La Orotava

La Orotava is a town in the northern part of Tenerife, located in the valley of La Orotava. It is five kilometers away from the coast, and the nearest town is the Puerto de la Cruz.

La Orotava has 40000 inhabitants and it is a beautiful place because it has very pretty houses from the time of the first conquerors. There is a small tourist office, and the route is traced in the streets so that you don’t miss the main points of interest. Among them are the beautiful house of balconies, which is a museum and a workshop which still makes traditional arts and crafts. The entrance to the workshop is free of charge, but you have to pay for the museum. Then there is the church of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, the convent of San Agustín, the square of the city hall…and the beautiful gardens of Quinta Roja.

I am really happy that I found this website. In May 2002 I traveled with a group of Argentinean artisans. We exhibited our work in the centre for documentation and research for craftwork in Spain and Latin-America, located in San Francisco street, number 5. I fell in love with that place, magical. Its people are simple, hospitable, and beautiful.

I remember the owner of the bar in front of the convent, a great persom, I apologize for forgetting his name, that greeted me with a big smile and saying “Here comes the “boluda”, making reference to our way of speaking in Argentina. If you know him please send my regards and thanks for giving me hot water to prepare my mate.

Truth be told, the town of Orotava is beautiful. We went there in the afternoon because we came from the Cueva del Viento, the butterfly farm and visiting Icod de los VInos, and the truth is that we wished we had more time in Orotava. In spite of everything, it has the characteristic of being a magnificent touristic and cultural visit.

You will be surprised with the contrast and difference with its neighboring Puerto de la Cruz. Here you can see the style of Canarias, since there aren’t so many tourists. Be careful because in winter everything closes by six. This is why I couldn’t visit the Victoria Gardens which are supposed to be very beautiful, and I almost missed the Casa de los Balcones.