Gosh we have been extremely lucky thus far in our choice of stopovers. The city of Santa Cruz is quite picturesque, surrounded by volcanic hills, houses and buildings can be seen stepping their way up the slopes. The city has a lovely ambience, it is easy to get around and has everything that you would need for your onward journey. Immediately on leaving the marina there is much to see in the Plaza Espania, a majestic parliament/government building, post office and taxi rank on the left and a beautiful war memorial/statue directly ahead. The Hop on Hop off bus terminal is also directly ahead. To the right is a large wading pool, with the main tourist information centre nestled behind the wading pool. As we made our way up the pedestrian mall, we were stopped by spruikers from the various eateries which line or are close to the mall. We wanted to check out what was on offer before we made a choice, so we politely declined and continued our stroll. The mall is home to a range of retail outlets including ‘high end’ fashion brands, duty free shops, perfumeries, mobile phone shops and the like. Santa Cruz is a well known cruise ship stop, so we weren’t surprised by this. Banks and ATM’s are also located here. Just a heads up, so far in our travels fees for international withdrawals have consistently been between €2.00-5.00.
A trip to Laguna (the old town) is a must while you are here, we caught the bus from the terminus (about a 30 minute walk from the marina). The bus winds its way through the city, then starts to climb the hillside giving an awesome view of back to the city, harbour, marina and Atlantic Ocean below. Would you believe our trip to Laguna wasn’t just to check out the town, we also wanted to go to Cash Convertors. Yip, you read that right – Cash Convertors. Peter wanted to buy an android tablet for the Navionics software he had purchased. There are two Cash Converter stores in Santa Cruz, and we checked out the reviews on both. Reviews for the store in the city suggested this was more expensive, whilst the store in Laguna had an equally good range of stock and better pricing. Before we headed off Peter checked out pricing on the web to get an good idea of what tablets were being sold for. On a previous visit, Paul our crew member had been to the Laguna store before so finding it wasn’t an issue. This was Sandra’s first foray to Cash Convertors and the jewellery display was a definite drawcard. A little negotiation on price, then one Samsung tablet and one Viceroy bracelet bought and we were done.
Laguna is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. After leaving Cash Converters we walked to the predominant tourist area, another pedestrian mall leading to a very old clock tower. Once again restaurants and shops line the mall, so if you are looking for some retail therapy in Laguna this is the place to come. We left the main shopping strip and headed one street over and weren’t disappointed as this street is lined with less shops and more traditional buildings. We took our time here, pointing out the various features of each building, from gargoyles to magnificently carved wooden doors, it was all great. We headed back to the main road and decided to take the tram back to the marina. At times the tram takes a different route than the bus, so we got to see more of the town and meet more of the locals who were happy to chat.
General Information
Wifi: We were stoked that our €20 Vodafone data plan, purchased in A Coruna, still worked in the Canary Islands. As such we really can’t advise as to wifi options in the marina or local cafes.
Transport options: All the usual modes of transport to get around town are available: bus, taxi, car hire and Uber. There is also the option of using a tram. For the most part we walked everywhere, we did use the public bus to get to Laguna and caught the tram on the way back. You will need a travel card to use the public transport (a cash option is not available). We walked to the bus terminus and purchased a travel card for €10 and put €10 of credit on the card. (You don’t need a travel card for each person, just tap on for the number of people travelling). On the way back from Laguna, ticket inspectors were checking travel cards, we were a bit nervous that we had done the right thing when tapping on, but all was well.
PS We still have our travel card, so if you are intending to travel to Tenerife and use public transport and would like the card just email us at info@seagoddessadventures.com with your address details and we will send it to you.
Shopping: Santa Cruz has a whole assortment of shops, this is just an overview of what is on offer. As well as a range of shops in the main city pedestrian mall, there are loads of other shops to be found in the streets branching off from the mall. A small market selling fresh produce including meats, fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers is located next to the bus terminal. A supermarket is located underneath and can be accessed via the street or via escalators from the market.
A small Spar supermarket is located close to the marina, from the Tourist Information Centre cross the road and you will find this just in the opposing side street. For provisioning we caught a taxi to HiperDino supermarket, cost of taxi fare €5. The supermarket offers free delivery to the marina for all orders/purchases over €60. Awesome service, our goods were delivered directly to the boat within an hour of purchase.
Restaurants: Santa Cruz is awash with restaurants, bars and take away outlets. For the most part we cooked and ate onboard during our stay here or kept it simple with pizza or a sandwich while we were out and about. One restaurant we did particularly enjoyed was La Hierbita, just a short walk from the main mall. Staff kindly provided a menu which was written in both Spanish and English. Food was delicious and the staff and service was great. We had Papas arrugadas con mojo (Canarian style potatoes with a red sauce) and Platanos guisados con mojo (cooked Banana with a green herb sauce) for starters and Pollo con manzana (chicken with apple) and Bistec de cerdo (pork) for mains, add in two glasses of wine and after a couple of hours we happily rolled out of there back to the marina. Check out their website http://www.lahierbita.com
Post Office, Banks and ATM’s: are all a short walk from the marina, in the city centre.
Chandleries: Spinnaker and Nordest are closest to the marina. As they are just around the corner from each other, we walked here which gave us an opportunity to see another part of the city. Unfortunately when we arrived they were closed for siesta, 1 – 4pm, even though their respective websites stated 2 – 4pm. Waiting three hours until they reopened wasn’t an option for us so we took the opportunity to partake of a glass of wine in a local bar and do a little more sightseeing before heading back to the marina. Peter headed back the next day and was able to purchase most things on our list. As an aside, Peter found the guy in Nordest most helpful, the guy in the other chandlery, Spinnaker, was less than helpful and could definitely use some customer service training. Fortunately, he wasn’t representative of the Canarians we met during our stay here.
In a nutshell, with an array of services and shopping, Santa Cruz was an ideal first stop from Europe.