Las Galletas is an attractive fusion of traditional seaside town with a cosmopolitan new marina, a strong fishing community and a penchant for moules y frites, or mussels and chips to you and me.
As a newish village its main inhabitants as many of the shops proclaim are from decedents in Venezuela and Cuba. This creates a very cosmopolitan ambiance and laid back Canariefied sentiment that’s unusual as its is quaint.
A fishing village for as far back as Tenerife's history goes, Las Galletas is fiercely proud of its heritage and determined to retain it which is why you'll see fishing boats bobbing in the bay, a daily fish market on the promenade and not a hotel in sight.
Tenerife's first ever purpose built holiday complex of TenBel forms the join between Las Galletas and its Costa del Silencio neighbour and has been attracting Belgian visitors to the area for decades – hence the moules y frites. And wherever there are chips...menus along the pretty promenade predominantly feature fins and you'll find some excellent fish and seafood restaurants to choose from. And as if that wasn't enough to have fish foodies salivating already, Las Galletas is in easy distance of the restaurant-lined cove of Los Abrigos where you'll find a surfeit of fine fish dining.
Alongside the buzzing marina and promenade is a sheltered bay where a sand and shingle beach provides the perfect setting for soaking up the resort's generous sunshine quota and watching the light dance on the white fibreglass hulls of yachts and motor launches. The marina is also the home port for the Must Cat Catamaran which offers one of the best whale, dolphin and turtle watching trips in Tenerife.
At the beach you can rent a hammock or an umbrella. There are showers in the open air, Red Cross services during the summer season, salvage teams and an appropriate amount of locals. The short but delightful coastal esplanade is a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of other coastal towns on the island.
There’s still the morning fishing market selling freshly caught Tuna and locally caught fish.
Holiday entertainment in Las Galletas is full of highs and lows with a generous layer of rubber thrown in. Hikers will love the trail to Montaña Amarilla where you can walk the coast and climb to the summit of this volcanic cone for views all the way to the lighthouse at Faro de Rasca in one direction and Los Abrigos in the other. Those who prefer to slip into a rubber suit and strap their air supply onto their backs will discover Tenerife's finest diving sites off the coast of Las Galletas and more dive centres in the town than you can flail a flipper at.
Golf enthusiasts have only to venture along the coast a little way to find the resort that was built for them - literally. At Golf del Sur you'll find two top notch championship courses with pristine greens overlooking the ocean and a steady easterly to test the handicap.
Solitude seekers should set out on the path beyond Vai Moana where they'll find themselves on the set of a spaghetti western or in the malpaís as it's known. An endless, arid desert of cacti and scrub where there's no shelter from the sun and nothing to disturb your whistling of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, save perhaps for the occasional naked bather or surf hippie hanging out in one of its hidden coves.
