Los Cristianos Overview
Located a mere fifteen minute’s drive from Tenerife’s south airport, there’s hardly time for visitors to ditch the woolly jumpers for skimpy T-shirts before arriving in the centre of Los Cristianos. Some cruel souls have dubbed the resort Los Crustianos because it’s favoured by mature northern European visitors, but that doesn’t paint an accurate picture of the town’s personality.

Just over fifty years ago Los Cristianos was still a small fishing village, then a Swedish broadcaster suffering from MS found its climate had curative effects, shared his discovery with the world and the rest, as they say, is history. Nowadays the resort has grown into a thriving holiday destination. Although it has been outgrown by it’s newer neighbours, Los Cristianos has one quality that Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje don’t; it’s still a Canarian town at heart.

Beaches in Los Cristianos
Many consider the expanse of golden sand, aka Playa de las Vistas, as one of Tenerife’s best beaches. It has all the usual facilities (sunbeds, parasols, toilets, showers etc) and also boasts an area for people with mobility problems. Playa de Los Cristianos in the centre of town is smaller but good for watching the boats coming in…and going out again. For more natural surroundings Playa Callao at the southern end of the resort is ideal for letting it all hang out.

Where to Stay in Los Cristianos
In the Thick of it – Hotel Reverón Plaza (4*)  Not only central but has bags of individualistic style, elegance and charm. This is a hotel with character that harks back to the golden age of travel.
(0034) 922 757120; www.hotelesreveron.com; double room and breakfast from €100 per night)
The Quiet Life – Arona Gran Hotel (4*). Set at the southern end of the bay, the Arona Gran offers luxury, style and tranquillity from the moment you step into its cavernous lobby dripping with foliage.
(0034) 922 750 678; www.springhoteles.com; double room with breakfast from €172 per night)

Restaurants in Los Cristianos
Special Occasion – The eponymous Alain of Le Bistrot D’Alain (C/Del Valle Menéndez, 23; (+34) 922 752 336; closed Monday) performs magic as a culinary cupid, combining herbs and sauces with unlikely partners and creating matches (quail and pear, chicken liver with honey and apple) made in gourmet heaven; A delicious slice of France in Tenerife.
Going Local – Mix it with the locals at La Tasca de Mi Abuelo (CC San Marino; (+34) 922 794 466; closed Monday). A wonderful tapas menu includes mushrooms wrapped in Serrano ham. You might even get treated to some live music courtesy of the owner…if he’s had enough to drink.
Fish – Simply El Cine; somewhat of an institution and basic, cheap and fresh. (C/Juan Bariajo, 8; (+34) 609 10 77 58; closed Monday)
Meat Free – The Olive Garden (El Carmel, 5 (+34) 922 791 115) has an international range of choices whether you’re vegetarian or not. The choice on the veggie menu rivals that of their meat and seafood dishes. Now that’s rare and well done at the same time.

Nightlife in Los Cristianos
Heard that nightlife in Los Cristianos shuts down at midnight? Wrong. Whilst the bars aimed at visitors do tend to wind down around midnight, those at San Telmo aimed at the resident Spanish population don’t liven up till then. Check out the area at 2am on a Sunday morning and you’ll see what we mean. Our Bar Hopping in Los Cristianos article has some suggestions for bars with live entertainment whilst lively, cosy bars like Grouchos and Mestizo and a few others are ideal gin joints for a more bohemian scene.

The Los Cristianos WOW factor
With a bustling port on the doorstep, this is the place for sea going trips and to take advantage of the opportunity to explore La Gomera, La Palma & El Hierro. Los Cristianos also has one of the best carnivals in the south of Tenerife (Feb/March) – a good time for cross dressers and party animals to visit.

Who’d Like Los Cristianos?
Despite having a relatively youthful Canarian scene, Los Cristianos isn’t really the best choice for younger visitors or families. The tranquil pace of life here suits people looking for a resort that has plenty of bars and restaurants but isn’t too lively. With it’s aim to be a barrier free paradise, it’s also the best resort on Tenerife for visitors with mobility problems.

