Hidden Gem #4- Casablanca, Puerto de La Cruz, Tenerife
Today, we feature an apartment complex with a first-class reputation, but the resort it stands in is a hidden gem in itself. Forget the tack and racket of Playa de las Americas and head north to Tenerife’s original holiday resort…
The Casablanca Apartments is a large, three star, six-storey complex – hardly an exclusive boutique bolthole – but we think it deserves Hidden Gem status. It comes top of the pile for Puerto de la Cruz on user review websites and it’s easy to see why. Clean, spacious, rooms, friendly service and good facilities all add up to a great holiday base but what really makes the Casablanca shine is its location. Puerto de La Cruz is what Tenerife looked like before the tourist boom clad the south of the island in concrete. Think dramatic hilly scenery, bright blooms, banana plantations and volcanic black beaches – all beneath the dramatic silhouette of Mount Teide. There’s plenty of natural beauty, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to do. Here you’ll find an immaculate eight-acre lido, charming old town, souvenir markets, Botanical Gardens and plenty of places to eat and drink. Eating out is easy – there’s a choice of international ad British cuisine in nearby La Paz and no visit to this part of Tenerife is complete without a Canarian banquet in a traditional mansion. The Casablanca Apartments are located withing a ten minute walk of Martinez beach and the resort centre. Children will love Loro Parque, the resort’s brilliant zoo. In fact, Puerto de La Cruz makes an excellent family destination: in the winter it is less popular because it lies in the shadow of Teide and the climate isn’t as warm or dry as in the south, but in the summer this makes the resort a cooler place to stay. It’s around 25 miles from Santa Cruz, the island’s capital, served by a regular bus service. Santa Cruz is the stop-off point for many cruise ships and has a great continental atmosphere with boutiques and pavement cafes on smart tree-lined streets. You might also consider hiring a car and exploring the unspoilt farmland and stunning, rugged landscapes. It’s difficult to believe that you’re on the same island as Playa de Ls Americas.
The Casablanca Apartments
There is an airport in the north of Tenerife, but most charter and low-cost airlines still fly into the south. Still, the transfer up to Puerto de la Cruz takes just over an hour and takes in the spectacular, other-worldy scenery of Teide National Park. Watch the masses board the packed coaches to the madness of Playa de las Americas and relax in the knowledge that you’re heading to a hidden gem in the opposite direction…
Hays Travel have a seven night getaway to the Casablanca Apartments for a family of four (two adults, two children) departing Manchester on 1st August for £1500. This price includes taxes, charges, hold baggage and self-catering accommodation in a one-bedroomed apartment. Click here for more information, or call 0800 408 4131 to book or find about alternative departure dates / airports.
All prices are correct at the time of blogging but subject to availability and change.
Discover the real Tenerife beneath Mount Teide
Comments (1)
The north of Tenerife is beautiful and doesn’t get all the credit it deserves. For scenery and culture it far out ways the more popular sunnier south.