Last month, Black Opal Travel Advisor Louise Vernon travelled to northern Tenerife to see the island from a fresh perspective. Here's what she had to say...
If you've travelled to the more commercial south side of Tenerife before, you may think you have a full impression of the popular island. But, as I found out on my trip north Tenerife is a whole new a experience!
My knowledge of northern Tenerife was little and mostly based on the idea the weather was not great as it is in the south. I was surprised and delighted to find out how different up there was; greener, prettier, and very Spanish in character.
I stayed at the beautiful Botanico & Oriental Spa Garden Hotel, a part of The Leading Hotels of the World collection. This 5* hotel is situated on the north coast of the island in Puerto de la Cruz. It offers exceptional service and facilities including amazing gardens with sub-tropical plants and a large outdoor pool.
There's so much to see within easy reach of Puerto de la Cruz, either by car on a self-drive or on a day tour with guide. Here are a few of my highlights.
La Orotava is a beautiful town on the northwest coast not far from Puerto de la Cruz, set in attractive fertile countryside with a backdrop of Mount Teide, Tenerife's volcano. Much of the town's wealth came from the fertile slopes surrounding the town and today the main crop covering the hills is bananas.
The old town is a Site of National Historic and Artistic Interest and it's easy to see why with Renaissance mansions to admire, as well as some beautiful churches and convents. A rather lovely building is the pink palace-like building of Liceo de Taoro, which is an 18th century building surrounded by pretty gardens. It sits on a hillside overlooking the valley. The Liceo de Taoro is now a bar and is just the perfect spot to enjoy the views whilst having a drink.
Garden lovers can admire the formal Victoria gardens, whose terraces sweep downhill from a mausoleum at the top. Another lovely garden is the Hijuela del Botanico, a tropical botanic garden with more than 3000 species of tropical and sub-tropical plants including the iconic dragon trees which are native to the Canary Islands.
Another must-visit is San Cristobal de La Laguna; the second biggest city after Santa Cruz de Tenerife and an important historical centre, so much so that it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its grid plan was designed in the 15th century and became a model for cities in the Americas including Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and Old Havana in Cuba. The highlight of La Laguna is its old town, which is a real step back in time and full elegant buildings from the 15 to 17th centuries. The town has a particularly high concentration of churches and religious buildings as well as fine palaces.
Elsewhere you'll find Garachico, a very pretty town on the northern coast of Tenerife in a particularly unspoilt part of the island. Garachico town streets are often cobbled and narrow and there are lots of delightful buildings. The main square, La Libertad, is very pretty. Much of the town dates back to just after a lava flow destroyed much of the original town in 1706. This eruption lasted several days and filled the harbour of Garachico with larva making it unusable. Up until thisvent, Garachico was one of the most important towns and harbours on the island and was certainly one of the wealthiest.
As well as visiting the towns mentioned above, there are a wealth of activities to enjoy in northen Tenerife. Wine tastings and food tours are a must, whilst if you like to get active there are great hiking routes in the Laurel forests of Anaga Rural Park. The views are truly spectacular! To round off your trip, I recommend stargazing from Mount Teide; a magical experience.
If you would like to book your own northern Tenerife travel experience, contact us today via email, or call 0330 041 0800.
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