Tenerife Magazine’s 5 Star Ratings
Accommodation: 3 stars – Not as many quality hotels as you might expect in a resort of this size.
Restaurants: 4 stars – A good balance between international cuisine and Canarian.
Beaches: 5 Stars – You’ve got stunning Las Vistas and the town beach bustling for those who like their beaches a bit manicured and Playa Callao for those who don’t.
Nightlife: 3 stars – There are a good choice of diverse bars, but they are spread all over the place.

1. Fair weather friend
Well of course the weather’s the number one reason for throwing the bikini and factor 15 into a suitcase, perusing the Net for cheap flights to Tenerife and waving goodbye to the snowman.
Just four or so flying hours from the UK, who wouldn’t want to wiggle their toes in the warm sand, settle down beneath a palm tree with a good book and a long cocktail and exchange that milk bottle look for a healthy olive glow? It’s the single most common reason why millions of people choose  to holiday in Tenerife – and who are we to argue with them?

2. One island, many holidays
Tenerife is such a microcosm of landscapes that it’s like visiting a dozen different holiday resorts in one. From beaches to picturesque villages, theme parks to green parks and sandy shores to mountain highs you can find every type of holiday experience in less than 800 square miles of tropical paradise.

3. Swing into Action
On Tenerife you can pretty much guarantee that there’ll be at least one championship golf course basking in sunshine every single day of the year, and what’s more, there won’t be any earache from the other half. Golf widows can retire to the beaches of Playa de Las Américas, Costa Adeje and Las Galletas or indulge themselves in top notch hotels while their other halves pander to their favourite obsession.

4. A Taste of the Good Life
Eating out on Tenerife is still an affordable luxury and although blackboards advertising All Day British Breakfast still abound in some resorts, those with a more refined palate may be gastronomically surprised. From chic city dining to bijou resort bistros and five star hotel restaurants to gourmet secret gems – Tenerife restaurants are today’s special.

5. Holiday on another planet
There aren’t many places in the world where you can travel from snow topped mountain to sunbathing on the beach in less than two hours but Tenerife is one of them. Not just the icon of the archipelago and pride of  Spain, Teide National Park is also the most amazing landscape you’re likely to encounter this side of a long weekend on the moon.

6. Party Dude
Ask anyone who lives here, one of the things the Tinerfeños do better than most is they know how to have a good time. From bar hopping in your resort to subjecting your senses to an all out assault at Europe’s biggest carnival, for those who enjoy the hedonistic pleasures of life, almost every night is party night on Tenerife.

7. Rural retreats
Tenerife can be many things to many people and while thrill seekers find pleasure in the theme parks and nightlife of the resorts, nature lovers can escape the noise and bustle of the world in Tenerife’s idyllic rural interior. Whether you’re a walker, a tent pitcher or an away-from-it-all junkie, there’s a rustic retreat with your name on it.

8. Sail away
Tenerife is a stepping stone to the Western Canary Islands of La Gomera, La Palma (above) and El Hierro, all of which are just a short sail and a million miles away from the tourism centres of Tenerife. For the price of one flight to Tenerife and a ferry ride, you can experience half an archipelago.

9. Dive in
Centuries of volcanic eruptions have formed a mysterious underwater world of basalt columns and silent caves – all of which are teeming with marine wildlife. Warm, deep waters close to shore provide some of Europe’s best diving for those with a penchant for rubber and air tanks.

10. Thar She Blows (Photo courtesy of Atlantic Whale Foundation)
Personally, I prefer my air supply limitless and am happy to watch the amazing creatures of the deep from the deck of a sailing ship. Bottle nosed dolphins, minke and sperm whale occupy and pass through the warm waters between Tenerife’s west coast and neighbouring La Gomera making Tenerife one of the best places in the world to watch them in their natural habitat.

