Spain, Puerto de la Cruz

Puerto de la Cruz is located on the north coast of Tenerife, in the Orotava Valley. It is located 4 km West of La Orotava, about 37 km SSW of the island's capital, about 100km NE of Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Américas and about 85 km ENE of Reina Sofia Airport. The inhabitants are known as portuense The municipality is the smallest in Tenerife.

The population is 31,830 (ISTAC, 2003), its density is 3,646.05/km² and the area is 8.73 km². The elevation is 9 meters. The lowest point is the coastal Atlantic zone, the highest is Las Arenas, a volcanic cone with an elevation of 249 meters. Puerto de la Cruz is linked with the TF2 highway and the old road linking Icod de los Vinos and the capital and northeast of the TF1 highway. Farmland is in tucked into the valley areas and within the Atlantic coastal zone; urbanisation covers much of the area and the terrain rises rapidly to the south.

Prior to the development of hotels and buildings, much of the area consisted of agricultural land. Considerable fiscal pressure led to the land being developed and the population shifted from rural to urban and tourism. The population is mainly urban today. The terraced land where europe's bananas grew are now concrete.

The oldest of the tourist estates of the Canary islands, It has been for a century a relaxing place by the sea for those who look for a pleasant climate in an exceptionally beautiful natural environment.

Sites of interest

Costa Martiánez (El Lago) compeleted and designed by the famous architect César Manrique
La Plaza del Charco in the town centre is worth a visit.
Loro Parque, a famous park and zoo located on the outskirts of the city.

Tourism

Tourism is an important industry in Puerto de la Cruz, as evidenced by the number of large hotels on the skyline.

Puerto is frequented by the Spanish during the winter months, due to its mild climate, and is particularly popular over Christmas and the new year periods.

The British tourist contingent to Puerto tends towards older or more mature couples, in comparison to resorts such as Playa de las Americas or Los Christianos.

Puerto also has a modest gay scene centred around La Avenida del Generalisimo.

Carnival time (see below) in February attracts a large number of Spanish tourists.

The summer months sees more British, German and Finnish tourists, particularly after late June when school summer terms end.

Events

The Tenerife Airshow (Festival de Aeromodelismo) (Spanish for 'Aeromodelling festival') is held every year in near the harbour, usually in Plaza Europa. The airshow will celebrate it's 25th anniversary in 2006.

El Carnaval, held every year. Ash Wednesday is in the middle of El Carnaval. "La Embarcacion de la Virgen del Carmen" (The Sea-setting of the Virgin Carmen), is held July 16th. It has become in latter years "la Fiesta del Agua" (The party of the waters), where copious amounts of water are thrown at the festivities.

It is preceded by "La Sardinada" (The Sardine Festival), where sardines are fried and sold the night before at San Telmo.

Hundreds of people congregate in La Plaza del Charco and its fishing port, where festival goers participate in games (like the popular run-along-the grease-pole, where people have to run along a greased pole and catch a flag to win the game, very humorous).

Because of the normally mild weather, people go in T-shirt and shorts, or just bathing suits, and enjoy a quick dip in the waters of the port to help cool down in the usually good July weather.

The event starts around 12-1 o'clock in the afternoon and lasts til around 10-12 o'clock at night, depending on when most people get tired.

At the height of "La Sardinada", a large papier mache sardine is wheeled through the streets, brought to the waterfront, "blessed" with "holy water" (normally petrol or lighter fluid) by a man dressed as a Bishop. The sardine is then set alight, to huge applause. After this, a huge firework display ensues. The event is known as the "Burial of the Sardine".

Amongst the crowd at this event, "professional mourners" will be found. These are invariably men in drag, wailing, for comic effect.

Although the Burial of the Sardine rarely starts on time, the event always attracts crowds, and it is advised to arrive early at the harbour.

Weather

There are three different cloud climate zones in Tenerife and Puerto de la Cruz is the first which means it is the land over the clouds and has the greatest temperature changes between night and day and summer and winter, it can be during the day warm and dry but in the evening the temperature can drop and become much cooler.