Playa De La Arena Holidays 2024/2025

A modern yet quiet resort, Playa de la Arena – or La Arena for short – is the place for a laidback Tenerife holiday. With a mild climate and rocky, natural beauty, it’s great for holidaymakers looking to soak up their surroundings.

Best beaches in the area

The beach is the town’s main attraction – Playa de la Arena does translate to mean ‘Beach of Sand’ after all. Its natural black sand, rocky outcrops and palm-lined promenade give the beach a tropical feel, while its cleanliness and facilities have achieved Blue Flag status year after year.

Bars, restaurants and a few shops are dotted along the walkway, so you can spend most of the day at the seafront. For a small resort, it has some of the best amenities on this part of the west coast, including lifeguards, water sports and boat trips, showers, sunbeds and parasol hire.

Eating and drinking

Try the Pancho restaurant for a gastronomic extravaganza in an unrivalled beachside position. Specialists in Canarian cuisine and seafood, their reasonably priced gourmet selection shows the best of what this fine eatery has to offer. There are also plenty of other options for Canarian food, good old British grub or places to grab a quick snack, with most of the bars and restaurants being on the strip next to the beach.

As you would expect, nightlife in La Arena is low key, but it has all the drinking and eating establishments you need during your holiday. Most people like to have a few drinks with their dinner and enjoy a quiet night under the stars. If you are in the mood for a little extra, there are a couple of lively bars, such as The Blarney Stone sports bar. If a boogie’s what you’re after, a 5-minute stroll up the coast will take you to Puerto de Santiago where you will find plenty of places to get the night going.

Three resorts in one

Playa de la Arena is so close to the two towns of Puerto de Santiago and Los Gigantes that they are virtually joined together. That means you have the option of a chilled out time in La Arena while on a Tenerife All Inclusive holiday, with shopping, sightseeing and nights out right on your doorstep too.

You can’t miss the towering 550-metre cliffs of Los Gigantes as you approach this part of Tenerife. As well as its amazing scenery, Los Gigantes has two saltwater lidos, boutiques and a pretty marina where you can take a boat trip to get even better views of the cliffs.

The pretty, whitewashed town of Puerto de Santiago has lots of options for eating and drinking and a quaint fishing museum where you can learn about the history of the area. It also hosts an annual fiesta and fireworks display in the middle of July which is a celebration not to be missed.

The area, collectively called Santiago del Teide, is credited with having the best weather in Tenerife – a bold claim as Tenerife’s climate is very mild in general, average temperatures are around 26°C in summer and around 17°C in winter. It is worth noting that in the La Arena area it hardly ever rains, even in winter. And with its black sand absorbing heat, lounging on the beach is more than comfortable all year round.

Into the sea

La Arena is one of the island’s hot spots for snorkelling and scuba diving. Below the water you can swim over volcanic rock formations, through small caverns and see an amazing display of marine life. But if you don’t fancy getting wet, then take one of the dolphin and whale watching boats from nearby Los Gigantes marina.

The oceans off the coast of Tenerife provide an ideal climate for these beautiful sea creatures so it’s almost guaranteed that your excursion will be successful.

Shopping

On the main road between La Arena and Los Gigantes is the San Francisco development, with shops and restaurants. The area is home to a Transitos supermarket, which has a large number of British products and offers a delivery service right to your door. There is also a tennis and sports centre with two tennis courts, bowls, pool, bar and restaurant.

If you crave a more mainstream shopping experience then head to the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It’s a great place to shop for major English and Spanish brand names and inexpensive fashion, jewellery and electronic goods.

If Playa de la Arena sounds like the ideal destination for you, be sure to check out our fantastic range of package holidays to Tenerife.