Puerto de la Cruz
Puerto de la Cruz is an upmarket resort which is very popular with Spanish tourists and maintains its Canarian character. It is cooler than the resorts in the south due to more cloud cover, which in the height of the summer can be a real advantage if you don’t like the searing sun. However, be aware that if you are looking for some winter sun you could be very disappointed with the weather here, particularly January and February, as it gets a high amount of rain fall and you may spend your holiday under your umbrella.
Puerto de la Cruz has many excellent restaurants, upmarket shops and pretty plazas and streets with terraces where you can enjoy a drink or lunch. Puerto de la Cruz tends to attract the more mature clientele looking for a more relaxed holiday, in a very pleasant town where you can stroll around the squares and enjoy the genuine Tenerife culture.
The town does have some high rise hotels on the sea front that date back to the first tourist boom in the 1960’s that are a bit unsightly. However there is the old town and fishing port is very pleasant and charming with some very historic buildings, good cafes and excellent restaurants. There is also Lido to laze around in on the sea front on those hot sunny days. The Lido is a rather pleasant sea front complex of pools with islands and palm trees were you can relax and sunbathe.
There is much choice of accommodation here, from private apartment rental and budget hotels, to very smart 4 and 5 star hotels. Do your research on the location of the accommodation you are looking at, as the south of the resort behind the seafront has some very steep hills.
Puerto de la Cruz was once a port for the town of La Orotava higher up in the hills, but was transformed in the 1960’s to a tourist centre when charter flights began bringing tourists in large numbers. Puerto de la Cruz was first used as a tourist centre in the 19th century, when wealthy people from England stopped off here during voyages.
Puerto de la Cruz attracts more tourist than any other resort on Tenerife, even though it can be cloudy particularly in the winter.
If you want to play in the sea, then head for Playa Jardin which is to the west of the resort, this is a man made beach of black volcanic sand. Don’t be put off by the colour of the sand, as the beach is as good as any. It also has a superb tropical garden with a maze of palm trees and a restaurant and snack bar.
The streets around the Plaza de Charco de los Camarones, which is the hub of all activity in Puerto de la Cruz, are buzzing with Indian bazaars selling bargain goods. The square itself is shaded by massive palm trees and is home to Parakeets.
Bring your Spanish phrase book as the main clientele are the Spanish, so many shops don’t speak English, although it is widely spoken in the hotels.
Tenerife South Airport to Puerto de la Cruz Transfer Times
The distance from Tenerife Reina Sophia Airport to Puerto de la Cruz is approximately 90km by road that takes about 60 minutes
