Tenerife - Puerto de la Cruz

Tenerife is the largest and most populous of the seven Canary Islands. Mount Teide, located on the island of Tenerife, is the third tallest volcano on earth.  The altitude of Mount Teide means that Tenerife is the tenth highest island in the world after Honshu (the largest island of Japan) and Lombok in Indonesia.

Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz was originally a sleepy fishing village, but over the years, its proximity to Europe and its summery weather has attracted many tourists looking to seek the health benefits of warmer climes. Jardín Beach is famous in Puerto de la Cruz for having a shoreline bordered with palm trees. One of the main attractions of this beach is the volcanic black sand that heats up beneath the scorching summer sun and warms your toes!

There is a parrot park at the end of Jardín beach that is said to have the largest collection of tropical birds in the world. This beach has earnt “Blue Flag Status” for its user-friendliness: the sea has a section for swimmers and a section for surfers; there are plenty of bars and restaurants to refuel after a long day in the sun; and there are toilets and changing rooms conveniently located on the boardwalk that are cleaned twice daily. Curiously, another black beach in Tenerife called Playa de Las Teresitas was turned into a white beach in 1973 when hundreds of thousands of tons of white sand was shipped in from the Sahara Desert. In 1998, more sand was added to replenish the sand lost in the first 25 years of the beach’s existence.

The “Archaeological Museum of Puerto de la Cruz” is one of the most important archaeological museums in the Canary Islands. It offers a collection comprising more than 2600 items from the Gaunches (the aboriginal Berber inhabitants of the Canary Islands). As well as an enormous collection of Gaunche pottery, the museum contains the remains of several Gaunche mummies. In Puerto de la Cruz, there is a place of Anglican worship known as the “All Saints Church”. This religious building was built using money that was donated by the British residents of the city. Evidently, tourism is an important industry in Puerto de la Cruz due to the large number of hotels visible on the horizon. 

The Climate in Tenerife

The summer months attract many Spanish tourists, especially during the months of July and August when the temperatures in mainland Spain can be excessively hot. In wintertime, due to its mild climate, the island of Tenerife is particularly popular with Northern European guests. With average temperatures of around 17°C, it is hardly ever cold in Tenerife. It does rain occasionally but never for too long so you can be guaranteed some sun during a two-week holiday. Tenerife has been part of Spain for more than 5 years now so it is possible to detect some Spanish influences in the cuisine. Additionally, Tenerife’s proximity to Africa means that many of its local dishes have been sprinkled with Moroccan spices.

This delicious blend of flavors is unique to the island of Tenerife since it cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world. Traditional foods of Tenerife use only the freshest of ingredients, usually bought from a local farmers market, of which there are many. Many people say that the island of Tenerife has some of the best bananas in the world which the locals like to eat raw as well as cooked. They are distinctive given their small size and their bright yellow skins with black spots.  

Besides bananas, Tenerife is known for growing high-quality tomatoes. Interestingly, the tomato was bought to the Canary Islands by the English at the beginning of the 19^th century. From that moment on, this fragrant, juicy, red fruit has become a staple of Tenerife’s agriculture. Just like other islands, Tenerife feeds itself with fresh fish. The mackerel and tuna caught off the coast of Tenerife are famously good and seafood lovers should head to the coastal villages to take advantage of the low prices offered by the family-run stalls setup in the port. Thanks to the weather, there are many fine wines in the north and south of the island of Tenerife. Varieties of grape were bought to the Canary Islands by settlers. The white grape made a strong wine that was easy to conserve. Over the years, famous writers have made reference to Canary wine. For example, a history play by William Shakespeare called “Henry IV, Part 2”contains the following line:“But i faith, you have drunk too much canaries”. Annually in Puerto de la Cruz, the Tenerife Air Show takes place – an event at which pilots display their capabilities in aerobatics to spectators. Aerobatics are maneuvers performed in airplanes and gliders involving rotation of the aircraft. These maneuvers are not used in normal flight.

In conclusion, the north coast of Tenerife and more specifically, Puerto de la Cruz, has everything you need for a unique holiday: walk, play relax and have fun on some of the best beaches in the Canary Islands; alternatively, hike, dive paraglide and surf while getting in touch with nature at the same time.