Where to stay · Tenerife · Spain
Where to stay in Tenerife
8 neighbourhoods compared, with the trade-offs hotel listings don't tell you.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: myself ( User:Piotrus ), CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
For a first visit, stay in Puerto de la Cruz. Original northern resort with Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez and an old harbour. Best alternatives — families: Costa Adeje; budget: Playa de las Américas; nightlife: Playa de las Américas.
Key facts
- First visit
- Puerto de la Cruz
- Families
- Costa Adeje
- Budget
- Playa de las Américas
- Nightlife
- Playa de las Américas
Best area for each kind of trip
| Trip type | Area | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-timers | Puerto de la Cruz | Original northern resort with Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez and an old harbour |
| Families | Costa Adeje | Upmarket resort strip of Playa del Duque, Fañabé and Torviscas on the sunny southwest coast |
| Couples | Los Gigantes and Puerto de Santiago | Quiet west-coast base below the sheer cliffs of Los Gigantes |
| Budget | Playa de las Américas | Package-holiday hub with surf breaks, the Veronicas bar strip and the Golden Mile |
| Luxury | Costa Adeje | Upmarket resort strip of Playa del Duque, Fañabé and Torviscas on the sunny southwest coast |
| Nightlife | Playa de las Américas | Package-holiday hub with surf breaks, the Veronicas bar strip and the Golden Mile |
| Food lovers | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Working island capital with Carnival, a covered market and the Calatrava Auditorio |
| Solo travellers | Playa de las Américas | Package-holiday hub with surf breaks, the Veronicas bar strip and the Golden Mile |
| Shopping | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | Working island capital with Carnival, a covered market and the Calatrava Auditorio |
| Quiet stays | Los Gigantes and Puerto de Santiago | Quiet west-coast base below the sheer cliffs of Los Gigantes |
| Beach | Costa Adeje | Upmarket resort strip of Playa del Duque, Fañabé and Torviscas on the sunny southwest coast |
Tenerife neighbourhoods in detail
$$$$ · Best for families, luxury and beach
Costa Adeje
Costa Adeje is the polished end of the south-coast resort belt, with large hotels, a seafront promenade linking Playa del Duque, Fañabé and Torviscas, and the Plaza del Duque and Siam Mall shopping centres. Siam Park is on its edge, boat trips leave from Puerto Colón, and the weather is among the sunniest and driest on the island.
- Good
- Reliable sunshine and calm beaches; Wide choice of family-friendly resorts; Easy access to boat trips and Siam Park
- Watch out
- Feels international rather than Canarian; Seafront restaurants are expensive
- Nearby
- Playa del Duque, Siam Park, Puerto Colón, La Caleta
$$ · Best for nightlife, budget, beach and solo travellers
Playa de las Américas
Built up from the 1960s and 1970s, Playa de las Américas is the main nightlife and package-holiday resort in the south, with the Veronicas and Starco bar areas, the shopping promenade known as the Golden Mile and reef breaks popular with surfers. It merges into Costa Adeje to the north and Los Cristianos to the south along one long seafront walk.
- Good
- Lively nights and plenty of affordable bars; Good-value apartments; Surf schools and a long seafront walk
- Watch out
- Noisy late at night near the bar strips; Little traditional character
- Nearby
- Veronicas, Playa de Troya, Siam Park, Los Cristianos
$$ · Best for families, budget and beach
Los Cristianos
Los Cristianos grew around a small fishing harbour that still has working boats beside the ferry terminal for La Gomera. Playa de Los Cristianos and Playa de las Vistas are sheltered by breakwaters, with gently shelving sand that suits young children, and the town keeps a Canarian centre with a church square and residential streets behind the seafront.
- Good
- Calm, accessible beaches; Ferries to La Gomera on the doorstep; More local life than the neighbouring resorts
- Watch out
- Crowded promenade in high season; Apartment blocks crowd the seafront
- Nearby
- Playa de las Vistas, Los Cristianos port, Montaña de Guaza, Playa de las Américas
$$ · Best for couples and quiet stays
Los Gigantes and Puerto de Santiago
On the west coast, Los Gigantes sits beneath sheer cliffs that drop into the Atlantic, with a marina for whale-watching boats and a small black-sand beach. Neighbouring Puerto de Santiago has Playa de la Arena, a black-sand beach with a promenade. Evenings are calm, sunsets face across the water to La Gomera, and Masca and the Teno mountains are a short drive north.