Not everyone wants to spend their holidays getting up at the crack of dawn to throw towels over a poolside sun lounger so they can pass the day travelling no further than the distance from the shallow end to the bar. For many of us, a trip to Tenerife simply wouldn’t be complete without a few days on the beach.
But the cost of hiring sun beds and that all important umbrella can quickly mount up over the course of a week or two’s holidays to Tenerife.

In order to ease the financial burden of all that soaking up Tenerife’s rays, I have undertaken extensive and exhaustive research on Tenerife’s beaches (no sniggering or comments of ‘nice work if you can get it’ please) in order to compare the price of hiring sun beds.
Now all you have to do is factor that cost into your holiday and decide if it’s worth re-mortgaging the house for a spot on the beach outside your hotel door, or saving up to 50% of your expenditure by moving a few deckchair spaces along the coast…

So here in the interests of best value for money is the cost of hiring a sun bed and parasol at ten of Tenerife’s most popular sun worshipping venues:

Joint 10th place. Coming in at least value for money on Tenerife at a staggering €10 for a sun bed and parasol are Playa Fañabe (above) and Playa Torviscas (green zone). Spend your whole fortnight on either of these Costa Adeje beaches and you’ll run up a holiday extra of €140!
8th place. Just 20 cents short of sharing the least value podium is Playa Del Duque at a whopping great €9.80. At least you have the on-beach entertainment here thrown in for free.
7th place. Proving that location, location, location really does make a difference, just a few yards further along the same sand, Playa Torviscas turns into a yellow zone and the prices drop by €2 to €8 for a sun bed and parasol.

Joint 6th place. Occupying the central ground at a fairly reasonable €6 for a day’s comfort and shade are three of Tenerife’s most popular beaches; Playa Camisón in Playa de Las Américas, Las Vistas (above) in Los Cristianos and Playa de la Arena on the West coast.
3rd place. Heading towards the top spot for canny sun-seekers is Playa Jardín in Puerto de la Cruz which stacks up at a very reasonable €5.50 for a day beside the sea.
Joint 1st place. Winners of Tenerife’s best value for money beach furniture at a very holiday budget-conscious €5 for a sun bed and parasol are the lovely Playas Troya 1 and 2 in Costa Adeje where two weeks in the sun will cost you precisely half of what it’ll cost you further along the same coast.
And special mention goes to the fabulous Lago Martiánez in Puerto de la Cruz where you get to feel like you’re on the set of a Bond movie for your €5 sun bed and parasol.

The sand takes me by surprise. It seems a strange thing to say, but my first reaction on stepping onto Playa del Duque, one of the most upmarket beaches on Tenerife, is one of confused surprise. The pale golden sand doesn’t feel like…well sand.

This is a new one on me. Tenerife’s black volcanic sands can burn like a branding iron and some man-made beaches such as Playa de las Teresitas feel like being at the centre of a Saharan sand storm at the first suggestion of a breeze, but they are usually soft on the soles. With every step, Del Duque’s harsh pale grains nip at my feet with the ferocity of miniscule terriers.

After being mugged by the sand, the next objective is to find a spot to lay out my beach mat. In front of me is a wall of straw umbrellas and beyond that, hugging the shoreline, is another wall of rainbow coloured parasols. It’s a sizzling hot Saturday morning in August and Spanish mainlanders are on the beach en masse occupying their favourite playa position right beside the water’s edge. They seem to instinctively know the surf’s limitations, their towels inches from where the waves teasingly lap the sand.

As a sufferer of beach claustrophobia, I stretch out on the empty expanse just behind the sunloungers and soak up the surroundings.

Lying at the western end of Costa Adeje, Playa del Duque is separated from the rest of the resort by a large rock formation jutting far out into the sea which acts as a natural curtain lending the beach an air of detached exclusivity. The Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque dominates the backdrop to the beach. Its palatial main buildings and mock Canarian beach-side architecture makes the area feel like one giant film set. Del Duque’s  St Tropez style beach huts and a white restaurant on stilts, straight out of the Caribbean add to the Hollywood feel of the place. With its movie star looks, golden sand and powder blue seas, it’s a beautiful looking beach for sure.

