Where to stay in Tenerife

Tenerife

The canary islands are a beautiful group of island to explore which are apart of Spain despite being much closer to Africa. Above all, they maintain good weather all year round with perhaps Tenerife being the most reliable. Formed from it’s volcanic history, with its iconic black sand, this island boasts beautiful villages which creates its charm.

If you want to make this an exploration holiday, then the other islands nearby are easily accessible through ferry trips. Check out our other favourite Spanish trips here.

Where to stay

Tenerife is well known for being the place to go abroad all year round. Certainly, most people prefer the south because the weather is said to be more reliable. However, we were on more of a budget so found the north to be much cheaper, so that’s what we tried. Our stay was in Puerto De La Cruz, which seemed to be more of a town with locals staying compared to the tourist towns of the south. 

Easter break in Puerto De La Cruz

As previously mentioned, Tenerife has great weather all year round. During winter, it has more clouds but you can still expect temperatures in the 20s. Having been pre-warned the weather in the north is not as good as the south, we were pleasantly surprised and had sun 6-7 days out of the 10 with the temperature always low/mid 20s. We booked our holiday through tui on a cheap 10 day deal. Because of the deal, our hand was forced in staying in the north and although we were worried about what we’d heard about the weather, we quickly realised they were needless worries.

It was perfect for us to soak up the sun instead of being trapped underneath the constant English murky clouds. However, we did find that the clouds gradually came closer from the mountains each day after 1pm. For our budget, Puerto De La cruz was the perfect place for us to stay in Tenerife. It provided lovely green surroundings, a beautiful, black-sanded beach and above all, some much needed sunshine.

The location of Puerto De La Cruz also provides easy access to attractions that we will discuss below. Not only that, but it gives a chance to explore the northern villages of Tenerife which are less commercialised and you’ll see much a much greener side when compared to the south. This isn’t us trying to say that it’s better than the south, we just want to provide a balanced write up and show that both areas are great to stay at.

Where to stay in Puerto De La Cruz

Situated in the centre was our hotel, Catalonia Las Vegas. It was great for what we wanted. It had a nice sun trap for adults only, the food was changed daily at the restaurant with lots of choice. As a result, the food quality was excellent and we were glad to have picked half board. However, we do enjoy the restaurant experience of exploring new places so we still managed to find restaurants nearby. The happy hour at the hotel was an absolute bargain with already cheap drinks being buy 1 get 1 free between pm5 and 6pm. If we were hungover and craving junk food, then there was a McDonalds conveniently located next door.

How to travel

Lots of people visit Tenerife on package holidays. In addition, the trips are usually run through the same companies. Although we’re sure you’ll have an amazing time, to explore an island like this we suggest to rent a car. A lot of the trips posted below can be done through companies but some where you explore will require a vehicle. Furhermore, if you’re exploring this picturesque island by car, you will take in some breath-taking views ranging from steep, giant mountains to some gorgeous villages and towns.

Things to do

A trip to Mount Teide

Mount Teide, which is a volcanic mountain in Tenerife.

Take a trip to Mount Teide. In the middle of the Island of Tenerife sits Mount Teide, which is 3718 meters high and is the highest mountain in Spain. Access to the summit is either by foot (for which a permit is required) or by cable car (25 euros each) that will carry you almost to the summit. On a clear day, the views are breathtaking in one direction Gran Canaria in the other La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro. If you use the cable car make sure it is early in the day as the last descent is around 5.00pm so you will have missed the LAST bus by an hour! Tip – Bring warm clothes with you because even with nice weather, it’s very cold at the top.

Have a stroll

Perhaps the most obvious thing, but one of the best as it’s free is to have a stroll. Explore the villages and beaches. There’s lots to it and you can walk to the beach, which has black sand and perfect for relaxing. On the other hand, you can stroll into the small village town full of small buildings and narrow paths in between. Unfortunately when we visited the beach the skies were grey, so we just admired the beautiful scenery.

Visit Siam Park

Tenerife is home to what has been voted the best waterpark in the world. This wasn’t something we explored as we wanted more of a relax but if you find you have time and love waterparks then it’s definitely worth checking out. You can travel on the fun trains they have on roads for free to get to the water park. We thought we were about to explore the village on one and were quickly told that they only go to the waterpark. Oops.

Exploring with a car

Parque Natural de Anaga

North of Tenerife is the rainforest. Rainforests aren’t usually associated with Tenerife or the other Canary Islands, however this island has a great one to boast. There are various trails to follow and some magnificent views to be seen. You can find more information here.

La Orotava

We’ve mentioned visiting little villages and this one is a fabulous one to visit. Situated near Santa Cruz at the top of Tenerife, this little village will capture your heart. Enjoy exploring the area and the beautiful different coloured buildings.

Where to eat

Although we already had our food provided as part of our stay, we still love visiting restaurants. Furthermore, the two we tried were both amazing.

If in the area be sure to check out:

A picture of a restaurant with tables outside as part of where to stay in Tenerife.

Baricentro – Wow, the Lasagna-Baricento was the best lasagne we have ever tasted. We came back here twice, just for that meal.

A curry with bread on a plate.

Indian Express – Indian food is Guy’s favourite food. Normally, we find that when abroad they disappoint, but this place certainly didn’t. Very high quality and delicious!

Entertainment

We didn’t stay for the hotel entertainment and went to the highly recommended local Irish bar, Molly Malone. They offered huge spirit measures (like most of Puerto De La Cruz) and cheap prices, with great Irish entertainment. As a result, this is where we spent most of our time at nights. It’s a family run pub and they ensure audience involvement, which is a great laugh, we highly recommend visiting here.

Furthermore, if you’re into sport then we recommend the Gramophone Bar because they cater for you with lots of different options. For instance, they do great cocktails and can find the sport you want on one of their many tv’s.

Age does not matter here and it’s suitable for everyone. You will mainly find the older generations visiting (due to the timings of the year). Despite being the youngest couple here by a good few years, we felt completely at ease and will definitely return.

Other areas to stay in

This post has had a huge focus on the north of Tenerife. However, there is also the south to cover. We will be able to add more to that in the future. If you are staying in the south then the trips already mentioned can still be done and are highly recommended. If you are thinking of staying in the south then look no further than Los Cristianos.

Los Cristianos has many reasons to visit and I could write a whole blog post on that too. It has more reliable weather than the north and some beautiful beaches. You can walk the boardwalk to Playa de las Americas and enjoy some shopping. On the other hand, use it as a time to relax and soak up the sun on the beach. If not staying here and you have rented a car, be sure to check out this popular town.

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