Choosing the right part of the resort can make a surprisingly big difference

Los Cristianos is one of the most popular places in Tenerife for older visitors — but simply choosing Los Cristianos does not necessarily mean you’ve finished choosing your location.

The resort stretches from the harbour and old town towards Playa de Las Vistas, then climbs inland away from the coast. Depending on where you stay, you could have restaurants, cafés and the promenade almost outside your door — or find yourself relying on taxis every time you head back to your accommodation.

For older travellers, particularly anyone who doesn’t enjoy hills or long walks, the part of Los Cristianos you choose can matter almost as much as the hotel or apartment itself.

The seafront around Los Cristianos beach

If convenience is the priority, the central seafront is an obvious place to start.

Playa de Los Cristianos sits beside the harbour and the established heart of the town, with cafés, restaurants and shops close at hand.

• 🌊 Immediate access to the seafront
• 🍽 Plenty of places to eat nearby
• ☕ Easy to stop for coffee without planning an outing
• 🚕 Taxis readily available around the central resort
• 🚢 Harbour activity gives the area plenty of atmosphere

For somebody who wants to leave their accommodation in the morning and immediately feel part of the resort, this can work extremely well.

The Las Vistas end is particularly attractive

For many older visitors, the area around Playa de Las Vistas offers one of the strongest combinations in Los Cristianos.

The broad promenade runs alongside the beach and continues towards Playa de las Américas, creating a long coastal area for walking, eating and simply watching the world go by.

• 🏖 A large sandy beach
• 🚶 Broad seafront promenade
• 🍽 Numerous restaurants and cafés
• ♿ Established accessible beach facilities
• 🌴 Easy access towards neighbouring resort areas

Las Vistas is also one of Arona’s principal accessible beaches, with adapted facilities and assisted bathing services available.

If an older traveller enjoys a morning promenade walk, a beachside lunch and an afternoon coffee without needing transport, this part of Los Cristianos is particularly appealing.

Between the harbour and Las Vistas can give you the best of both

You don’t necessarily have to choose one end or the other.

Accommodation around the central coastal area between Los Cristianos beach and Las Vistas can put much of the resort within manageable reach.

• 🚢 Walk towards the harbour in one direction
• 🏖 Head towards Las Vistas in the other
• 🍽 Large choice of restaurants within the surrounding streets
• 🛍 Shops and everyday services nearby

This is the sort of location where you may find yourself using transport far less than expected.

Our guide to whether you need a car in Tenerife explains why a well-chosen resort location can make car hire largely unnecessary for some holidays.

The old town has more character — but check the exact street

Part of the appeal of Los Cristianos is that it still has the feel of a real town underneath the tourism.

The older streets around the centre contain restaurants, cafés, shops and everyday local life that can feel rather different from a purpose-built holiday resort.

However, this is where checking the precise accommodation location becomes important.

• 📍 Some streets are extremely convenient
• ⛰ Others begin climbing away from the coast
• 🚶 A short distance on a map may feel longer in practice
• 🚕 Taxis can solve the problem, but you may end up using them regularly

If walking ability is limited, look at the route between your accommodation and the seafront rather than relying on the distance shown by a booking website.

Be careful once you start moving inland

This is probably the single most important thing for older visitors to understand about Los Cristianos.

The coastal parts of the resort are relatively easy to navigate, but Los Cristianos rises considerably as you move inland.

That means accommodation can look wonderfully close to the beach on a map while involving a much less appealing return journey.

• ⛰ Check gradients as well as distance
• 🗺 Look at the actual walking route
• 📷 Use street-level imagery before booking
• 🚕 Assume you may sometimes want a taxi back uphill

This doesn’t make higher accommodation unsuitable. Many properties away from the seafront have excellent views, quieter surroundings and attractive facilities.

It simply creates a different kind of holiday.

A sea view can come with a price you weren’t expecting

One of Tenerife’s little geographical tricks is that some of the best sea views exist precisely because the accommodation is well above the sea.

That can be wonderful if you intend to spend plenty of time around your hotel or apartment complex.

It can be considerably less wonderful if you imagine walking to the promenade three times a day.

