Hotels in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Santa Cruz de Tenerife Hotels

Despite being the island's capital and largest city, Santa Cruz de Tenerife stands out for its relaxed lifestyle. This slow pace of life makes the city a great place to spend time – and afternoons drift by in a happy haze, as you sit in parks that sing with chirping canaries, visit churches with soaring bell towers, or relax on the warm sands that surround the city. With historical curiosities - like the cannon that shot off Horatio Nelson's arm - hidden in its underground museums, Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a city with plenty of surprises.

Things to see

Lie back on the soft black sand of Playa de Benijo beach, and watch as waves roll into extraordinary offshore rock formations, which rise from the water like elaborate black palaces. The dark, volcanic beaches have a surreal, brooding beauty to them, but if you're craving a more typical island paradise, then the banana of golden sand at Playa de las Teresitas is ideal. Palm trees line the powdery sand – which is imported from the planes of the Sahara - and a seawall tames the waves so that everyone can swim and splash safely. Discover the sights and smells of the city, by wandering through the Mercado Municipal Nuestra Senora de Africa market - where chilies, baking bread and salty oysters colour the air. Buy everything from pig trotters to freshly picked oranges, before visiting the Auditorio de Tenerife, which rises over the city like a giant lobster claw. Guided tours of the unique opera house are available but - better yet - catch a show, and let the scrapes of violin, cello and double bass strings wash over you.

Hotels in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Nod your head to music, or get lost in a paperback, as the sun dances on your luxury hotel in Santa Cruz de Tenerife's spectacular outdoor pool. Marble bathrooms add style to the rooms, and a soak in the fragrant bubbles of your luxurious bath is ideal preparation for an evening's bar hopping. You might decide against going too far, however, after tasting your hotel bar's musky wines - squeezed from the Listan Negro grapes that grow on Mount Teide's slopes. With WiFi, DVD players, and air conditioning waiting in your room, calling it an early night - or unwinding with a bottle on your balcony, listening to the soothing sound of the waves - is always an option.

Where to stay

Santa Cruz's city centre is littered with great hotels, and you're in for a treat if you're staying during February's Carnival celebration. The city pulses with colours and Latin rhythms as darkness falls, and dancers in feathered fancy dress shake to music that pounds along the streets. The island's original capital, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, served as a calling point for Spanish conquistadors travelling to Latin America, and countless new cities across the Americas were modelled on the town's layout. With a UNESCO World Heritage Site listed historical centre, and neo-gothic buildings like the Cathedral of San Cristóbal de La Laguna looming out of its cobbled streets, it's a spellbinding place to stay.

How to get to Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tenerife has 2 international airports, and Tenerife North is just over a12 kilometre taxi ride away. Local busses stop at both airports, or you can pick up the keys to shiny hire cars from the terminals. If you’re coming from mainland Spain, then ferry crossings from Cádiz and Huelva skirt around Morocco's coastline in around 2 days. A new tramline offers a simple way to jump between Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal de La Laguna.