Search Property for Sale in Tenerife

Property in Tenerife

Tenerife is not an easy island to define. You can enjoy country walks though banana and avocado plantations, cycle through pine forests and clamber down deep gorges. If that’s not your usual image of the island, then yes it has world class golf courses, golden beaches, crazy nightlife and British-style pubs along the prom too. It also has old colonial towns, a fabulously wild carnival and dominating it all, Spain’s highest mountain, Mount Teide.

Tenerife is a third larger than Greater London and has a population just over 900,000. Nearly half of the population live in and around the provincial capital, Santa Cruz. Tenerife isn’t just a holiday island; there is a large university and the city is an important business centre with plenty of cultural diversions too.

Most people aren’t here for business though. Tenerife has eight high quality golf courses, 67 kilometres of sandy beachfront and a relaxed atmosphere that comes of the “season” being spread across the whole year, not crammed into 12 frenetic weeks of summer.

The year-round warmth that keeps us coming to the Canary Islands has a bit more variety in Tenerife, however, where you can take the cable car up to the top of Mount Teide and enjoy snow even in summer. The island divides into north and south environmentally, with the north the more rural and tranquil, with mist-covered mountains coming closer to the sea and the ruggedly beautiful Anaga Mountains on the north-east tip. Along the south coast, the beaches are more likely to be golden sand than the north and we find the more typical locations for expat living.

For property, the north has a string of attractive villages such as Taganana, but towns like Puerto de la Cruz or Icod le los Vinos will have much more property to choose from. The houses here have a real rustic beauty to them different to anything you’ll see in mainland Spain.

In the south and west are the famous resorts of Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos and the high-end Costa Adeje. This is much more reminiscent of the mainland costas, with property at a huge variety of prices starting from under €100,000.

More of us have been looking to buy in the hills in recent years. Traditional homes here tend to be stone bungalows and you won’t find much choice below €250,000. But they have sensational views and offer rural simplicity just a short drive from seaside fleshpots.  

Where to Buy Property in Tenerife

From the tranquil resort of Los Gigantes on the south west coast, you can take a boat trip to search for whales and dolphins. A two-bedroomed apartment here would cost around €120,000.

The island’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is in the north east of the island. It is an important port linking Europe, Africa and the Americas. It also plays host to a high volume of cruise ships. Santa Cruz is also joint capital of all the Canary Islands, sharing the title with Las Palmas on Gran Canaria.

Vilaflor, sitting on the edge of both the Tiede national park and the Parque Natural Corona Forestal is the highest village on the island at approximately 1160m, claims to have the cleanest air on the island. The landscape here is distinctly lunar and is very popular with hikers and mountain climbers. You can pick up an older style three-bedroomed house here for around €250,000.

Flights to Tenerife leave the UK from multiple locations and take around four and a half hours. Tenerife has two airports, North in San Cristobal de la Laguna and South in Grandilla de Abona.

There’s something for everyone in Tenerife, it just depends on what you’re looking for. If it’s bustling nightlife, British style pubs and soft sandy beaches, you’d be better suited to the big resort of Playa Las Americas.

Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje are still busy but are quieter resorts with three-bed apartments costing around €275,000. Arona, a little inland, is also popular with three-bed properties here around €400,000.

Playa de la Arena and Puerto de Santiago are further up the coast, closer to Los Gigantes, and are much less frantic than the busy resorts, but still have plenty to offer. Playa de la Arena’s small beach is Blue Flag rated, and property doesn’t come cheap. You may have to stump up €500,000 for a three-bedroomed flat here.

Puerto de Santiago sits on the rugged mountains with its whitewashed buildings spilling down the side. Property here is cheaper with a three-bed apartment costing around €250,000.

If you’re searching for a bargain property, there are still plenty to be had away from the main resorts. You can pick up a three-bed apartment in Cueva Del Polvo, a small village just outside Los Gigantes for €200,000 or consider Las Chafiras, one of Tenerife’s newest residential areas not far from Los Cristianos, where you can bag an apartment for around €170,000.