Twenty five years ago Los Cristianos was nothing more than a quaint little fishing port, a few houses and a few bars, but when the tourists started pouring into Tenerife and Los Cristianos´ neighbour Las Americas was built specifically to accommodate them, Los Cristianos soon joined in.

Situated only 15kms west of the southern airport, Reina Sofia, ensuring a transfer trip of less than 30 minutes made it an ideal spot for tourism and now it has over 100 hotels with more being built and a promenade full of restaurants, shops and bars.

However, do not let this put you off. Los Cristianos is a far more sophisticated resort to Las Americas and although both areas have grown so much over the years that when you are walking along it is difficult to spot where one ends and the other begins, as soon as you reach the heart of each the differences become apparent.

Down by Los Cristianos harbour, the old town is still there and although this is now a major port with large cruisers, yachts and the Fred Olsen ferry and hydrofoil that travel daily to the islands of La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, the small fishing boats and trawlers are still there too.

Los Cristianos offers two beaches. Both are manmade, clean and very well kept, and because they are manmade the sand is not as dark as you might find on other beaches around the island. Playa de Las Vistas beach is the larger of the two, distinct by its imposing modern fountain on the sea edge. Playa de Las Vistas is undoubtedly the best for families and those who like sports. With trampolines, climbing frames, children play area and a sheltered bay it is perfect and safe for children to enjoy themselves and go swimming.

Lots of water sports are catered for here like parasailing, water skiing, banana boats, ringo´s, wet biking and for the less adventurous, peddalos. You can also take diving lessons or book yourself onto one of the many whale and dolphin watching tour boats that leave regularly every day. This beach also has showers, toilets and changing rooms available, all very clean and regularly looked after.

The beachfront here is full of restaurants where you can find a wide range of cuisine, not only the British and the ever present Chinese, but also the local. There are plenty of traditional tavernas offering locally caught fish, Tenerife cuisine and Spanish tapas.

The bars along here are a lot more relaxed than in nearby Las Americas, offering a variety of salsa, jazz, live bands and cover bands to choose from. Though be aware this area is considered the "posh" area and the drink and food prices reflect that.

For those who want to spend a little more time relaxing away from the crowds Los Cristianos beach is perfect. Situated by the port and in front of the old town it is a smaller beach only offering beach volley ball and sun beds where the promenade is so wide you barely notice the buildings behind it.

The promenade itself runs uninterrupted along the coastline from one end of Los Cristianos to the furthest tip of Las Americas. It takes approximately two hours to walk and is beautifully maintained with small gardens and odd monuments and statues at random intervals along the way.

The town centre of Los Cristianos is where you catch a glimpse of the old town. There is a beautiful catholic church and many buildings in the area have managed to maintain their original typical Canarian architecture.
Off from the town centre and stretching down to the port is Avenida de Suecia. This is a shop-a-holics paradise. Cloths, food, jewellery, makeup, sports equipment, you name it, somewhere they will have it. Shops line the street and the labyrinth of alleyways and streets that come off it. The whole place is totally pedestrianised and traffic free.

Los Cristianos is a small fishing village around which tourism has inevitably grown but which has managed to preserve its own flavour and charm.

Over to coming months, we will be building up a picture of Tenerife so why not visit other areas?
Visit:-
Villaflor
El Medano
La Laguna