Playa de las Teresitas

Playa de Las Teresitas lies just 7 kilometres north of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, making it one of the most accessible tropical-style beaches in the Canary Islands and a beloved weekend escape for residents of the island's capital. The beach is 1.5 kilometres long and is immediately recognisable for its warm golden sand — unusual in Tenerife, where most beaches are naturally black volcanic. The golden sand was imported from the Western Sahara in the 1970s as part of a civic improvement project and has been successfully maintained and replenished ever since. A substantial offshore breakwater was constructed at the same time, creating a calm, warm, and shallow lagoon that is exceptionally safe for families with young children. The water inside the breakwater is a vivid blue-green, crystal clear, and rarely exceeds a metre in depth for the first thirty metres from the shoreline. The beach is framed on both sides by dramatic, dry volcanic mountains; to the east the ridge climbs toward Anaga Rural Park, one of the oldest laurisilva forests in the world and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The fishing village of San Andrés sits at the western end of the beach and offers a handful of good local restaurants serving fresh fish and Canarian cuisine at very reasonable prices. Facilities include a large free car park directly adjacent to the beach, public showers and toilets at several points, sunbed and parasol hire, and a lifeguard service operating during summer months. Bus route 910 from Santa Cruz runs frequently to San Andrés, making the beach easily reachable without a car in approximately twenty minutes. The beach does not hold a Blue Flag but water quality is consistently excellent.