The feeling of being on a film set is enhanced by the fascinating beach opera being performed all around me – a beach opera starring Del Duque’s colourful hawkers. The score is provided by fruit vendors carrying baskets filled with melons, pineapples and coconuts who sing ‘Tooty fruiteee, veetameen, cocos-nuts’ as they parade between the bronzed audience.

The dancing comes courtesy of a couple of svelte, sarong sellers demonstrating their wares by weaving amongst the sun beds, swirling and twirling bright sarongs with the grace and sensuality of harem dancers. Finally, preparing the extras for the shoot, are the South East Asian masseurs; gently kneading sunbathers’ muscles that are, let’s face already pretty damned relaxed.

Then the villains of the piece appear in the form of a police car at the back of the beach; the singers fall quiet and the dancers, with practiced perfection, drop their sarongs to reveal bikinis. As the sarongs fall to the ground covering the rest of their stock the two girls follow suit, lying atop the bright cloths like any other sunbather…and Act 1 of ‘Scene at Playa del Duque’ comes to a close.

After broiling nicely for an hour and a half in 30C+ temperatures, my flesh feels cooked enough to slide easily onto a kebab skewer. Common sense dictates a change of scene. I make my way across the harsh sand to the cool shade and even cooler décor of the stylish beachfront bars at the rear of the playa, order a frosty beer and settle back to see what Act 2 brings.

Whilst it’s fair to say that the beaches on the Canary Islands get better the further east you go, Tenerife has invested a great deal of time and money in the importing, sifting and general manicuring of sand to create beaches which, whilst they may not be the best in the world, are exceedingly pleasant places to be.

1. Las Teresitas, Santa Cruz – Archetypal golden tropical beach backed by palm trees and the Anaga Mountains. Great parking facilities; kiosks on the beach have good tapas and cold Doradas; water is gently shelving and perfect for swimming/snorkling and there’s always great people watching.
Downside; if it’s breezy you need a sunbed to escape the fine sandstorm at surface level.
2. Playa Del Duque, Costa Adeje – Tucked into a sheltered bay with views of the over developed coast screened off by cliffs. Immaculately clean, soft white sand; elegant changing booths; stylish Hawaiian-style parasols; quality sunbeds and good restaurants in easy flop flop reach.
Downside; quality doesn’t come cheap and your wallet will get burned.
3. El Camisón, Playa de Las Américas – Small, sheltered bay located right at the heart of the resort but without that mass tourism feel. Gently shelving golden sand; stylish backdrop provided by the fabulous Sir Anthony Hotel; nice beach bar with shady terrace and grassy knoll for sand-phobes.
Downside; location means it gets very busy in high season.
4. El Puertito, Playa Paraíso – Greek-style bay tucked away in a sheltered cove where a sprinkling of white buildings creep down to the shore. Tiny, golden sand beach shelving into crystal, turquoise water where fishing boats gently bob.
Downside; in summer the bay is a magnet  for illegal campers and all solitude is lost.

