Los Gigantes is a beautiful holiday resort on the west coast of Tenerife (Teneriffa) in the Canary Islands, which are part of Spain.
The Canaries [Islas Canarias], lie just off the coast of Morocco, North Africa and Tenerife is the largest island in the group.
The other main Canary Islands are Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma. They are all popular travel destinations, since the Canary Islands enjoys a warm,sunny climate almost all year round.
The smaller Canary Isles of Gomera and Hierro are far less populated and commercialised.
Los Gigantes, Tenerife, is located on a coast-line of gigantic cliffs, hundreds of feet high, hence the place-name, meaning "The Gigantic Ones" in English.
The town of Los Gigantes stands at the bottom of these truly imposing cliffs, which mark the southern extent of the wonderfully attractive, wild Teno Mountains that cover the whole of north-western Tenerife.
Hence, it is immeasurably easier to approach Los Gigantes from the south, along the coast road, passing the popular resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas en route.
A superb spot from which to view the huge cliffs is the Archipenque Mirador or Viewpoint.
Even better! Go out on a boat trip and moor just below the giant cliffs.
It is breathtaking to crane your neck upwards and appeciate the various hues of the towering volcanic rock strata. It is a quite magical experience in bright sunshine!!
The Canary Islands have been thrown up from the sea by ancient volcanic eruptions.
The snow-capped peak of Spain's highest mountain [3718 metres high], the dormant volcano, Mount Teide [Pico de Teide] dominates the centre of Tenerife.
To get to Los Gigantes from the airport,on the south coast, there is quite a drive along the coast road, passing by the busy, much larger, tourist resorts of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas on the way from Tenerife South [TFS] airport.
Los Gigantes is a very pretty holiday resort, quite probably the most attractive in Tenerife.
Apart from one multi-storey hotel, the whole the resort's central part consists of neat low-rise buildings to blend in with the surroundings,
It is tranquil and quiet in Los Gigantes; very different from the hustle and bustle of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas. But then, it's not very surprising when one considers the difference in the size of the resorts.
Mind you!! Los Gigantes also has that more exclusive air about it, so it attracts more sedate, often older, people, looking for a quiet holiday. Whereas Playa de las Americas, especially, attracts a high proportion of young people, intent on having a good lively time in the thousands of discos, nightclubs and bars.
To return to the quiet of Los Gigantes; at the bottom of the giant cliffs, is a small, very clean, black sand beach, which is rarely crowded. However, parking nearby can be problematical.
Next to the public beach is the marina, with a fine array of impressive boats and yachts. It is surrounded by bars and restaurants, which are very popular places to relax and enjoy the sunshine.
The smallish commercial centre of Los Gigantes is just inland, and uphill, from the marina. There are quite a wide variety of shops, selling all sorts of commodities, plus bars and restaurants.
In the central square of Los Gigantes, known as The Plaza, there is a pedestrianised zone around the church where the majority of public events, such as the Carnaval de Los Gigantes [a week after Ash Wednesday] take place.
The roads and streets of the town are quite narrow, so a one-way traffic system is in being throughout most of the town.
Los Gigantes is a magical place, well thought-out in its design by the planners.
There is no chance of it sprawling further, because it is enclosed by the high cliffs which lend it their name. It has several high quality hotels in the 4 and 5 star range, with some fabulous views from their terraces overlooking the clear blue sea. There are also numerous high quality villas and apartments.
Directly south of Los Gigantes is the old fishing village of Puerto Santiago. Despite quite a bit of recent development, Puerto Santiago still retains a quiet unhurried , friendly ambience.
Further south, and effectively joined on to Puerto Santiago, is the growing resort of Playa de la Arena.
So there are other places to explore, not too far away, if you fancy a change of scenery. However, with the stunning scenery that surrounds Los Gigantes, not many holidaymakers want a change!