La Orotava is located 335 metres above sea level in the valley that was once described by the German explorer and naturalist, Alexander Von Humboldt, as “that charming country, of which travellers of every nation have spoken with rapturous enthusiasm.”
Before the Spanish conquest of Tenerife, this was the Guanche kingdom of Taoro and was ruled over by the mighty Mencey Bencomo, considered the greatest of the island’s nine Menceys (Guanche kings).
The fertility of the soil and abundance of water sources of the Orotava Valley placed a high price tag on these lands. The wealthy settlers who came here following the conquest planted its slopes with sugar cane and built their homes alongside the saw mills and gofio mills of the small settlement that had begun to grow around the church of Nuestra Señora de La Concepción; Tenerife’s aristocracy had arrived.
With today’s availability of cheap flights to Tenerife, La Orotava isn’t only accessible to the rich, but in our opinion it’s still the classiest town on the island; the whole of the old town is an open air museum of perfectly preserved sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth century mansions. Whilst it bustles with visitors during the day, drawn by its colonial beauty, at night La Orotava’s streets are equally vibrant as residents congregate in its bars and restaurants and to browse the town’s smart shops.
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Restaurants in La Orotava
La Orotava boasts one of the best restaurants on the island as well as offering a choice of wonderfully atmospheric traditional Canarian tascas and even contemporary Asian cuisine.
Accommodation in La Orotava
No bland 70s blocks or 5 star resorts with 'wannabe' aspirations. La Orotava's hotels are the real deal in matters of good taste. Hotels in colonial houses are exquisite time machines for true travellers.
Beaches in La Orotava
La Orotava's coast boasts three of Tenerife's best beaches in Playas Bollullo, Ancón and Patos. These black beauties are worlds away from their manicured, man-made counterparts elsewhere on Tenerife.
The Pick of What to do in La Orotava
La Orotava rewards those who explore its streets. Casas de los Balcones are worth a visit and don't miss the Iglesia de la Concepción, the botanical gardens or the Victorian Gardens with their two-fingered salute to the Catholic Church.
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