As part of this minimalist travel blog, it’s now time to talk about South Tenerife. If you ask me which side of Tenerife I prefer, it will be a little hard since both have their charms. But if I had to choose, I would go for the South. Why? Because I’m more beach than mountain person. But maybe after this summary, you can also pic your favorite and decide where to spend more time when visiting the island.
South Tenerife At a Glance:
Sunny
Touristy
Perfect place to relax
Surf and Kite surf
Fun
What to do in South Tenerife
We visited 8 places during our road trip through the South of Tenerife. Here is what we did, hope we can help you with some tips based on our experience.
Los Gigantes - We just parked the car and walked towards the main beach Playa de Los Guios. What mainly describes the place are the huge rocks surrounding the beach. Not too many people, and with a couple of bars and restaurants close but not right at the beach. We just did a quick stop here to get to know the place.
Caleta - The next stop was Caleta, a small village with local restaurants facing the ocean. Which by the way, smelled good so I bet the food was pretty tasty. It seemed like a perfect place to sit down and have a nice drink during the golden hour. Here I would recommend you to choose one of the local restaurants and have a meal. High-end houses, modern buildings, and a golf course.
Callao Salvaje - This is where we stayed. The town is small, but it has everything necessary to spend a relaxing week enjoying the black sand beach with huge waves. There was a supermarket (SuperDino) around the corner very well stocked, with three restaurants next to each other (German, British, and Italian). Which is aligned with what I noticed about the people living there. I mostly saw elderly people or couples with small children. During the week we spent there, every morning I woke up and went to the beach for morning yoga. I chose a different location every day, at the dock, at some steps next to the ocean, and the beach. At the end of my yoga, I normally spent some minutes meditating, which I found very pleasant here due to the natural sound of the waves.
We ate at El Ancla Restaurant - $$ - What I had: Octopus Carpaccio and Paella
After, we were invited by a man at the street to El Delfín Restaurant. We went to have a coffee and were surprised about this hidden gem, a small restaurant with a full ocean view where we watched a colorful sunset... If the guy hadn’t approached us, we would have never seen it.
Costa Adeje - If you park your car at Playa de las Americas, and walk towards the ocean, you can enjoy the pier and walk towards Costa Adeje or Los Cristianos. Costa Adeje seemed kind of touristy, but with nice beaches and good vibe.
Playa de las Americas - This is mostly touristy, with lots of restaurants along the pier but not like Caleta that seemed local restaurants, here they mostly had pictures of the dishes. I read once that you should avoid those restaurants with pictures because that’s the main way to know they are tourist traps.
Los Cristianos - During a different day, we did the walk from Playa de las Américas to Los Cristianos. It has a huge beach, very sunny, and transmitted me a more hippie/surf vibe. We stopped there to have a quick snack. I can recommend it.
Restaurant Via Vai - $-$$ What I had: Aperol Spritz
Los Abrigos - Next stop Los Abrigos. Small town, with a few local bars/restaurants and a nice port, worth visiting.
El Médano - My favorite! As we approached this town, we noticed a kitesurfing school, though we don’t practice anything like that, it’s just nice to watch. We parked the car and walked through the streets, this place is a lively place with a surf vibe, and lots of spots to sit and enjoy a nice afternoon reading, writing, or just contemplating. We did not have time to stop anywhere but there was a place that called our attention due to the artistic entrance: Santo Chihuahua, so now we have a reason to go back.
Where to stay in South Tenerife
From the three weeks, we spent in Tenerife, the second was at an Airbnb on Callao Salvaje, a small town close to Costa Adeje. One of my favorite Airbnbs so far for two reasons.
SUN! As I previously shared, I am a sunbath therapy lover. I’m always searching for that little corner that gets the sun’s warmth.
TINY HOUSE. Since we began on the minimalism journey, I’ve heard about Tiny Houses on the documentary on Netflix (The Minimalists). I’ve always wanted to experience living in a very small space and see how it feels. Well, this was a perfect moment to try it for one week. What was the outcome? It worked perfectly for us. I had just what I needed, probably I used every single utensil and corner of the house. You can check out the pictures here. The place had 3 areas: One area was the kitchen and a sofa. The second was a large bathroom with a spacious shower, a large sink, and a washing machine. And the third space was the bedroom, with a desk. It was a modern place, my favorite gadget was the Bluetooth speaker integrated into the ceiling. We had a nice environment all day long while watching the ocean. In the end, I realized which are the main aspects that I value and also that I don't need in a house:
I don’t need 2 living rooms nor a dining area
I don't need more bathrooms than people
I feel even more passionate about living a simpler life with less.
How to get around in South Tenerife
Car Rental
We rented a car with Cicar, I strongly recommend this car rental company for three reasons:
The cheapest prices I’ve seen in car rental
The fastest transaction to get your keys and return them
The friendliest customer service
Transfer South Tenerife airport to downtown
You can rent a car, it's cheap and easy.
A taxi will cost €25-€29.
A bus is route number 40, goes to Costa Adeje Bus Station every 30 minutes during the day. The 343 and 111 routes also stop at both Tenerife South Airport and Costa Adeje. The journey takes about 40 minutes and costs €3.70.
So, that’s it! Hope you enjoyed it! What other great tips would you add to this list of South Tenerife? And what do you prefer between North or South? Comment below.
Cheers!
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