When I was there in December, I took the chance to capture a few shots “off the beaten track” to give some idea of what this part of the island is really like, once you leave the town itself.

You can walk up from the town centre, basically up the hillside, into an area called San Antonio and then turn right, and you will come across one of the two main barrancos or river beds that run down through the town.  Just across the river, we found a balcony where the flowers had taken over:

Puerto de la Cruz Balcony - Over-watered?

Perhaps the owner had over-watered them..

Just up past a few houses and we come to one of the many little lanes that run through the banana plantations that literally surround the town.  This particular lane is one of several that run parallel to the coast, behind the town, and it makes for a tranquil walk through the bananas, where the only sounds are the birds singing and the leaves of the banana plants rustling in the breeze.

Puerto de la Cruz Bananas

When we were walking here, we met a grizzled old man walking the opposite way, carrying a big bucket of paint.  Now, my Spanish is not that good, but his English was non-existent, but he was determined to get his message across.  After literally 10 minutes, we came to understand that he had a lovely renovated house to sell, right here amongst the bananas where it was so peaceful and quiet, and by the look of us it would be just what we wanted!  Well, I have to admit I was tempted to take a look, but we would have been wasting his time and I could not face much more of the barrage of Spanish dialogue that was being thrown upon us.  So we said our goodbyes and on we went.

After about 20 minutes, we came to another of the radial roads that run up the hill from the town, but by now we were well to the left (south west) of the town, above the Loro Parque and the little rocky outpost of rough old houses known as Punta Brava.  Being so high up still, we had a great vantage point to get a rare panorama of Puerto de la Cruz from the south west looking north east, as these next two shots show.

Notice how the hillside is green and look at the ancient terracing:

Puerto de la Cruz Terracing

In this final shot you can see the town itself, although most of it is hidden, down on the flat land at the base of the great hillside that rises steeply from the back of the resort.  Only the tallest of buildings in the flatter main part of the town are visible, the beige and white tower on the left being by far the highest building in Puerto de la Cruz (the infamous Bel Air apartment block – built decades ago and probably never to be repeated):

Puerto de la Cruz from the South-West

Well that’s it for now, but watch this space for more information and pictures from the beautiful resort of Puerto de la Cruz.  Meanwhile, if you’re itching to go there (as I am) then take a look at our great hotel deals here: Puerto de la Cruz Hotels.

Puerto de la Cruz is, for the British, one of the less well-known resorts of Tenerife, but those who discover this charming town are often converted and return year after year.

Most Brits head for the popular resorts along the south coast of the island, such as Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas, but to miss out on the very special town of Puerto de la Cruz in the north would be a real shame, as we will find out..

This is the first article in a series on Puerto de la Cruz, and in it I want to give you a quick overview.

Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, 16 December 2009

The first and most obvious contrast between Puerto de la Cruz and the traditional Brit resorts of the south is the beautiful scenery studded with palms and exotic flowers wherever you look.  The south is barren, brown and dry, apart from in the carefully-tended hotel grounds, whereas here in the north of the island, everything is lush, green and very pretty.  As you drive from the airport in the south, heading further north, on the approach to Santa Cruz you suddenly notice that the hills are greener, the countryside covered in trees and flowering shrubs.

The next contrast between the resorts in the south and Puerto de la Cruz is the mix of holidaymakers.  In Los Cristianos, most holidaymakers are British,  whereas in the north, most are German, with a strong contingent from mainland Spain and a smattering from other northern European countries, including the UK.  So, you certainly don’t get the beer-swilling Brit brigade here.  It’s more..  sedate, cultured and classy.  That’s not to say that the tourist

Puerto de la Cruz Street

industry here is in any way unwelcoming to the British.  The hotels, restaurants and bars are staffed with people who seem to be able to talk just about every language necessary including British, so you there are no worries on that font.  Personally, I find it very pleasant and somehow exotic to be in a cafe or bar surrounded by Spanish and German customers – it adds to the feeling of being on holiday for me.

Finally in this overview, the other big contrast between Puerto de la Cruz and, say, Los Cristianos is the coast.  In the north around Puerto, the coast is rocky and has fewer beaches.  What beaches there are have black sand, compared to the golden sand of Los Cristianos in the south.  In Puerto de la Cruz itself, there are a couple of black sand beaches, but the sea is often too rough for swimming, so a massive series of lakes and swimming pools was built along the main promenade in the “new” town – known as Lagos Martianez.  Acres of terraces, plants, trees, cafes, bars and about seven

Lagos Martianez Tenerife, 15 December 2009

pools of varying shapes and sizes and some of them massive.  It’s the main reason why many people choose to come here, and a good number spend most of their days in this superb complex of pools and gardens, open to the public from 10am every day with a great value entry fee of about 3.5 euros.

In this overview we have just scratched the surface, and you will find plenty of more detailed information here at http://suntrapholidays.co.uk.
Meanwhile, to check availability on some of the great Puerto de la Cruz hotels, take a look at this link: Puerto de la Cruz hotels