5. Playa Bollullo, La Orotava – Idyllic, natural, black sand beach hidden away at the foot of the cliffs and frequented mainly by locals. Way off the radar of most visitors with only a handful of sunbeds for hire, a simple beach café with terrace on the cliffside and plenty of space to stretch out.
Downside; on most days the Atlantic rollers turn paddling into an extreme sport.
6. Las Vistas, Los Cristianos – Probably many people’s number one choice; a vast, golden sand beach bridging the join between Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Américas. Easy access from hotels; backed by shops, bars and restaurants; good range of water activities; disabled access and enough space to swing several very large cats.
Downside; regimented rows of sunbeds hog the shore-line leaving a hot gauntlet of Sahara Desert-sized sand to negotiate to the promenade.
7. Playa Jardín, Puerto de la Cruz – Long, black sand beach backed by César Manrique-designed gardens, at the foot of the La Orotava Valley. Stunning setting with Mount Teide in the background; good mix of locals and visitors; well served by bars, restaurants and facilities and great people-watching.
Downside; A lack of breakwater means swimming is only for the brave and the stupid and black sand gets blisteringly hot in summer.
8. La Tejita, El Médano – Natural, Robinson Crusoe-style, endless white sand beach lapped by azure waters and favoured by those who have an aversion to white bits. Accessible by car and big enough to take every resident of  El Médano and still have that away-from-it-all feeling.
Downside; It’s a long walk from El Médano and on windy days (of which there are many) sun bathing is out and sand blasting is in.
9. Playa El Médano, El Médano – Natural, golden sand beach right in the centre of the town and the pulsating heart of the community. Buzzing with activity on all but the rarest of bad weather days, El Médano’s town beach is just a deck chair’s width away from a plethora of excellent places to eat, drink and shop.
Downside; Small and busy, space is a premium and then there’s that wind…
10. Playa La Arena, Playa de la Arena – A sheltered, black sand beach with a permanent European Blue Flag flying and stunning sunsets. Family-friendly beach in the centre of the resort; super clean facilities; great tapas restaurant with shady terrace right on the beach and a stroll away from shops, bars and restaurants.
Downside; Gets crowded in high season and other than sun bathing, there’s little to do or see.

Apologies to all those beaches that didn’t make my cut – you’ll no doubt feature on someone else’s list

Wind and sea erosion sound like good reasons to worry but in El Médano they take everything in their stride and find the positives. A walk along the wooden slatted promenade in this haven of bare footed surfing dudes soon reveals good reason to trust in nature. The sandstone coves carved by the sea are intimate, welcoming bathing bays where the rough sides even provide makeshift clothes hangers.

Planes fly low overhead on their way to and from Tenerife South airport but even their soft rumble is an accepted part of the soundtrack of life here. As I walk through the wide open plaza the main beach is packed, with areas set aside for a mums and toddlers fitness class and children’s badminton training. Could this be a bit of a squeeze? Hardly, it’s all about adapting; bodies are sunbathing on walls, benches and along the tops of those distinctive coves; there are plenty of special places to go around.

The End Of The Pier?

With such a laid back attitude, the continued threats of the Spanish coastal authority are met with a quiet defiance and a heard-it-all-before shrug. The centre piece of this unusual resort is a slice of old England, a Brighton inspired hotel partly built out onto a pier that juts into the sea. Built in 1963 the three star Hotel Médano epitomises the quirky nature of this town but contravenes a law brought in after its construction that forbids building too close to the shore line. Like the tides that lap around its supports, the arguments have ebbed and flowed over the last decade as the hotel continues to charm and pamper its loyal guests in equal measure. The latest threat has roused a Granadilla council backed petition that sits in the tourist information office almost lost among the leaflets for the popular walks and wind and kite surfing events that attract so many visitors to the area.

The blue flags flutter proudly over the two main beaches, the fifth time they have been awarded the European Union mark of cleanliness and water quality. Families bathe confidently here in the gently sloping shallows watched over by lifeguards at key points.

Further round to the west at the gentle dunes of La Playita the sporty minded flock to enjoy the best wind and kite surfing in Tenerife. Many major championships are held here including the World Kite Surfing Championships from 9th to 15th August.

Even when there are no competitions the skies are dotted with kites and the beach is a vast preparation area as boards are joined to sails and strings. At the back of the beach surfers form an appreciative audience at the bars planning new moves or browsing the shops to make sure their gear is as eye catching as their twists and turns on the waves.

To the east of Hotel Médano there are more strange delights, sculptures lurk in sea wall alcoves feeding the mind while a jumble of cafes and restaurants attend to bodily needs. Again good use is made of all space. Behind the bus stop fishing boats are crammed into a spare corner where a slipway beckons swimmers into the water as the restful snack and drink.
El Médano certainly crams plenty in; the Sansofe 210 festival runs through August with entertainment on most nights in the plaza overlooking the beach. There’s a strange brew of different flavours on this south east tip of Tenerife but they fuse together well to give El Médano a very pleasing taste.

