The amalgamated Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos region has plenty of beaches to choose from and most attract a multifarious combination of tourists and locals. For a well-equipped, safe, blue-flag beach with a ‘continental Europe’ feel, Playa de las Vistas in Los Cristianos is the place to be.
Diving and Snorkeling off Playa de las Vistas
What attracts a lot of visitors to Playa de las Vistas are the opportunities for some basic diving or snorkeling, which is not easily found off other beaches in the vicinity. Dive shops offer diving taster sessions which can be a valuable pre-PADI introduction to the world of diving. For more advanced divers wanting to reach greater depths, they’ll even take you out in a dive boat. Although experienced divers would agree that Tenerife is not the best place in the world to dive in terms of the sealife divers will see, it seems to be a decent place to learn the basics and most find it a satisfying experience.
Learner divers and snorkelers tend to head for the same spot, just a few meters’ swim from the beach itself. Shoals of fish are seen hanging out by the rocks and rays are frequently spotted in the area. Snorkelers are advised to go early in the morning before the divers in their lessons or taster experiences disturb the habitat.
Above-water sports include the token banana boat ride and paragliding, as well as many others, available according to demand.
Sitting on the Beach at Playa de las Vistas
For those wanting to avoid the exertions of discovering the underwater world, the beach itself provides the ideal surroundings for calm contemplation (and sunbathing). Two sunbeds and an umbrella costs nine Euros for the day, which is a bit steep, but in line with the other beaches. A single sunbed and umbrella costs six Euros, while an umbrella by itself costs three. The crowd attracted to the beach is a pretty eclectic one, which adds to its appeal. Tourists from many other European countries, as well as large groups of local families, tend to frequent the beach, which propels it away from being just any other tourist hotpsot in Playa de las Americas.
Other fortuitous facilities to be found at Playa de las Vistas include a ‘Safepoint’, which is effectively a row of handbag-sized lockers for visitors to stow away their valuables. There are also showers and toilets scattered along the long stretch of beach, wooden walkways helping to prevent tourists suffering from burnt-feet-syndrome doing daft hops along the sand, and large recycling bins to tick the environment box.
What is in the Area Surrounding Playa de las Vistas?
Directly off the beach, the immediate area goes a bit downhill. Some of the cafés and restaurants off the walkway above the sand are quite admissible and have first-class views of the beach. The streets leading off the beach, however, are full of tacky, British-style pubs, serving fish, chips and mushy peas while showing football matches on wide-screen. Coronation Street fans will particularly appreciate the ‘Rover’s Return Inn’. Past the chintzy patch, the area becomes distinctly less shabby again. Shoppers will be appreciative of the VistaSur shopping centre and other centro commercials, as well as a branch of Zara, all within walking distance of the beach.
Canarian Hospitality in Tenerife
Particularly for those staying in a resort in Tenerife, it is well worth making a trip to Playa de las Vistas to experience the wider range of cultures the island attracts. The beaches in general in Tenerife, even in well-known tourist areas such as Playa de las Americas, are frequented by Canarian families. This is a welcome change from other tourist destinations where the locals feel driven away by their foreign sun-seeking visitors. Also be sure to take advantage of the hospitality of the locals while in Tenerife by sampling the tapas in a family-run restaurant.
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