Tenerife: Spain’s tropical paradise. Beautiful sunny beaches, towering cliffs, ancient volcanic landscapes.
If you are coming from the UK and looking for a holiday destination; you’ve probably considered going to Tenerife. Now, I will say, if all you are looking for a place is to get away from the cold and enjoy beaches and have some copas for a few days, this is a great choice. The island has a wide range of hotels available, from hostels to luxury 5 star hotels, and no shortage of bars and clubs to party at. In Tenerife, there are activities for people of all ages, like zoos and hiking. As well as beautiful sandy beaches with year-round warm water.
See: Tenerife Photo Gallery
Now for My Honest Opinion:
As we were coming from Spain, it was a bit of a let-down for us. While there are definitely parts of the island which are beautiful, the areas we stayed in were so touristy it was a bit unbearable. Also, the cities we visited didn’t seem that different from where we live and spend our time normally. We stayed in la Granadilla (inland from the TFS airport), Los Cristianos, Playa de Las Americas, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. La Granadilla is a rural town, it has easy access to Teide and camping, it’s also far from the beach and requires a car to get to. Los Cristianos is right next to Playa de Las Americas but significantly less touristy (though still mostly tourist based) and hotel prices were significantly less than Playa de Las Americas. Some things are pretty good though, such as the transit & road connections all across the island. For example, as we flew into TFS and out of TFN, when we were set to head up north we just paid the 7e, hopped on the *20 bus and were in Santa Cruz in an hour. The island has a well established & effective bus system which made it easy to get around or to and from the airports.
The Good:
Tenerife still has lots to offer, and what I liked most about the island were the landscapes. The most famous being Teide National park, it’s definitely a must-do. We drove up on a scooter (not recommended by me) and the views on the way up were amazing. It can get chilly up at the peak so pack some extra warm clothes to put on as you go up. If you are brave and in good fitness you can trek up, which is about an 8km hike from the start to peak. Now we aren’t like that, we took the cable car up & down, it costs about 30€pp round-trip but in my opinion is well worth it. <aside>-Note: tickets are only purchasable online (official website or 3rd party) and in limited numbers. Though while there is free wifi at the top it’s a bit spotty, so if you don’t have a data package when visiting or if you are there in the summer remember to book ahead of time.-</aside> As you climb up in the cable car you can see the entire island and the calderon directly below you, or looking further out on clear days you can even see all the way Gran Canaria, La Palma, and La Gomera. At the top you can do a nice small hike close to the peak; getting up to the very top requires a special permit and hiking guide. Be aware: the hike from the top of the Cable car is on very uneven ground, don’t make the same mistake I did by wearing sandals!
Watch: Teide National Park
Along the south coast you can find Los Gigantes. Los Gigantes is also an incredible sight to see, these cliffs are gigantic and awesome as they tower over the town and fall straight down into the sea. There are some hiking trails around the top, however the most accessible trail which leaves from right in the town is closed due to poor and unsafe conditions. Seeing Los Gigantes is only a short stop, it can easily be done in a half day; though if you are planning on doing the hikes plan your time accordingly. Now, getting out there is easy as there are a couple different routes. We took the coastal route of TF-46 & TF-47 from Costa Adeje, which is very windy but interesting and quiet, or you can take the main motorway the TF-1 directly to the town. Along the way there, you can stop at many beaches and small towns. I recommend stopping at Playa Abama (right next to the Ritz Charlton), it’s a beautiful small beach in a cove surrounded by rocky cliffs and banana trees.
My Tips For the Best Trip
In the future, there are some things we would do differently if we were to go back.
- Go for a package holiday rather than book it all ourselves. This is not something we normally do, we usually love to spend a couple days in different areas when we travel so generally we find it easier and cheaper to book separately. Since Tenerife is such a popular destination, getting a good deal on a package holiday is really easy and convenient (even if you are coming from Spain). This is one thing we realized after we booked the flights and first hotel. Generally you can find 7 day trips for less than 500€ (per person), which includes the hotel, the flights, airport transfers, and breakfast (at minimum). We found that getting a half decent hotel was a minimum of 75 €/n and usually didn’tinclude breakfast.
- Choose 1 hotel rather than stay in different areas. The island is pretty small, if you want to get around you can either take a bus, rent a car,or find a day tour to visit different areas. We rented a scooter and were able to see a lot of the south part of the island with it. Though as we changed hotels a couple times we felt pretty limited as we had to take our bags with us some days so we couldn’tsee some areas we wanted to.
- Avoid Playa de las Americas. We spent a few days in a couple hotels in this area, my feeling about the area is that it’s a tourist trap. The boardwalk is filled with tourist shops and bars with overpriced drinks. Though it has a large beach area, there are other parts of the island that aren’tso developed and have even more beautiful beaches.
- Plan excursions ahead. We would’ve had more options for things to do if we had booked them ahead. Even though we were there in the low season (late April),a lot of the tours were booked up for the days we were there. We would also plan ahead and choose a day to do an observatory tour and starwatch.
