With over a hundred years pedigree in the field, PUERTO DE LA CRUZ does resort tourism well. The bustling, former harbour town, which still acts as a focal point for the business communities in the Orotava valley, was historically much favoured by British traders who erected the imposing Grand Hotel Taoro here in 1889. The hotel itself helped to define Puerto de la Cruz as a tourist destination. In the 1890s it became a fashionable spa town and since then it has been a preferred haunt for wintering European royalty and dignitaries such as Winston Churchill and Bertrand Russell. Despite the influx of various high-rise complexes and the associated tackiness of mass tourism, Puerto has managed to retain something of the style and flair of a cosmopolitan spa as well as keep the feel of a small, friendly and busy Spanish town. It has maintained an individuality and character that the southern resorts lack. Particularly popular with a more mature holidaying clientele, much in evidence promenading and pottering happily there, Puerto boasts the highest rate of return visits of any resort in the world.
The Town
The centre of Puerto de la Cruz is focused around the small Plaza del Charco , in the heart of a pedestrian district and beside a now little-used small harbour. From here the pedestrian area spreads west into Ranilla , a quaint old fishing quarter and east along the seafront and through the town's shopping district, to a charmless jumble of high-rise hotels, bars, discos and international restaurants at the eastern end of town. While the centre of town is always a pleasant place for strolling aimlessly, there are actually few real sights here - Puerto's main attractions are its beaches , lido and the nearby Loro Parque zoo .
Google Map of Puerto de la Cruz
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