Mount Teide, unhurried
Spain's highest peak at 3,715 metres, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the house it's a little over an hour on mountain roads that are half the pleasure.
Two tips from people who live here: go early, because clouds usually roll in below by mid-morning and change the landscape entirely; and bring layers — it can be ten degrees colder up there than on the coast, even in August.
If you want the cable car to the summit, the permit for the final stretch must be booked in advance on the National Park website.
Star-filled skies
This is probably Tenerife's most underrated experience. The island has some of the clearest skies in the world for astronomy, and here in Cruz del Roque, with no light pollution around, you notice it from the garden.
Most nights you don't need to go anywhere: turn off the terrace lights and look up. If you want more, there are guided stargazing sessions up near Teide.
Towns worth the drive
- Güímar Pyramids — about 20 minutes. Stone terraces that sparked one of the island's most entertaining archaeological arguments.
- Candelaria — the basilica of the Canaries' patron saint, right on the sea, half an hour away.
- La Laguna — a UNESCO-listed old town about 35 minutes away. Ideal for wandering and eating well away from the crowds.
- Santa Cruz — the capital, 20 minutes. The African market, Calatrava's auditorium and Las Teresitas beach.
Beaches nearby
Porís de Abona, 10 minutes away, is the local beach: small, quiet, with fish restaurants where islanders actually eat. Don't expect a vast stretch of sand — expect the real thing.
For a big beach and atmosphere, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos are 25 minutes away. Whale and dolphin trips leave from there, and this stretch of coast has sightings all year round.
Las Teresitas, next to Santa Cruz, is the prettiest in the north: pale sand brought from the Sahara and calm water.
Wine and local food
The house sits in the heart of the Abona wine region, the highest-altitude vineyards in Spain. There are wineries to visit close by, with wines grown on volcanic soil that taste of exactly that.
For eating, look for guachinches: small family places serving simple Canarian food and house wine. Ask us when you arrive and we'll tell you which are open — many run only seasonally.
And if you only follow one of our recommendations, make it this one: Restaurante Granja Cholucas, a few minutes from the house. A hidden gem in the most literal sense — a working farm that cooks what it produces. Home-style Canarian food, zero-kilometre produce and cheese they make themselves. It holds a Solete Repsol, the award the Repsol food guide gives to places where you eat well without any fuss. It's where we send every guest.
And if you'd rather stay in, the Kamado grill and the pergola table make for far better dinners than any tourist restaurant.
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