The resort of Los Gigantes along with its nearest neighbours Puerto Santiago, and Playa la Arena have, for all intents and purposes, over recent years all now merged to form the largest resort development in the municipal district of Santiago del Teide along the rugged west coast of Tenerife.

Making the resort transfer from the Reina Sofia International Airport in the south of the island, over to Los Gigantes in the west, is for most people possibly one longest journeys on the island, and although the main TF-1 motorway takes you most of the way, the geographic nature of Tenerife dictates that its route must follow within a few kilometres of the coast, which results in a transfer time of around 1.1/4 to 1.1/2 hours from the time you actually leave the airport grounds.

As with the other resorts on the island, we have put together the basic directions for this journey, complete with links to maps where appropriate, and this is available from the Route Map link on the left hand frame of this page.

Whilst we recognise that most of the visitors to Tenerife will be on a traditional tour operators package holiday, and this journey from the airport into the resort will be totally inconsequential, we should point out that many tour operators now consider this element of the package to be an optional extra, and something that visitors should be prepared to pay extra for.

As a direct result more people than ever, are now considering making the journey either by taking a taxi from the ranks outside of the arrivals hall, or pre-arranging for the collection of a hire car from one of the many agencies that operate from the airport.

Whatever method of transport you choose for the journey, your first impression of Los Gigantes when arriving in the resort will very much depend on what side of the vehicle you are actually sitting on. Those sitting on the right will undoubtedly be overwhelmed by their first sight of the Acantilados de los Gigantes, which translates into English as "The Cliffs of the Giants" from which the resort takes its name.

These cliffs are almost completely vertical and rise to a height of over 800 metres above the sea. However, those sitting on the left of the vehicle, and therefore not having such a clear view of the cliffs, are likely to be more concerned that their driver has just taken the wing mirrors off a couple of parked cars.

As you have just discovered, the roads around Los Gigantes are very narrow, and its one-way system can make finding a convenient parking space almost impossible.

For an inexperienced driver, this one-way system will also punish any mistakes in finding your destination on the first time round with a further lengthy drive before granting the opportunity of a second attempt.

Once you have finally settled into your chosen accommodation for a few days, and have had the opportunity to explore the resort beyond the hotel grounds, you will very quickly come to realise that there is almost no level ground in the town. Los Gigantes is certainly not the resort to spend two weeks in if you have any form of mobility problems, and is certainly not recommended for parents with young children in pushchairs.

The focal point of the resort is without doubt the superbly equipped marina which has moorings for almost 400 vessels up to a maximum length of 20 metres. This facility has on more that one occasion been described as being "the best in Tenerife" and although clearly an exaggeration of the truth, it certainly helps to raise the profile of the resort to have a number of expensive yachts moored here.

Adjacent to the marina, and at the foot of the Acantilados de los Gigantes, is a small black sand beach which, despite being suitable for children, is rarely crowded even in high season. Also certainly worth a mention here is the far larger beach at nearby Playa la Arena, which is a couple of kilometres to the south of Los Gigantes. Whilst its black volcanic sands may at first appear off putting to some, this beach has been awarded the internationally recognised Blue Flag for cleanliness, water quality and local amenities, every year since 1989.

At this point we would draw your attention to a fact sadly missed by many tour operators, that being a somewhat remote island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the seas along the west coast of Tenerife do experience some very strong undercurrents, so particular care must be exercised with weak or inexperienced swimmers. A series of warning flags are in constant operation, and as a very general rule green means safe, yellow warns you to be careful, and red you mustn’t swim at all.

Returning if we can back to Los Gigantes for a few moments, the commercial centre of the town is a hundred metres or so inland from the marina, and although it isn't particularly large, it does have a fair selection of bars and restaurants, along with a pedestrian zone centred around the old church.

It is here in the central plaza, where the majority of the events also take place during the towns' annual carnival, which by tradition always takes place during the week after Ash Wednesday, although this is something we hope to cover in greater detail on the Attractions and Amenities pages.

As we have already mentioned at the beginning of this guide, the three resorts of Los Gigantes, Puerto Santiago and Playa Arena, have for all intents and purposes, now all merged into one. For most people, despite the hilly nature of this part of the island, moving between the three resorts centres is fairly easy and relaxed.

Once you know the route, Puerto Santiago is an enjoyable 20 minute walk away over the cliffs, and Playa Arena then a further 10 minutes or so to the south. If for whatever reason the prospect of a 30 minute walk over the cliffs isn't too appealing, then don't worry too much as the Transportes Interurbanos de Tenerife also run a very reliable bus service between the resort centres, and even a taxi only costs around 3 euro for the trip.