harbour to a great beach and good links with other islands. This resort also offers one of the best climates on the island. A promenade that runs the length of the resort offers many restaurants and pavement cafes just right for relaxing and people watching.

Costa Adeje

A little quieter than it's neighbours Playa de las Americas which is 3 km away and Los Gigantes which is 30 Km away. Costa Adeje is a little bit bit more "up market", it has some excellent restaurants and a small sandy beach. For those of us that want a little bit more try the nearby resort of Playa del Duque it has a great sandy beach and all the water sports you need. If you hire a car during your holiday Costa Adeje is a great base from which to see more of the island.

If your looking for a more up tempo nightlife , local busses run between Playa de las Americas and Costa Adeje.

Playa Del Duque is a man made beach on the Costa Adeje and ideal for families. The facilities here are good and the views are absolutely fantastic.

Roque

Roque beach is a dark sandy beach ideal for surfing but care needs to be taken because there are strong under currents in this area. The resort also has a number a excellent fish restaurants and bars.

Playa de las Galletas

A modern resort that has been built up around a small harbour and in some ways a little scruffy beach. Having said that the beach is probably more natural than most of the resorts on the island that have imported sand from the Sahara. If you are looking for a quite and relaxing resort that offers more than just a sandy beach and you like to stroll along the sea front of an evening this could be the resort for you.

Garachico

In 1706 the town and port of Garachico were covered in Lava as a result of a volcanic eruption. The port was replaced with a smaller port and the a town gradually rebuilt. One of the major attractions in this area is the San Miguel Castle built in 1575 to fend of the maraudering pirates that frequently attacked the island.

Jardin

Jardin beach is relatively new being made up of sand dredged from the bay, The resort is near the castle of San Felipe and just along the coast from Puerto de la Cruz. The beach is protected by a break water to stop erosion of the sand.

Masca

Masca is a small mountain village located in Buenavista del Norte on a small mountain road named Masca. The village is home to around 150 inhabitants. The village is in the Teno mountains, which range from 600metres to 800 metres and extend up to the northwestern most point of Tenerife. The village in the 1960s was accessed only by paths and was unaccessible by roads. The centre of the village features a small square (plaza) and a small church.

High mountains surround the tiny village and there is a small peak near the village centre. Forests including cypresses and palm trees abound. The rocks and forests and a slope of about 70° to 75° angle lies westward. Farming cultivation include potatoes and wheat and also fruit and vegetables in small quantities.

Fantastic views of deep ravins and rocky mountains that lead down to the sea make this village one of the many places on Tenerife that are acclaimed for its natural beauty and peace and quiet.

The location of the village was insurance against the continual attacks by pirates who did not venture to far inland.