Tenerife's Playa de la Arena has Blue Flag status

Playa de la Arena is one of Tenerife's best beaches and was awarded Blue Flag status showing its excellence. It is situated on the south-western coast just below the popular resort of Los Gigantes. Going further south, Playa de la Arena is just above Alcalá and Playa de San Juan.

Being in the southern part of the island of Tenerife these resorts get excellent weather all year around and that is one big reason for their popularity. Playa de la Arena offers everything that most tourists are looking for and is easy to get to.

Playa de la Arena's beaches have black volcanic sand and are ideal for sunbathing. There are always plenty of people on the main beach, though the much smaller Playa Chica is a lot less used, probably because it is a bit of a climb down to get to it and it is not right by the main road through the resort. Playa Chica is where you can go if you fancy a quieter beach that is a bit more secluded.

Playa de la Arena is in the municipality of Santiago del Teide and so close to its neighbours Los Gigantes and Puerto Santiago that the resorts are all connected in a strip of coastal development.

Playa de la Arena has everything most tourists and holiday-makers would be looking for. It has hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, apartment complexes with swimming pools, shops selling beachwear, supermarkets, local businesses and even an art gallery. It also has venues that offer entertainment and live music. It is easy to find everything you would want to enjoy a holiday in the sun in Playa de la Arena.

The resort is situated on a bus route that connects it with Puerto de la Cruz in the north of the island and Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos in the south. Buses are regular and run all day to the south and this makes it easy to travel away from if you fancy a day out or if you are leaving and need to get to the Reina Sofía Airport for Tenerife South.

Playa de la Arena's main beach has all the facilities you could want, including access for disabled people. Dogs are banned from the beach and this helps keep it clean.

There are garden areas and shrub borders tastefully planted with palms and ornamental exotic bushes at the top of the beach area too which add to the charm of the area.

There are splendid views across the sea to La Gomera, another of the Canary Islands, and looking up the coast you can see the majestic cliffs of Los Gigantes, which in Spanish means "The Giants" with reference to their massive size.

Being on the coastal strip with the road known as the Avenida Maritima Puerto de Santiago running right through it, most of Playa de la Arena has no steep inclines, unlike many places in the island.

The weather can be usually counted on to be sunny and warm in Playa de la Arena too.

On the road going towards Los Gigantes on the right hand side and opposite Playa Chica there stands an art gallery. It has two floors and many framed paintings on display, as well as prints.

All sorts of work from modern art to still life and more traditional paintings. Many pictures have something to do with the sea or fishing but not all.

The gallery is called Museo del Pescador which translated from the Spanish means "Museum of the Fisherman".

It looks as if it is has recently opened. The gallery has plenty of room and a lady sitting at a desk at the entrance could provide information about individual paintings and the artists. Many of the pictures are for sale and at very reasonable prices for their quality.

Having an art gallery of serious artwork in a holiday resort provides an unexpected place of interest and shows the range of work of some of the local artists.

Admission to the gallery is free. It is open from 10am until 1pm and then again 4pm till 7pm, Mondays to Friday inclusive and also on Saturdays, mornings only from 10am until 1pm.

Los Gigantes is right next to Playa de la Arena and is one of Tenerife's most popular resorts for tourists in the island. Famed for its gigantic cliffs, Los Gigantes also has its own marina and it is possible to go diving or take a marine excursion from here.

Los Gigantes has plenty of sporting facilities too, including a golf club and tennis courts. The resort has its own black sand beach.

Up from Los Gigantes is Puerto Santiago which offers some of the best views of the cliffs.

In the other direction from Playa de la Arena you come to Alcalá which is rapidly transforming from a fishing village into a popular holiday resort. Alcalá has its own hotel and choice of beaches. There is a coastal pathway connecting Playa de la Arena with Alcalá for those who enjoy strolling by the sea.

It is easy to see why Alcalá, Playa de la Arena and Los Gigantes have become some of the most popular resorts in Tenerife. They have everything anyone on holiday could be looking for.