Where to stay in Tenerife: the 5 areas to know in 2026
In Tenerife, you choose a side of the island first. In the north, Puerto de la Cruz and the Orotava valley keep their old streets, their banana plantations and an often cloudy sky. In the south, Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos get sunshine almost every day, and the big hotels. Between the two lies an hour of motorway, with Mount Teide in the middle.
Allow from $79* a night for a small town hotel, $135 to $280* for a good four-star, and over $450* for the large resorts of the south-west. Five areas follow, from Puerto de la Cruz to El Médano.
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In less than an hour of driving, you can go from one vibe to the other.
One base or several?
A single base is enough for a short stay, because the motorway puts the north and the south an hour apart. For more than a week, two bases save you from driving the same road every day.
- A long weekend: A single base, in Puerto de la Cruz: the old town, the Orotava valley and Mount Teide are all within reach.
- One week: Two bases: four nights in Puerto de la Cruz for the north and Mount Teide, three in Costa Adeje or Los Gigantes for the sun.
- Ten days: Three bases: one night in La Laguna for Anaga, four in the north, then the south, with a day trip to La Gomera from Los Cristianos.
How much driving between two bases?
Times given by car, excluding Santa Cruz rush-hour traffic. The motorway runs round the east side, and the Teide road crosses the middle.
| Route | Driving time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| South airport → Costa Adeje | 30 min | 21 km on the motorway |
| South airport → El Médano | 20 min | 6 km |
| South airport → Puerto de la Cruz | 1 hr 30 | 99 km via the east |
| North airport → Puerto de la Cruz | 30 min | 32 km |
| North airport → Santa Cruz | 20 min | 13 km |
| Puerto de la Cruz → Santa Cruz | 40 min | 40 km |
| Puerto de la Cruz → Teide cable car | 55 min | 41 km uphill |
| Costa Adeje → Teide cable car | 55 min | 51 km uphill |
| Puerto de la Cruz → Costa Adeje | 1 hr 15 | 66 km |
| Costa Adeje → Los Gigantes | 30 min | 25 km |
| Los Gigantes → Masca | 35 min | 22 km of hairpin bends |
| Santa Cruz → Benijo | 40 min | 25 km through Anaga |
At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.
Map of the areas in Tenerife
See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.
Puerto de la Cruz and the Orotava valley The harbour, the old town, Loro Parque and the valley climbing towards Mount Teide
for a first visit, and for the green north of the island
A former fishing port turned resort, which keeps its plaza del Charco under the laurel trees and its houses with wooden balconies. Loro Parque is within walking distance, the seawater pools of Lago Martiánez stand in for a calm beach, and the Orotava valley climbs, between vines and banana trees, up to the national park. The downside: an often cloudy sky, and more than an hour's drive to the south airport.
We were able to go for some nice runs there and discover some pleasant trails near the city.
The towns in this area
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Botánico & The Oriental Spa Garden Luxury
Three pools in a garden facing the ocean and Mount Teide, and a 3,500-square-metre spa, two minutes' walk from the botanical garden.
Parador de Las Cañadas del Teide Mid-range
The only hotel in the national park, above 2,000 metres, at the foot of the volcano: 37 rooms, an indoor pool and two telescopes for the night sky.
Hotel Rural Victoria Mid-range
A restored 16th-century house in the historic centre of La Orotava: fourteen rooms and a rooftop terrace.
Hotel Monopol city.oudormir_tier_economique
A 19th-century house with wooden balconies and a palm-filled courtyard, 150 metres from the plaza del Charco.
Pros
- A real town, with bars and restaurants on foot in the evening
- Mount Teide less than an hour away, through the Orotava valley
Cons
- The cloudy side: sunshine is less reliable than in the south
- An hour and a half's drive from the south airport
Santa Cruz and La Laguna The capital, its harbour and museums, the listed old town of La Laguna and the Anaga massif
for city life, the carnival and the Anaga trails
Two cities linked by a tram. Santa Cruz has the harbour, the Auditorium and its white sails, the Museum of Nature and Man and, in February, one of the biggest carnivals in the world. Ten minutes uphill, La Laguna lines up its listed colonial houses, and the Anaga road heads off towards the forest and Benijo beach. The downside: a city before a resort, and Las Teresitas beach twenty minutes away by car.
It is the closest beach to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, accessible by city bus.
The towns in this area
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Iberostar Heritage Grand Mencey Luxury
The only five-star hotel in the city, ten minutes' walk from the centre, with a garden, a pool and a 4,500-square-metre spa.
Laguna Nivaria Hotel & Spa Mid-range
In a 16th-century mansion on plaza del Adelantado, at the heart of the listed old town of La Laguna.
