Playa De La Las Americas
The reputation of Playa de las Americas as a concrete jungle of tackiness and hedonism is second to none in the Canaries. This three-kilometre long sprawl of hotel and apartment complexes, housing some 100,000 beds, divides up into a number of districts with subtly different characters. Central Las Americas was thrown up in the 1970s to cash in on the booming tourist trade. What emerged was a number of particularly ugly complexes - but they were cheap and holidays here sold well, at least at first. By the mid-1980s the resort's popularity began to dwindle, partly from competition elsewhere and partly because many of the resort's facilities were becoming tatty and unappealing. Despite renovation attempts since, the bland concrete commercial centres at the heart of the resort remain - though they now house the throbbing nightlife for which the resort is notorious and as such form the main attraction for many young visitors to the island. To improve the resort's image and finances there has been some effort to attract more affluent tourists, with four- and five-star hotels apearing in the more salubrious districts on the edges of Playa de las Americas. Just north of central Las Americas, San Eugenio and its British-dominated northern neighbour Torviscas have successfully become family destinations, while the new yachting marina Puerto Colon between the two is slowly emerging as a trendy stop-off for the yachting set. At the northern fringes of Las Americas is the soulless but relatively stylish and rapidly expanding resort of Fanabe - though visitors should be aware that its beach is still under construction as are many of its swanky hotels, which huddle around empty shopping centres. The Gran Hotel Melia Bahia del Duque , the most luxurious accommodation on the island, is at the northern end of this district. Attempting to project a similar, exclusive image as Fanabe, Los Moritos , to the south of central Las Americas and bordering Los Cristianos (leaving it no space to sprawl) is near some of the least crowded beaches - the extravagant architecture of the five-star Mare Nostrum Resort setting the local tone.
Your Tip for Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos - visit the main Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