- Good
- Sunset views towards La Gomera; Calmer than the big southern resorts; Close to Masca and whale-watching trips
- Watch out
- Steep streets; Limited nightlife; Small beaches
- Nearby
- Los Gigantes cliffs, Playa de la Arena, Masca, Santiago del Teide
$$ · Best for solo travellers, budget and beach
El Médano
El Médano, on the southeast coast about 10 minutes by car from Tenerife South airport, is a real town rather than a resort, known for steady trade winds that draw windsurfers and kitesurfers. Its long sandy beach runs towards the red volcanic cone of Montaña Roja, a protected reserve with a short walking trail, and cafés along the boardwalk have a young, international crowd.
- Good
- Natural beaches and a local feel; Excellent windsurfing and kitesurfing; Handy for the south airport
- Watch out
- Often too windy for lazy beach days; Some aircraft noise
- Nearby
- Montaña Roja, Playa de La Tejita, Tenerife South Airport
$$ · Best for families, culture, budget and first-timers
Puerto de la Cruz
Tenerife's first tourist town has a compact old quarter around Plaza del Charco and the small fishing harbour, plus César Manrique's Lago Martiánez seawater pools and black-sand Playa Jardín. Loro Parque and the Jardín Botánico, founded in the 18th century, are within the town, and La Orotava and the road up to Teide are close. The north is greener and cloudier than the south, and the sea is rougher.
- Good
- Real Canarian town life; Good-value hotels; Close to the green Orotava Valley
- Watch out
- More cloud and a cooler sea than the south; Rough sea on many days
- Nearby
- Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez, Playa Jardín, La Orotava
$$ · Best for culture, shopping, food lovers and solo travellers
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The capital is a port city rather than a resort, with pedestrian shopping streets around Calle del Castillo, the Parque García Sanabria, the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África and Calatrava's Auditorio on the waterfront. It hosts one of the world's largest carnivals each February, has the island's main museums, and golden Las Teresitas beach is about 8 km northeast.
- Good
- Everyday city life and local prices; Tram to La Laguna; Gateway to the Anaga mountains
- Watch out
- No real beach in the city centre; Can be cloudier than the south
- Nearby
- Auditorio de Tenerife, Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África, Playa de Las Teresitas, Parque García Sanabria
$$ · Best for culture, solo travellers, food lovers and nightlife
San Cristóbal de La Laguna
La Laguna's grid of 16th- and 17th-century streets, laid out without defensive walls, served as a model for colonial towns in the Americas and was listed by UNESCO in 1999. Pedestrian Calle San Agustín and Calle Obispo Rey Redondo are lined with mansions, churches and bars, and the university keeps evenings lively. At about 550 metres above sea level it is cooler and often misty, and it is the gateway to Anaga.
- Good
- Atmospheric historic centre; Lively student bar scene; Close to Tenerife North airport and Anaga trails
- Watch out
- Cool, damp weather much of the year; No beach
- Nearby
- La Laguna Cathedral, Iglesia de la Concepción, Anaga Rural Park, Tenerife North Airport
Areas compared
| Area | Price | Nearby |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Adeje | $$$$ | Playa del Duque, Siam Park, Puerto Colón, La Caleta |
| Playa de las Américas | $$ | Veronicas, Playa de Troya, Siam Park, Los Cristianos |
| Los Cristianos | $$ | Playa de las Vistas, Los Cristianos port, Montaña de Guaza, Playa de las Américas |
| Los Gigantes and Puerto de Santiago | $$ | Los Gigantes cliffs, Playa de la Arena, Masca, Santiago del Teide |
| El Médano | $$ | Montaña Roja, Playa de La Tejita, Tenerife South Airport |
| Puerto de la Cruz | $$ | Loro Parque, Lago Martiánez, Playa Jardín, La Orotava |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | $$ | Auditorio de Tenerife, Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África, Playa de Las Teresitas, Parque García Sanabria |
| San Cristóbal de La Laguna | $$ | La Laguna Cathedral, Iglesia de la Concepción, Anaga Rural Park, Tenerife North Airport |
Getting to your hotel
Tenerife South (TFS) is about 15–20 minutes by car from Los Cristianos, Las Américas and Costa Adeje, and TITSA buses link it with the resorts and Santa Cruz. Tenerife North (TFN), near La Laguna, handles mainly inter-island and Spanish flights and is about 15 minutes from Santa Cruz and 30 minutes from Puerto de la Cruz.
Questions travellers ask
+What is the best area to stay in Tenerife for first-time visitors?
Puerto de la Cruz. Tenerife's first tourist town has a compact old quarter around Plaza del Charco and the small fishing harbour, plus César Manrique's Lago Martiánez seawater pools and black-sand Playa Jardín.
+Where should families stay in Tenerife?
Costa Adeje: Reliable sunshine and calm beaches.
+Which area of Tenerife is best for a budget stay?
Playa de las Américas ($$): Package-holiday hub with surf breaks, the Veronicas bar strip and the Golden Mile.