The Los Cristianos resort was once just a residential and very small fishing village within the Arona municipal district, situated on the south-west coast of Tenerife.
Over the last four decades of all year round tourism, this village has expanded immensely along with Playa de las Americas, a nearby resort which is now the biggest tourist development on this island.
Despite the rapid growth in this area in order to keep up with an insatiable demand associated with touristic accommodation within the town, Los Cristianos has still managed to maintain its strong traditional Canarian heritage, where many locals still proudly choose to call their home.
When you fly into Reina Sofia International Airport, which is about 15km to the east, in most cases, the harbour of Los Cristianos is usually the first resort you recognise on the last approach before you land.
The short trip to the resort is easy after you’ve cleared customs and collected all your belongings at the arrival terminal. The TF-1, the main Tenerife motorway, will take you to just about walking distance to the middle of this sought after resort. The entire journey will usually take on average around 20 to 30 minutes.
However, if you have chosen to pay an added cost for one of the tour operator coach transfers, you will arrive in Los Cristianos within 30 minutes, yet your final transfer will probably be within an hour, sometimes more before arriving at your choice of accommodation.
For most people visiting Los Cristianos for the very first time, the unscheduled tours of this town are usually not an issue because it offers visitors an opportunity to get a feel of the town along with what this diverse area has to offer.
For those who have visited Los Cristianos before, after already spending at least seven hours on a cramped flight along with the different airport departure lounges, most prefer a more direct route to their accommodation.
This is possible through many of the taxis that can be found outside the arrival hall.
Even though the taxis operate on fixed prices, these “fixed prices” may vary slightly depending on the how many suitcases you are carrying; taxi fares may also vary on whether it is night or day, and the amount of passengers. However, the general guide for this journey is about 20 – 30 Euros.
The first impression of Los Cristianos depends on the route your driver takes for the last few kilometres into the resort. If your route passes the Oasis del Sur area, then this is the more recent area of the resort which includes both holiday and modern residential homes.
In most cases, the coach drivers still prefer the traditional “old road”, that takes you to the centre of this resort. Regardless of the route you take, you will probably not realise that the mountain that overlooks this town is actually an extinct volcano.
After arriving at your accommodation where you have the time to unpack and unwind from the journey, most guests waste no time in exploring the resort and what is on offer past the hotel or complex grounds. It quickly becomes apparent that the main point of Los Cristianos is the pedestrianised area that surrounds the harbour.
From the harbour, traditional Canarian fishing boats can be seen weaving in and out of the large jet foils and ferries that make their regular trips to La Gomera, a nearby island, which is about an hour away, combined with a number of other boats that cater for the tourist market that provide trips to see dolphin and whale colonies that reside in deep waters that run between these two islands.
Most of these island excursions offer good value for money in comparison to the trips on offer from the large tour operators. Some of the reasons why these trips are better than the ones on offer from other tour operators is the opportunity to obtain a free ticket if you are travelling with a child or even a free trip on the following day if you failed to see anything on your initial trip.
The wide promenade which is traffic free and spans across the resort, starts on the east side of the harbour which is adjacent to Hotel Arona Gran. It continues on for miles until it reaches the centre of Playa de las Americas.
From there it runs through Costa Adeje. For the outdoor enthusiasts or for those who love long walks out in surrounding nature, a walk onwards to La Caleta is a great experience.
Finally, if you’re considering a Los Cristianos property, we recommend you find a very well established agency who can offer you good guidance in all things property and to give you a good idea.