Tenerife, Spain
Tenerife
When trying to find a place to honeymoon, Tenerife was not even on our radar at first. Once I saw the beautiful weather in January and the affordable flights, we took a closer look and made the obvious decision to go. The largest of the Canary Islands, Tenerife had so much to see and do. There are water sports, amazing seafood, beaches, hiking, and beautiful scenery. There were also several amusement parks around if that is your thing.
We recommend renting a car so you can explore at your own pace and stop whenever you like. Driving through the mountains and coasts between the villages was one of the highlights of our trip. If not, the hotels were able to arrange airport transfers and day trips. There are 2 airports in Tenerife, one in the north and one in the south, but it is less than an hour drive between them so getting where you want to go should not be a problem.
Sunset from our hotel
The drive between Los Gigantes and Garachico
Where to Stay
The part of the island you stay in depends completely on what you are looking for out of your vacation. We found Playa de Las Americas and Puerto de La Cruz to be the most touristy and crowded places we visited, but they also had many food, bars, and shopping options. The west side of the island obviously gets the beautiful sunsets! In the end, we chose to stay in a few areas so we could see different parts of the island, which I would recommend if you have a car. We spent most of our stay about 10 minutes from Los Gigantes, but we also spent a night near El Medano and a night in Puerto de La Cruz.
Things to Do
Whale or dolphin watching
There are over 20 different kinds of whales and dolphins that pass through the waters surrounding Tenerife. Some are just passing through, but there are almost always pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins hanging around. You can take various boat trips to try and catch a glimpse. Most trips depart from southern Tenerife and will pick you up at your hotel in the area. Many of them included snacks and drinks and lasted a few hours, but some are also snorkeling tours. We were told the best place to see them is near Los Gigantes. The hotels were all able to book these trips, or you can just go to one of the docks and ask around for a trip that suits you.
Admire the cliffs of Los Gigantes
Los Gigantes is a small, quiet town famous for its huge cliffs. While we didn’t see any, you are sometimes able to see whales and dolphins in the bay here. There were many small shops and restaurants to enjoy, and it was very peaceful to have tapas and wine while we enjoyed the views. We particularly enjoyed the black sand beach situated just next to the marina with the cliffs as a backdrop.
Many excursions depart from Los Gigantes. The most popular one seemed to be the whale and dolphin cruise, but we also saw kayaking, scuba diving, and fishing trips. We chose to go deep sea fishing- something we have always wanted to do! We were super excited since it was season for wahoo and tuna. While we didn’t catch any big fish, we did see some sea turtles and catch tons of mackerel! You are even given the option to bring home your catch if you choose.
Visit Garachico and Swim in the natural pools
We stopped in Garachico on our drive from Los Gigantes to Puerto de la Cruz and were so glad that we did. This cute little town has a very interesting history and is worth the stop to get out and stretch our legs. While originally a large and prosperous port, in 1706, the town was basically destroyed with a volcanic eruption and had several other disastrous events that followed. Public parking was easy, cheap, and there is a nice path along the water. They were closed when we visited, but if you have time and weather permits, take a dip in the natural pools or relax on the black sand beach! We easily walked around the entire town in less than 2 hours, but you can see Castillo de San Miguel (a small castle), lots of shops and plazas, and eat some delicious Canarian food.
Eat, drink, and party at Playa de las Americas
This was definitely the liveliest stop on our trip. The beach and streets were packed with tourists, and there were bars and restaurants everywhere we turned. There were familiar restaurant and shopping chains, street vendors, and casinos. We walked the promenade right on the water between Las Americas and Los Cristianos, had some tapas, and soaked up some sunshine. Although we just stopped for the day, this is the area to go if you are wanting some nightlife.
Puerto de la Cruz
We found Puerto de la Cruz to be very hectic and packed with tour buses. Being a short ride from the north airport and near tourist sites like loro parque, I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised. While this was definitely the least relaxing place we visited, the black sand beaches were some of the best we saw and made our stay here worth it. There were dive shops, surfing schools, segways, and lots of other activities to do as well as tons of shopping and restaurants.
Costa Martianaz was another place that interested us if we had more time. It is a large complex of pools right on the coast. You do have to pay an entrance fee, but it looked like a nice place spend the day relaxing and sunbathing.
El Médano
If you like windsurfing or kitesurfing, this is your spot! A small beach town, El Médano is situated on the east side of the island very near the south airport. There were a few shops and restaurants to visit also, but otherwise, in our opinion, not much to do here for us. Still, we had a nice walk on the beach, some good food, and relaxed. We stayed at a campground on the beach, and it was very peaceful and quiet. There is also La Montana Roja, a mountain which you can hike up if you so please.
Teide National Park
One of the main attractions of Tenerife is Teide National Park. Mount Teide happens to be the highest peak in all of Spain, and you can take a day trip there from almost anywhere on the island. The park is known for its volcanoes, unique rock formations, and craters. There is also a cable car you can take almost all the way to the peak. While we decided to skip the park on our trip, it is one of the most popular things to do in Tenerife.
What to Eat
We made it a point to eat at various restaurants outside of the hotels, which I would definitely recommend. Not only was it significantly cheaper, but the people were so friendly, spoke English, and we were able to try more local dishes. I listed some of our favorites, but we didn’t have a single thing we didn’t like on our trip!
Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)
Probably one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth! We had this dish at every possible opportunity during our trip to Tenerife because we were so obsessed with it. It was on the menu at almost every restaurant, and each time it was slightly different. It is shrimp that is cooked on a hot plate in hot oil, garlic, butter, and spices, and then served with bread. When it is brought out to the table, the oils are still sizzling and steaming and it smells so good. Once you finish the shrimp, you soak the bread in the buttery sauce that is still left. Seriously my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Fish
When you vacation on an island, what else would you eat besides the local catch of the day?! We had fish several times and each one was tastier than the last. They are literally all caught just off the coast of the island that very day. One of our favorites that we tried was vieja, or parrotfish, and it is actually one of the fish that Tenerife is known for. My husband also enjoyed the sardines.
Papas Arrugadas (Canarian potatoes)
Papas arrugadas was one of our favorite tapas to share. At first, we were resistant to have anything except seafood, but the waiter on our last day convinced us to try this local dish. It is small canarian potatoes that are boiled in salt water and served with different kinds of dipping sauces. Definitely worth eating on your trip, and it went great with sangria!
All the seafood actually
It makes sense that being surrounded by the ocean, there would be an abundance of seafood to choose from! We ate as much as we could handle and didn’t regret it for a second. Nothing beats freshly caught seafood that is cooked to order. Some of our favorites were the grilled calamari and octopus.
Grilled Calamari & Shrimp
Mussels
Grilled Octopus & Razor Clams
Wine
Tenerife produces the most wine of all the Canary Islands. Since the bulk of it is not exported we obviously had to try as much of it as we could while we were there. Plus, wine goes good with seafood right?
