If you are planning your Puerto de la Cruz holidays, the following information may help by giving you an overview on the resort and the surrounding area.
Nowhere matches a Puerto de la Cruz holiday for charm and style. British visitors have long-standing associations with the resort, and like it for its distinctive Canarian buildings, green landscapes, fishermen’s quarter and romantic seafront. You may hear this resort referred to as simply Puerto. Remember that the north coast of Tenerife receives more cloud and rain than the south, but rainfall totals are low and most falls in the winter months from November to February and most sun being expected from April to September. Tenerife’s biggest northerly resort is the oldest on the island, a former fishing village unexpectedly promoted to the rank of principal cargo port after a volcanic eruption destroyed the town of Garachico in 1706.
Puerto de la Cruz is especially popular with older visitors, but it certainly isn’t staid. In the evenings, the old town hums with life and everyone enjoys a walk through San Telmo and the charming pedestrianised plazas near the fishing harbour. Lit at night, the promenade meanders beneath palm trees, beside black rocks and beaches where the waves can be heard coming ashore. You will come across Plaza de Europa which is a fake castle with genuine cannons built in 1992 on top of a central car park. However, head for just behind the plaza and you will be rewarded with 18th and 19th century mansions with fine examples of balconies and doorways. The heart of Puerto de la Cruz is slightly inland from the harbour; the Plaza del Charco de los Camarones, named after a pool full of shrimps that used to be there and locals used to dredge for them. Now raised and dry, you will find café tables, bands, laurels, palm trees and the hum of life in Puerto de la Cruz.
If you head for the harbour you wont find a lot of activity and it will be difficult to imagine it as a major stopping point for transatlantic trade. However, you will find Casa de la Aduana here which is the former customs house and the residence of the royal tax collector. It is open from 10:00 to 20:00 Monday to Saturday and entrance is free. You will find the tourist office here and a craft shop. Very close to here is La Ranilla in the fishermens quarter. The most popular square here is Plaza Perez Galdos [named after the Spanish playwright and novelist who was born in Gran Canaria in 1843. Take in a drink and some tapas at one of the bars or small restaurants before going to the small Archaeological Museum of Guanche ceramics [open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00-13:00 and 17:00-21:00; Sunday 10:00-13:00 – admission is free].
In the Plaza de la Iglesia in Puerto de la Cruz, is a bust of Augustin de Bethancourt who was born in the town in 1798. After qualifying as an engineer he spent much of his life in Russia where he became a general in the army, in charge of building bridges, canals and roads. Another famous son of Puerto de la Cruz was Tomas de Iriarte, who was born in 1750. He moved to Madrid in his teens and quickly became famous as a writer. His birthplace is now a small museum. Both Bethancourt and Iriarte have streets in Puerto de la Cruz named after them.
If you enjoy lively street markets, filled with bargains, then Puerto de la Cruz has two on a Monday and Saturday from 08:00-16:00. For a factory showroom selling leather gloves, belts, handbags, shoes, briefcases, wallets and boots, then look for Modas Diolae in Carretera Vieja.
The rocky coastline means some of the natural beaches can be quite dangerous. Try Puerto de la Cruz’s main beach – Playa Jardin – at Punta Brava, near the Castillo San Felipe. This is a 1km beach of dark volcanic sand with palms and extensive cactus gardens and is the work of architect Cesar Manrique. The beach starts at the end of the commercial harbour and extends right up to Loro Parque. You will find showers and changing rooms here. The centrepiece of the seafront is the landscaped Lago de Martianez [also known as the Lido], an artificial complex of pools, islands and sun terraces built from lava rocks.
If you want to party, you will find plenty going on in basement discos and upstairs bars. Elegant restaurants in beautiful balconied houses, a lavish nightclub and the island’s smartest casino cater for the small hours. Head for El Arado in Calle Puerto Viejo and you will be about to sit outside at this restaurant-bar and listen to live Canarian and South American music from 20:30-midnight. Come across Plaza del Charco and you will be in the nightlife centre of Puerto de la Cruz. The square will enable you to sit in cafes, listen to music, buy from street vendors, eat in restaurants or just stroll around after dinner.