Tenerife's beaches

The southern resorts are lined with sheltered beaches where the water stays calm behind breakwaters. Las Vistas in Los Cristianos is 850 metres of pale golden sand, 80 metres wide, with sunbeds, showers and access adapted for wheelchairs. El Camisón in Playa de las Américas holds a Blue Flag, and the promenade links a string of beaches all the way up to Costa Adeje.

These are the beaches for long, lazy days: walk out of your hotel, rent a lounger and stay put. Bars and restaurants sit right behind the sand.

Las Teresitas, in the fishing village of San Andrés just outside Santa Cruz, is the island's most famous beach: 1,300 metres of pale sand backed by the Anaga mountains, with calm water behind a breakwater. It has lifeguards, sunbeds, beach bars, a paddleboard area and parking for more than 100 cars. It pairs well with a morning in Santa Cruz or a drive into Anaga.

El Médano in the south-east is a different kind of resort: a relaxed town with a 750-metre Blue Flag beach of fine grey sand and the red volcanic cone of Montaña Roja at one end. The end nearest the town has gentler water for families. The far end is where windsurfers and kitesurfers gather: the beach has hosted world championships in both sports. Little Montaña Roja beach, a small bay tucked beside the mountain, is more sheltered.

The north coast is wilder and greener. In Puerto de la Cruz the Playa Jardín complex joins three black-sand beaches, Playa Jardín, Playa Chica and Punta Brava, with gardens, breakwaters, play areas and showers, right beside Loro Parque.

Further out, the beaches get more dramatic. El Bollullo, east of Puerto de la Cruz, is a 200-metre black-sand cove at the foot of a cliff, reached by a short stepped path from the restaurant above or a 45-minute walk from town. Benijo, at the tip of the Anaga peninsula near Taganana, looks out to the Roques de Anaga sea stacks and is a favourite for sunset. Both face open sea, so the waves are strong: these are beaches for sunbathing and paddling with care rather than long swims.

Where the coast is rocky, Tenerife swims in natural pools fed by the sea. Mesa del Mar on the Tacoronte coast has pools set into the rocks below the cliffs, and Charco del Viento is a pool set in volcanic rock on the north coast. They are a good alternative to a beach when the sea is lively.

Yacht trips from the south-west coast often add a swim stop. For something new without learning to dive, an underwater walk with a helmet lets you stand on the seabed among the fish.