Discovering San Miguel de Abona in south Tenerife

A couple of years ago when our friends at UK slow travel specialists Inntravel spoke to us about developing a new holiday on Tenerife which was completely different from their north Tenerife based holiday, we didn’t have to take long to think about the location we suggested as a starting point.

San Miguel de Abona in the south of Tenerife.

By San Miguel de Abona I mean the town, not the municipality, or Golf del Sur on the coast which some travel companies refer to as San Miguel de Abona, confusing visitors.

San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife

Our first big Tenerife writing commission in 2004 was to explore San Miguel de Abona in depth and write about it. We hadn’t been on the island long and our perception of the south of Tenerife had been formed by countless travel articles in British newspapers as well as brief flirtations with Los Cristianos en route to visit our friend on La Gomera. No offence meant to Los Cristianos but experiencing it after a week on La Gomera made it seem big, brash and harsh.

So San Miguel was a revelation; an awakening that made us realise for the first time the world outside of the main resorts was very different.

The town has a mix of ingredients which still make it stand out from most other hill towns above the south and south east coasts.

The restaurant scene

Food, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife
San Miguel punches above its weight when it comes to restaurants. Thanks to a smaller local population on the southern side of the island, there isn’t the same rich choice of restaurants in traditional parts as there is in Tenerife’s northern side. But San Miguel bucks that trend. Our first meal there was at Tasquita de Nino, a former tobacco warehouse. It was quaint, historic and the traditional food with a bit of flair was fab. A rematch over a decade later showed it hadn’t changed. Nearby La Bodega de San Miguel is another restaurant set in an old, traditional building where the food has more panache than the norm.

It’s historic

Old street, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife
There’s one very easy way to tell if a place is ‘traditional’ or not; look for the colonial buildings. The main street through San Miguel is very typical of a modern Canarian town, so not picturesque. But take a step back and you find a cobbled street lined by old cottages and townhouses.

Good rural hotels and accommodation

Hotel Rural San Miguel, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife
Some of the bigger colonial buildings make for perfect rural hotels. Again, San Miguel has more of these than most southern towns. Last time we were there we stayed in the Hotel Rural San Miguel, a characterful 17th century building where rooms are in what was the hen house, cheese larder etc. and which has an unusual underground thermal bath.

Good for walking

Merchats' trail, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife
Because San Miguel lies on what was once a relatively busy trading route, there are a few former merchants’ trails which make for interesting walking routes. One links the town with Granadilla de Abona whilst another winds past an old lime kiln, an abandoned hamlet and springs, one of which was a place where local women washed clothes. Some paths can still take some finding. On our first visit we asked the postman where one old trail started in the town. He didn’t have a clue. Last visit we asked a local hotel owner about another. Again, he didn’t know. And this was the old camino real which had once been a vital link between the towns in the hills.

Places of interest

Church, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife
An explore of San Miguel on foot reveals small attractions visitors would completely miss if they just drove through in a car. One of these is the Church of San Miguel whose plaza has good views over the coast. Another is the Captain’s house, Casa del Capitán, which is a small museum. It’s not exactly the sort of place to go out of your way to visit, but it does give an insight into what life in the south Tenerife hills was once like.

Quirks

Bus, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife
There are nearly always quirks to find in traditional Canarian towns; those little things which are just a little bit different. On one approach to San Miguel is the Salto de Pastor, a modern sculpture showing how shepherds used to cross ravines using a long pole. Some still do. On the other end of town is a flamboyant old truck that looks as though it belongs in a South American pueblo.

Ultimately there’s nothing exceptional about San Miguel de Abona. It’s simply a nice little place with a lot of qualities which makes it worth exploring for those visitors who enjoy a satisfying taste of the real Tenerife.

About Jack 434 Articles
Jack is co-editor, writer and photographer for BuzzTrips and the Real Tenerife series of travel websites as well as a contributor to online travel sites and travel magazines. Follow Jack on Facebook

8 Comments

  1. Your articles on Tenerife are so fantastic that it makes us want to return time and time again. Fingers crossed we will get another break in this lovely island in the not too distant future. Great writing and photography.

  2. Tenerife, especially the north, is a lovely place. Best to keep it more hidden otherwise we will have pizza and chips with beer and the people who sadly go with it. The people of the island are wonderful people, and their children a joy. A wonderful way to bring up and with beautiful manners and skills and communication. They don’t need the world impacting on them, they can manage quite well without anyone else.

  3. Hi,

    We are staying at San Miguel de Abona and will not be hiring a car this trip. Due to past health problems abroad my Wife has chosen a self-catering apartment.

    Can anyone suggest a bus route that would allow us to stop at a supermarket to stock up then get back on to our accommodation. It is suggested a bus from the airport to Cuba to shop then the closest the bus stops is “Coopravita” but then we would have a stiff walk.

    So does anyone have a number for a local taxi firm who could pick up from the Coopravita?? Or is there a better way to do this we haven’t thought of?

    Thanks in anticipation, we haven’t been to the Canaries for about 9 years!

    Robert and Carolyn

    • Hi Robert, apologies for the delay in replying. We’ve been exploring other parts. Where are you staying in San Miguel de Abona, somewhere in the traditional town in the hills or at a resort in the municipality? The name San Miguel de Abona applies to both but is used by some tour operators to make the destination (e.g. Golf del Sur) sound a bit more exotic 🙂 The answers to your questions would depend on exactly where the apartment is.

  4. Hello – We are staying at San Miguel de Abona for Christmas this year, does anyone have any suggestions of restaurants offering Christmas Dinner.

    Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks Cherie 🙂

  5. Hi Jack, I visit Tenerife 3-4 times a year, next time I will be staying on the outskirts of San Miguel. As a photographer it looks like I will have struck gold! Any must not miss views in the town or locally? Thanks for any help or suggestions.-Clive

    • You can get some interesting views of the volcanic southern landscape from the Centinela Mirador near San Miguel, and the walking route between the two has quite a few features relating to past times. Plus a wander around the older part of the town (the street running parallel and below the new main street) should provide you with material.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.