Playa de las Américas

The city was built for tourists and is mostly made up of hotels with plenty of beaches and restaurants. English is widely spoken.

Tenerife South (Reina Sofia) airport is the closest airport with a taxi fare costing around €23 to the centre of Playa de las Americas. There are also buses to other resorts. The bus station for Las Americas is at the back of town, a 5-10 minute walk from the beach areas.

You can walk a few miles along the seafront to see most of the interesting points. As soon as you leave the beach road, the ground slopes upwards in most places.
A tourist train (Tren Turístico) serves Costa Adeje to Los Cristianos with several stops including in Playa de las Americas. Public transport on the island is provided by an extensive network of buses and run by TITSA, who operate a fleet of modern, air-conditioned buses. TITSA buses cover most of the island and they are fairly frequent. For more than one journey, customers can purchase Tenmás cards at €15 or €25.

• TITSASouth Tenerife is served by the following bus routes 040, 111, 343, 416, 417, 418, 420, 424, 447, 448, 450, 467, 471, 473, 477 and 483.

Little in the resort but lots of travel agents willing to book you on island and other tours, including to other islands, including La Gomera which you can see some distance away.

Beaches

Beaches are what many tourists come here for. Sunloungers are available at a few euro a day (or just buy a parasol and take a beach mat). The beaches are busy during all sunlit hours, although it is perfectly warm enough to swim in the evenings too. Black sand in Las Americas, better yellow sand beaches towards Los Cristianos.
Some end up having sex on the beach in the midnight hours. While the police probably will not bother you, local voyeurs may.

• Aqualand

  phone: +34 922 715 266
  address: Avd. Austria 15, San Eugenio Alto
  A swimming theme park with slides and flumes. An impressive dolphin display is held twice a day at 13:00 and 15:00.

• Whale-watching boat trips are common, many guaranteeing whales and often with a swimming stop half way. Prices vary between €20 per person for short 2 hours trips to about €50-60 per person for 4-6 hours trips with included lunch.

• Eden Catamaran

  phone: +34 922 712993
  address: CC Puerto Colón, local 129C, Costa Adeje
  Offers whale and dolphin watching trips.

Glass-bottom boat tours to see wildlife.

Submarine trip to 25 m below see level (€60 per person)

Scuba diving experience trips where each person is accompanied by professional diver when going underwater who handles all equipment. Cost of 2-3 hour trip with 20 minutes underwater is about €50 per person. There are many health conditions which may prevent you from enjoying it.

Golf courses are available nearby. These are expensive.

Karting Club Tenerife

address: close to playa de las Américas

Go karts and motor bikes are raced in the main track and two sizes of cart on the kit track.

Bike rentals

• Bike Point Tenerife

  phone: +34 922176273
  address: Avda.Quinto Centenario s/n, Edificio las terrazas, Las Americas
  Biketours, Rental & Shop in Las Americas and El Medano

• Plenty of shops offer alcohol and tobacco at prices cheaper than elsewhere in Europe.
• Tenerife Pearl is a short car journey away if you want to buy expensive jewellery, but do not believe the publicity calling it an exhibition since there is little to see.
• Sunday market in Los Cristianos and one on Thursday and Saturday in Costa Adeje. A fair number of shops shut on Sundays.

Don't buy

Lots of touristy shops selling cameras, video cameras, binoculars, etc. They are great salesmen and will make you think you are going to get a bargain from them but you will not. At best you will pay more than you would pay back home and at worst you will buy something totally worthless. Avoid them! The purchase of a timeshare is also something you could regret later.

Most of the restaurants offer the usual selection of burgers, chips, pizza, etc. There are also Chinese buffets, usually at €6.

• El Tejado

  phone: +43 682 00 94 12
  address: Avenida de los Pueblos, 16
  A Spanish sea food tapas bar with plenty of vegetarian options.

• El Jardin De La Abuela

  phone: +43 922 79 51 95
  address: Plaza Salyten 43
  Restaurant with a selection of Catalan and sea food oriented Canarian cuisine.

There is plenty of nightlife in Los Cristianos.
Cocktail bars on the beach are an especially relaxing way to end a day, although at €9 a drink, quite expensive.

• Matrix Club

  phone: +34 922 71 47 93
  address: Avenida Ernesto Sarti 10
  Upscale night club.

• Cocoriba

  phone: +34 690 82 34 50
  address: Av. Ernesto Sarti 6
  Coctail bar with finger food.

Some hotels are a mile from town and need to bus or walk some distance to get there. However with centrally placed accommodation, bars and discos can turn their sound systems full on to draw in customers which can make sleeping difficult. Such sounds can carry half a mile or more!

• Hotel Playa Real Costa Adeje

  phone: +34 922 712 374
  address: Avda. Moscu 11 38670 Costa Adeje Tenerife
  Nice hotel near the beach.

• Hovima Costa Adeje

  phone: +34 922 714606
  address: Avenida Ernesto Sarti nº 8, Costa Adeje
  Adults-only, all-inclusive.

• Mare Nostrum ResortThe resort is comprised of five hotels: Mediterranean Palace; Cleopatra Palace; Marco Antonio Palace; Julio Cesar Palace; and The Sir Anthony. The swimming pools are great fun, there are innumerable activities for children and the whole family and of course there's the beach.

• Parque la paz3-star hotel in front of the Mare Nostrum.

• Jardine De Nivaria HotelThe resort is famous for its lush garden surroundings

• phone: +34 922 712 227
  address: Avda. Bruselas, 4 38660, Costa Adeje 38660, Tenerife

• phone: +34 922 792 751
  address: C/ Antonio Domínguez Alfonso, 6 38660, Arona Tenerife

Built for slob tourists, Playa de las Américas' ethical status is already questionable during day time, however gets much worse during night time. There are reports of drugs being sold openly in night life areas after midnight, and prostitutes equally openly advertising their services. Brawls are no rare occurrences, usually resulting from clashes of drunk tourists.
Pick pocketing is rampant, and includes theft of belongings left unattended on beaches.

• The town of Costa Adeje is 2 km northwest. Adeje is further inland, with some historic buildings and few tourists.
• El Teide volcano
• The well-known Loro Parque Zoo on the other side of the island.
• Los Gigantes.
• Masca village.
• Day ferry trips to La Gomera island.