Title: Night of San Juan – Los Cristianos
Location: Las Vistas beach
Description: Hey it’s bonfire night Spanish style as they celebrate mid summer with bonfires on the beaches around all the coasts. From early evening to the early hours of the following morning people gather around large roaring bonfires and families and friends eat and drink around smaller more intimate fires. It’s all about cleansing and renewal, tradition has it that you should jump over the flames three times and make a suitable wish for a better year ahead.

In Los Cristianos the statue of San Juan is carried down to the beach promenade from the Floristeria Canarias in Calle General Franco (just past the cultural centre) at 9.30pm. Midnight is the high point as people walk into the sea for cleansing and the staue of the Virgen is also carried into the waves, but the celebrations will go on for hours.

Date: 2010-06-23

Yesterday the International Environmental Blue Flag Programme gave its verdict on awards for 2010 and the Canary Islands received 34 of the prestigious flags for its beaches and 3 for its ports.

Of the 37 Blue Flags awarded, 10 have gone to Tenerife:
The laid back surf dude’s wind paradise of El Médano gets no less than three all to itself for El Médano, Machado and La Tejita beaches.
Costa Adeje picks up the award for Troyas 1 and 2 while Playa de Las Américas gets in on the act with El Camisón, and Los Cristianos gets a Blue for Las Vistas.
In the south west, La Arena maintains its Blue status while in the north, Puerto de la Cruz wins out with Playa Jardín, Los Realejos rocks with El Socorro and the Tacoronte resort of Mesa del Mar comes up trumps with La Arena.

Alongside year round sunshine; clean, safe and environmentally sound beaches are critical to marketing the Canary Islands to the tourism industry and for that reason the  Blue Flag awards are an annual breath-holding experience for those responsible for protecting the islands’ beaches.

A case of good news, bad news…
2010 sees a couple of notable exceptions on the awards list; Tenerife’s Las Teresitas and for the first time in 21 years, Gran Canaria’s Las Canteras.
Both beaches have suffered pollution scares from nearby shipping in the past 12 months. Last October Las Teresitas beach had to be closed after several swimmers suffered an allergic reaction to what was thought to be contaminants in the water and last summer Las Canteras suffered closures after pollutants affected the area around La Puntilla.

With so much importance attached to the standard of Canary Islands coastlines, the presence of a beach in the awards is seen as recognition of the hard work of municipalities in protecting their assets, and by default, its absence is bad news for a resort.

This year Tenerife has topped the Canary Islands Blue Flag list with 10 awards while Gran Canaria comes in second with 8. Coupled with the loss of its flag by Las Canteras which, less than two weeks ago was voted Spain’s top beach by readers of the online journal El Economista, this year’s announcement of winners has added fuel to the age-old rivalry between Tenerife and Gran Canaria. There’s even a whiff of heads rolling with Canarias 7 today asking the public if they think the councilman responsible for Las Canteras should be sacked.

I wonder how many people, lying back on their beach towels, liberally applying the factor 25 and enjoying the beautiful surroundings, have any knowledge of the slings and arrows of petty rivalries and local politics that sit alongside environmental consciences for that dainty Blue Flag to flutter in the breeze at the top of the beach? Hopefully, none.

More winners:
Blue Flag Awards went to the following Canary Islands beaches:
Gran Canaria – La Laja, Melenara, El Inglés, San Agustín, Maspalomas, Meloneras, Amadores and Mogán.
Lanzarote – Matagorda, Los Pocillos, Grande (Blanca), Pila la Barrilla and Playa Blanca.
Fuerteventura – Gran Tarajal, Costa Calma, El Matorral, Butihondo, Grandes Playas, La Concha and Blanca.
La Palma – Bajamar, Los Cancajos, Puerto Naos and Charco Verde