Puerto de la Cruz Holidays

Holidays to Puerto de la Cruz come with more than a dash of Riviera chic, and fork out one of the island’s best beaches for good measure.

Tenerife’s holiday veteran

Puerto de la Cruz was first off the blocks when it came to selling itself as a holiday hotspot. Visitors from mainland Europe flocked to the then-tiny fishing village way back when in the late 19th century. It was seen as a stylish spa break destination by the Victorians. But the secret was well and truly out by the 1950s, when sun-seeking tourists cottoned on in their thousands. That being said, it’s not a jam-packed, bucket-and-spade situation here. Puerto de la Cruz has used its moxie to stick to the classy roots that put it on the map – think chic boardwalks, pretty plazas, and a booming restaurant scene.

The Garden Beach

Tenerife’s dusky-coloured beaches are unmistakeable, and Puerto de la Cruz’s Playa Jardin – AKA Garden Beach – is one of the most famous in the region. The black sand rolls out for half a kilometre, tucked in between two sheltering headlands. At one end, you’ll find another beach – Playa Maria Jimenez – and on the other, you’ve got a castle that set up camp in the 16th century. There are no prizes for guessing how this curvy bay got its name – it’s peppered with cacti, palm trees, and bright-pink Canarian bell flowers.

A sky-scraping neighbour

Mount Teide’s the island’s resident celebrity, and you can catch more than a glimpse of its lofty peak from Puerto de la Cruz’s seafront. The drive from town to almost-peak takes an hour, and from here you can hop on the cable car to get to the volcano’s summit. It reaches a height of 3,718 metres, so a view to remember is on the cards.