Playa de las Américas

Playa de las Américas together with Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje is a city in the south of Tenerife. The different names are part of separate local government regions but are otherwise indistinguishable from each other.

Shopping street in Playa de las Américas

Understand

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

Get in

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.

Get around

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 BonoBus cards at €15 or €25.

See

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
Parasailing and sunbathing

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.

Do
  • 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.
  • 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, close to playa de las Américas (free bus service). 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, Avda.Quinto Centenario s/n, Edificio las terrazas, Las Americas (Opposite of the police station in Las Americas, Magma and bus station), ☎ +34 922176273. Biketours, Rental & Shop in Las Americas and El Medano 

Aqua Park

A swimming theme park with slides and flumes. Costs €23.50 for adults but you can also buy tickets in advance at varying prices from your hotel or excursion booths. Lockers cost an extra €4 and renting a rubber ring is €11 (or you can queue up for the free ones). An impressive dolphin display is held twice a day at 13:00 and 15:00.

Buy
  • 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.

Eat

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

Crawfords in Costa Adeje is recommended for well prepared food, at the extra cost.

Drink

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.

Sleep

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!

Stay safe

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.

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