Hotel Taburiente Mid-range
Facing García Sanabria park and the Rambla, with an outdoor pool and a rooftop terrace.
Hotel Aguere city.oudormir_tier_economique
A house from 1760 opposite the Leal theatre, in the old town of La Laguna: simple, central and full of character.
Pros
- The north airport a quarter of an hour away
- The tram between Santa Cruz and La Laguna, no car needed
Cons
- No beach in town: Las Teresitas is twenty minutes away
- A working and cruise-ship city more than a resort
Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos The big resorts of the south-west, from Playa del Duque to the harbour of Los Cristianos
for sunshine, beaches and going out at night
Here it almost never rains. A continuous promenade links the beaches of Costa Adeje, from Playa del Duque to Troya, then the bars of Las Verónicas and the harbour of Los Cristianos, where the ferries leave for La Gomera. Siam Park fills a family day. The downside: resorts built for tourism, with little local life.
The south for partying all night long and tanning on burning black sand beaches (it is a volcanic island after all!).
Where to stay in this area
Bahía del Duque Luxury
Terraced gardens running down to Playa del Duque, five pools and nine restaurants.
Spring Arona Gran Hotel & Spa Mid-range
Adults only, next to the beach of Los Cristianos, with bay views from the balconies, two pools and a spa.
Hotel Reverón Plaza Mid-range
A family-run hotel with 44 rooms a hundred metres from the beach of Los Cristianos, with a fifth-floor pool overlooking the harbour.
Pros
- The most reliable sunshine on the island
- The south airport half an hour away
Cons
- Resorts without an old town
- More than an hour's drive to the villages of the north
Los Gigantes and the north-west The Los Gigantes cliffs, Masca, Garachico and Icod de los Vinos
for the cliffs, the sunsets and the Teno massif
In the west, the cliffs of Los Gigantes drop into the ocean, and boats leave their small harbour to see the pilot whales. Higher up, the road to Masca winds through the Teno massif. On the north coast, Garachico has its lava pools and stone streets, and Icod its thousand-year-old dragon tree. The downside: far from everything else, and slow roads.
I loved the Los Gigantes cliffs and the many natural pools.
Where to stay in this area
The Ritz-Carlton, Tenerife, Abama Luxury
On the south-west coast, facing La Gomera, with a funicular down to the beach, seven pools and a golf course.
Barceló Santiago Mid-range
Adults only, between Puerto de Santiago and Los Gigantes, with three pools facing the cliffs and La Gomera.
Hotel San Roque Mid-range
An 18th-century villa five minutes' walk from the sea in Garachico, with a pool and a terrace.
Pros
- Sunsets facing La Gomera
- Masca and the Teno massif half an hour away
Cons
- An hour's drive to the north-east and Santa Cruz
- Few sandy beaches
El Médano and the south-east El Médano, La Tejita, Montaña Roja, next to the south airport
for the wind, kitesurfing and sandy beaches
The south-east has the island's longest natural beaches: El Médano and La Tejita, on either side of Montaña Roja, a red volcanic cone you can climb on foot. The wind, which blows almost every day, has made the village the capital of windsurfing and kitesurfing. The downside: that same wind, and the airport next door.
Where to stay in this area
Hotel Médano Mid-range
Right on the beach of El Médano, with a terrace built out over the water like a jetty and Montaña Roja opposite.
Hotel Playa Sur Tenerife Mid-range
On the seafront of the long beach of El Médano, with a seawater pool and a room to store boards.
Pros
- The south airport a quarter of an hour away
- A village feel, far from the big resorts
Cons
- The wind, almost every day
- An hour and a half's drive to the north
Our tips for booking the right place
- Choose your side of the island before your hotel: On the same day, Costa Adeje can be in full sun while Puerto de la Cruz sits under the clouds. If sunshine matters above all, stay in the south. If you are coming for the villages, the forest and Mount Teide, stay in the north.
- Check which airport you land at: Almost all international flights arrive at Tenerife South. If you are staying in the north, allow an hour and a half's drive on arrival day, or look for a flight to Tenerife North.
- Pick a hotel with parking: Outside Santa Cruz and La Laguna, a car is essential: our members say it in almost every review. In the old towns, parking is scarce: check it before you book.
- Book early for the carnival: In February, Santa Cruz is fully booked during the carnival. Book months ahead, or stay in La Laguna and take the tram down.
- Booking in the north for a week of beach and sunshine: it is the cloudy side.
- Staying in Costa Adeje if you are coming for the villages and the forest: every day starts with an hour's drive.
- Picking a hotel in El Médano if you do not like wind: it blows almost every day.
- Staying in Santa Cruz for a beach holiday: the nearest one, Las Teresitas, is twenty minutes away by car.
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