Playa el Arenal is a good Tenerife surf beach later in the day. Find out all about it!Playa el Arenal is not a beach I have dipped my toes in, as yet. It looks big with a relatively wide sandy stretch and about a length of 300 meters which then goes over into gravel.
I have known all along that it's a surf beach which I heard first time chatting to the receptionist at Hotel Valle Mar Puerto de la Cruz.
The beach belongs to Punta de Hidalgo the most north western location of Tenerife Island in Spain and can be seen by Café Melita which I will explain just now. If prepared to do a bit of walking you can get at it from the main road (carretera general) Hotel Neptuna by taking its steps leading right down to it. Playa el Arenal surf beach It has no amenities, like beach guard, change rooms, toilettes and tea-room. Mind, there will be nobody putting up a red flag and you must only swim where the locals do.
From Café Melita where you must go to have Tenerife's best apple pie with cream and vanilla ice you walk 3 minutes back on the coastal road towards Punta de Hidalgo and, you see the whole of Playa el Arenal from high above. Yes, that's my friend Guenther Dahmen by the red car who took me onto this trip where I stumbled upon the Arenal Playa. By the way, the waitress of the café told us proudly that this beach is better for surf towards evenings.
In fact, I never climbed down to Playa el Arenal discovered on the bottom of a very steep 20 meter high indigenous vegetation clad cliff.
What was fascinating was the sight of about 30 fishing boats with a couple of 2 small yachts further out on the ocean. To see that many mainly fishing boats almost motionless in one spot not far from any Tenerife beach is a sight even my friend with whom I looked at them had seldom seen during the more than 30 years he comes to the island. Unfortunately, nor his photo shot nor mine could capture them well.
The day on which we looked in amazement at Playa el Arenal surf beach was an ordinary week day where kids go to school and where people are working.It wasn't high tourist season being end of June 2008 either. 
Hence, we were surprised to see at least 30 people by this seashore. However, I would always opt for the relatively new small sandy Baja Mar beach where it's much easier to get to. Besides, this beach at Baja Mar 3 minutes by car from the surf beach has a lot more in stock for you. By the way, it took only a good half an hour by TF5 freeway from Los Realejos to get to this beach. This shows you how fast you travel in Tenerife by car without offending speed limits. More detailed instructions on which roads to get here fastest are to be found with information on an amazing beach setting very close to Beach el Arenal and it's all about an almost brand new beach called: Playa Bajamar only 5 min. from Playa el Arenal. There was something like a beach there before but, not really attractive. The beach Bajamar had such an unbelievable mood about it during that end of June early afternoon that I'll never forget. Please, go back from Playa el Arenal to Tenerife beaches.
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