• 🌅 Higher properties often have better views
• 🤫 They may also feel quieter
• ⛰ The journey home can involve a significant climb
• 🚕 Regular taxi fares may need to become part of the holiday budget

For an older traveller with good mobility, none of this may matter. For somebody who tires easily or has difficulty with gradients, it can transform the holiday.

Our guide to how much walking is involved in a Tenerife holiday looks at this in more detail.

What if you use a wheelchair or mobility scooter?

Los Cristianos has invested substantially in accessible public areas and is one of Tenerife’s better-known destinations for visitors with reduced mobility.

The coastal area is generally the obvious place to investigate first because it gives easier access to the promenade, beaches, restaurants and shops.

Playa de Las Vistas is particularly notable for its accessible infrastructure.

• ♿ Accessible routes
• 🚻 Accessible toilets
• 🏖 Adapted beach facilities
• 🦽 Amphibious bathing equipment
• 🚶 A broad promenade beside the beach

However, no resort is universally accessible. Individual streets, accommodation entrances and gradients still need to be checked according to your particular requirements.

Our separate guide to Los Cristianos with mobility problems looks specifically at the resort from that perspective.

Hotels versus apartments in Los Cristianos

Both can work extremely well for older travellers, but they offer different advantages.

A hotel may suit you if you want:

• 🍳 Breakfast and meals readily available
• 🛎 Reception assistance
• 🧹 Regular housekeeping
• 🏊 Hotel facilities without needing to go elsewhere

An apartment may suit you if you prefer:

• ☕ Breakfast whenever you feel like it
• 🍳 The option to prepare your own meals
• 🏠 More of a home-from-home routine
• 📅 A longer stay of several weeks

For either option, location remains crucial.

A modest apartment beside the promenade may prove much easier than an impressive hotel considerably further uphill.

Look for the things you’ll use every day

When choosing accommodation, it is tempting to concentrate on swimming pools, entertainment and photographs of the rooms.

For older travellers, the ordinary things around the property may ultimately matter more.

• 💊 Where is the nearest pharmacy?
• 🛒 Is there a supermarket nearby?
• 🍽 Can you reach several restaurants easily?
• ☕ Can you go for coffee without organising transport?
• 🚕 Is it straightforward to get a taxi?
• 🌊 How easy is it to reach the promenade?

These are the things that determine how independent and relaxed the holiday feels once you arrive.

Don’t rely on the words “Los Cristianos” in the hotel description

This is worth emphasising.

Booking websites understandably use resort names to describe properties across fairly broad areas. Two properties both described as being in Los Cristianos can provide completely different experiences.

Before booking:

• 🗺 Find the property on a map
• 🚶 Plot the walking route to the seafront
• ⛰ Check the gradient
• 🍽 Look at nearby restaurants and shops
• 🔎 Search recent reviews for words such as “hill”, “steps” and “steep”

Five minutes spent doing this can prevent a week spent wondering why nobody mentioned the hill.

Which part would we choose for an older visitor?

If somebody asked us for the simplest answer, we would normally begin by looking at the coastal area between central Los Cristianos and Playa de Las Vistas.

It offers a particularly useful combination of:

• 🌊 Seafront access
• 🚶 Promenade walking
• 🍽 Restaurants and cafés
• 🏖 Beaches
• 🚕 Transport options
• 🛍 Everyday shops and services

That doesn’t mean it is automatically the best location for everybody.

Someone who wants peace, spectacular views and a resort-style hotel may happily choose somewhere higher. Someone staying for a month may prioritise a good apartment and supermarket over immediate beach access.

The important thing is knowing what you’re choosing.

The bottom line

Los Cristianos remains one of Tenerife’s strongest resort choices for older travellers, but location within the resort matters.

If easy walking, restaurants, cafés and independence are priorities, look carefully at the central coastal area and the Las Vistas end before moving further inland.

If you are comfortable with hills or happy using taxis, your options become considerably wider.

Our broader guide to why Los Cristianos is great for older travellers explains what makes the resort such an enduring choice, while our guide to choosing a Tenerife hotel for older travellers covers the accommodation itself.

For official information about Los Cristianos, accessible routes and local facilities, visit:
Arona Tourism.

If you or an older relative would benefit from some practical assistance while staying in Los Cristianos, you can explore our elderly care services, companionship services, request care or get in touch with Tenerife Carers.