Casa Benitez de Lugo Vina

Records of this building were already in place in 1588 when it was part of the estate assets founded by Francisco Benítez de Lugo y Cabrera. The house is part of an extensive plot stretching from Calle de la Carrera to Calle de Los Alfombristas. Early in the nineteenth century, engineer José de Betancourt y Castro was commissioned to carry out a renovation project to completely change the house's internal structure. Further internal reconstruction was carried out in the twentieth century when the house was owned by Ana Massieu de las Casas. The appearance of the façade indicates the importance of neoclassicism which is widely used in the surrounding architecture.

Casa Mendez Fonseca

The house, also known as 'Casa de los Balcones', was built on a plot given as an endowment by Diego González Nieto to his niece Juana Nieto after her marriage to Captain Juan de Castro Bazo y Merino in 1657. They built one of the most important buildings in La Orotava in the 17th century, based on the neighbouring Jiménez Franchy house. It is decorated with a unique sgraffito solution. The house is built on a large irregular plot, and its structure originates from a courtyard. The façade is split into three floors, with sash windows on the ground floor, wrought-iron balconies on the middle floor and an elegant wooden balcony on the top floor. The carpentry work on the galleries, windows, doors and balconies has been praised over the centuries for the quality of the craftsmen.

Casa Jemenez de Franchy

This house was commissioned by Marina Jimenez Fonte del Castillo and was built about 1642 and extended a century later. The house has three windows rather than four, so the front door is not in the facade's centre. The carvings on the ground floor windows and the four animals above the first-floor windows show the skill of the local artisans. The balcony is similar to the next-door building creating a unique layout.

Casa Diaz Flores

Since the early eighteenth century, the plot occupied by this house had been the site of the College of San Luis Gonzaga, run by the Jesuits. After confiscation, the premises were put to other uses, most notably the Town Hall. However, in 1841 the house was destroyed by a fire and then rebuilt with the current design overseen by Antonio Díaz Flores y Vera. This is another example of the romantic classicism so well received in La Orotava. From 1862 until the beginning of the twentieth century, the house was a hotel whose guests included Richard Francis Burton and the British watercolourist Elizabeth Murray. Interesting carved stone elements from the original Jesuit buildings are preserved in the garden.

Casa Ponte Fonte - Casa Lercaro

In 1654 Jerónimo Ponte Fonte y Pagés ordered this house to be built after his marrage to Catalina Grimaldi Rizzo de Lugo. The large plot allowed new sections to be built and now has a unique J shaped footprint. The size of the house means it has had many uses over the years, including a family residence, warehouse and a drying facility for locally grown tobacco. The façade is designed in the symmetry characteristic of the time. It is adapted to the steep incline of the road, which determines the arrangement of the façade's windows and doors, with openings of varying sizes on the ground floor. Highlights include the sgraffito and the originality of its four balconies, made of wood and iron.

Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Concepción

Historical records date back to 1503 and are connected to the town's origins and later trajectory. The current Church is the third to occupy the site since 1515 and was built between 1768 and 1788 under stonemason Patricio José García and carpenter Miguel García de Chaves. Financed with alms from American trade sanctioned by King Carlos III, the Church received significant financial support from many emigrants, especially those residing in Cuba, known as Indianos. The outside bears finely wrought eighteenth-century detail. The inside is a classical basilica shape structure with three naves, barrel vaults and a dome supported by pendentives. It also features a collection of artefacts of different styles and historical periods. The Church was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument on 18th June 1948.

Biblioteca Municipal Fernando del Hoyo y Laura Salazar

In the eighteenth century, this was the residence of Martin Bucaille, the beneficiary of the nearby Church of La Concepción, and his brother Antonio Bucaille, a lawyer for the Royal Councils. It was later passed on to the Conde del Valle de Salazar. It became the Casino headquarters in the twentieth century and is now the Municipal Library. Despite these different uses, the building preserves the wood flooring, staircase and layout around a central courtyard. Of equal interest is its façade, marked by the road's steepness onto which a door opens in its north side, intended for the servants. The second section has a fascinating balcony covered with woodwork demonstrating the predominant architectural types in eighteenth-century La Orotava.

Hijuela del Jardín Botánico

This area was built over the old orchard of the convent of San José after seizure laws were allied when the convent was demolished. It remained an urban plot without any function until the end of the nineteenth century. The plot was then developed as a nursery for plant species to increase the collection at the Botanical Garden of La Orotava located in La Paz plains, once acclimated to the island's conditions. However, most of the species planted have remained here. Most of the plants are of tropical origin, both African and American. You'll also find one of the most impressive dragon trees in La Orotava today. The garden is also home to numerous birds species. On 21st June 2007, by Decree of the Government of the Canary Islands, the Hijuela del Jardín Botánico de Aclimatación de La Orotava was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

Victoria Gardens - Masonic Mausoleum - Quinta Roja Pantheon

Originaly part of the Quinta Roja Marquisate mansion until the beginning of the twentieth century, these gardens were initially commissioned to be an orchard by the Marchioness of la Quinta Roja. However, when her son died in April 1880, the Bishopric would not permit him to be buried in the family vault because he was a Freemason, leaving him to be interred in the non-Catholic section of the cemetery. This humiliation led the Marchioness to build the garden with a mausoleum to lay her son's body to rest. She was eventually granted permission to bury their son in the family vault, so the mausoleum was never used. However, it still stands today as a monument against religious intolerance.

Liceo de Taoro - Casa Ascanio

This mansion was built in 1928 and was the home of the Ascanio family. The building is striking for its imposing scale of unprecedented dimensions at the time, standing on a hilltop overlooking the valley and coastal area of Puerto de la Cruz. The interior reveals its owners' extravagance to invest both the décor and the finishing materials. In addition to its architectural features, the house is surrounded by flower beds and gardens teeming with plants. Since 1975 it has been the Liceo de Taoro Cultural Society headquarters.

Ayuntamiento - Palacio Municipal

This neoclassical building dates back to the mid-nineteenth century when the old Clarisse convent of San Jose was seized under the Mendizabal law in 1836 and demolished in 1868. The result was the development of four new spaces, including the town hall building, fronted by a large plaza, and the Hijuela del Jardín Botánico (botanic garden) at the rear on the site of the old convent gardens. The area as it is today was inaugurated in April 1912. The town hall is the best example of neoclassical architecture in La Orotava, owing to its layout designed by Pedro Maffiotte and Manuel de Oraá. In 2001, a complete refurbishment was begun, and completed in early 2005.

El Médano beach is one of the best in south Tenerife if. It is perfect for water sports lovers and families looking to spend a fabulous day on the beach. This beach is awarded a Blue Flag, guaranteeing top quality services and excellent swimming conditions.

El Medano beach area closer to the town is more suitable for families as the sea is calmer here with gentler waves and shallow water. Further along the promenade, you will find seafront restaurants, buzzing cafés and surf shops. The beach furthest from the town is the best place for windsurfing and kitesurfing, hosting several international competitions, such as the World Windsurfing and Kitesurfing Championships.

El Médano is located in Granadilla de Abona, close to Golf del Sur and Tenerife south airport, famous for its fine sand and views of Montaña Roja.

Read our resort review of El Medano