El Medano Beach, Tenerife

El Médano is a small resort on the south east coast of Tenerife very close to the south airport. It is really a town on the sea front that has turned itself into a resort. El Medano is a very laid back casual resort, with restaurants and bars lining the sea front promenade and around the main square, Plaza de Principe de Asturía, that is also situated on the sea front. So hop-off your Tenerife airport shuttle and head to El Medano!
 

The lovely town of El Medano

The town is clean and well-kept and is very popular with windsurfers, tourists tend to be Spanish, mature holiday makers, families and windsurfing beach types. In the back streets you will find restaurants, some right by the sea, where you can enjoy lunch or dinner overlooking the sea, or tapas over a nice glass of wine. Restaurants are also to be found around the cobbled stoned lanes linking the two town center squares, ranging from establishments serving locally caught fresh fish and seafood, traditional tapas and Spanish food, to pizza, pasta, crepes and ice-cream parlors.

There are no karaoke bars, discos, themed pubs, Irish pubs, sports bars, tribute acts or any other bars of the sort. An evening out in El Médano consists mainly of eating and drinking alfresco in one of the many available establishments, and is low key and very casual.

El Médano is largely occupied by Spanish and foreign tourists with some northern European expats and traveler types, and is very typically Spanish in its look and feel. The resort will suit holiday makers looking for a quiet holiday away from the hustle and bustle of some of the other larger resorts on the south of the island. El Médano has a hippie bohemian feel manly due to the windsurfers and hippie beach dudes. It can also be ridiculously windy at times here, hence its popularity with windsurfers and kite surfers, and the World Professional Windsurfing Championships have been held here at the Playa del Cabezo.

The far western end of the resort near the Montaña Roja, is where the windsurfers and wind kites congregate. Here you can take wind sport lessons, or if you are already a pro get out into some of the best windsurfing conditions in the world. There are surf hire shops where you can hire all the equipment you need, and a couple of café bars where you can chill out with the surfing crowd.
 

Playa El Médano, Tenerife

El Médano has some of the best stretches of natural sand beaches on Tenerife. Playa El Médano at 2 km long, making this Tenerife’s longest beach, is a really nice sandy beach right by the town’s main square which also has many cafes and restaurants. This beach is made of natural golden sand with shallow water making it safe for families. The seafront and beach are very popular and can get very busy, especially at the weekends, as the locals do enjoy the sunshine, and the restaurants are packed even in the winter. Due to the resorts, small size hotel accommodation is limited here, and there are no luxury 5-star hotels. Most of the accommodation is apartment rental. El Médano is close to the airport so there will be some aircraft noise, the flight path is about 1 km north of the beach front, but the airport is not too busy. In any case, be aware of your accommodation in relation to the flight path. El Médano is in the sunny south of Tenerife and the summer temperatures here are kept down by the perpetual winds.
 

El Médano Nightlife

The resort night life is relaxed and casual, and centers around the square on the seafront, which is lined with restaurant bars and is very busy and vibrant especially at the weekends. If you are looking for wild night life with loud music bars, night clubs and neon lights this is not the place for you, and should look elsewhere as you won’t find it here. However, if you are looking for a relatively peaceful resort with a café culture, this may suit you. In the evenings the restaurants will be very busy and the promenade is full of strollers milling around. The wall by the hotel El Médano is where the street trader’s setup selling their bits and bobs, and the local musicians sit and play their tunes.
 

El Médano Attractions

El Médano is a traditional family resort, this makes the resort feel safe and friendly with families enjoying the beach and restaurants. Often you will see Spanish families out at the restaurants at weekends. The square, Plaza de Principe de Asturía, by the beach has a small children’s playground, so parents can keep an eye on the little ones while enjoying a drink in the sunshine. The square hosts the local fiestas and is where the weekly market is held.
 

El Médano Beaches

Beyond the Montaña Roja to the west of the resort (the remains of an ancient volcano and protected nature reserve) is Playa de La Tejita, a 1 km stretch of sandy beach with parasols, where the kids can explore the rock pools, build sand castles or fly a kite. The main draw back here is the sea strong currents and therefore this is no place for inflatables, and be warned it is also a beach where nudism is allowed.

The El Medano town is one of the best ones at Tenerife, so make sure to take a trip and visit its beach. This place creates the type of memories which will warm your heart while arranging for your Santa Cruz de Tenerife airport travel.