Playa de Las Americas Holiday Resort - Tenerife

Playa de las Américas is a tourist mecca built in the late 1960's and is close to Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje. This is the place for North Europeans to come and party.

With row upon row of British Pubs, Fish and Chip parlours, Pizza parlours and other fast food outlets - this is a real home from home for those that don't like Spanish Food and want to spend their nights in the coolest hot spots and their days on the beach sleeping off the nights.

The resort area features bars, nightclubs, restaurants, attractions, beaches, most of which are man-made from imported sand from Africa due to the darkness of the native volcanic sand. Playa de las Americas is a center of nightlife in Tenerife. Nightlife is spread around the resort and include the Veronicas strip, Starco Commercial Centre and the Patch. It hosts bars and clubs over three floors in five buildings. Bars and clubs can be found in this area. It has a reputation of being very boisterous and can often be the subject of bad publicity due to fighting incidents, however recent regeneration and increased police presence has seen violence greatly reduced compared to the late 1990s.

Shopping

There is a vast array of shops in Playa de las Americas and holidaymakers can indulge in duty-free delights in the numerous electrical stores and clothing shops. Shoppers should be aware that salesmen can be quite aggressive - bargain hard and remember that the shop next door probably sells the same stuff. The supermarkets offers most of the well-known brands, many imported to cater for the British tourists. Those in the mood for some haggling should go to the Torviscas Market (Thursday and Saturday from 10am); there are great bargains to be had and it's great for presents, but shoppers should get there early as it can get very crowded.

Nightlife

With more nightclubs than some British cities, Las Americas is a honey pot for those looking for more of a nocturnal holiday. The area known as The Patch is the best place to start the evening. There is a fine choice of nightspots and most have a happy hour or two. The most popular are Rags and Linekers, dance bars which play a good mix of Pop, R&B, Dance and 80s party music. Many of the bars have good live music, often with impersonators. Later on the Veronicas complex and the Starco Commercial Centre are the places to head to, or avoid. The streets are packed with revellers until the early hours, particularly during the busy summer months; Tramps is the largest club on the island and very popular. There are also two casinos at the resort.

Activities

Las Americas has entertainment for visitors and holidaymakers of all ages including tennis courts, amusement arcades, bowling, water parks and go-karting and all sorts of watersports can be arranged from the beaches, from jet skiing and windsurfing to scuba diving and banana rides. Visitors can swim with dolphins at the Aqua Park. There is an 18-hole golf course on the way to Los Cristianos and horse and camel riding can be arranged nearby. Boat trips leave regularly during which bottlenose dolphins and whales are often seen. Other popular excursions include a trip to the capital, Santa Cruz, and to the Mount Teide National Park.