Lago Martiánez is Puerto de la Cruz's glorious seawater lido — a sprawl of palm-fringed pools, sculpted islands and lava-black terraces that turned a rocky, surf- battered coast into one of the loveliest places to swim in the Canaries. Designed by the great Lanzarote artist César Manrique, it's the beating heart of the resort: part swimming complex, part living artwork, and a masterclass in how to build for tourists without concreting over the soul of a place. On a warm afternoon, with Mount Teide floating behind the palms, there are few nicer spots on Tenerife.
Manrique's answer to a beachless resort
Northern Puerto de la Cruz has plenty of charm but little in the way of easy, sheltered beach — the Atlantic here is powerful and the shore is dark volcanic rock. In the 1970s the town turned to Manrique, whose vision across the islands blended architecture with the raw landscape rather than fighting it. His solution was a huge saltwater complex built right at the sea's edge: a great central lake ringed by swimming pools, sunbathing decks, whitewashed islands and clusters of black volcanic stone, all softened with native plants and gardens.
The result is unmistakably his. Where a lesser designer would have poured a rectangle of blue, Manrique gave curving lines, textured lava, bright white forms and green planting — the same language you'll recognise if you visit his creations back home on Lanzarote. It's a place to swim and sunbathe, but also simply to walk around and admire.
What's here
At the centre lies the big artificial lake, fed and freshened by the sea, dotted with sculptural islands and fountains — beautiful to look at and safe for swimming in its calm water. Around it are several swimming pools for adults and shallower ones for children, all saltwater, plus wide sunbathing terraces stocked with loungers and parasols. There are changing rooms and toilets, kiosks and restaurants, and a casino set into the complex. The whole thing sits behind a sea wall that lets the surf crash safely on the outside while you float in comfort within.
Why it beats the beach for many visitors. The pools are calm, clean and sheltered from the Atlantic swell, the water is warm saltwater rather than chlorine, and the gardens give shade and a real sense of place. Families with young children, in particular, often prefer it to the black-sand beaches nearby.
Tickets and practicalities
Entry is by a single, reasonably priced day ticket that covers all the pools, the lake and the sunbathing areas; loungers and parasols are usually an extra hire charge, and children often pay less or go free. It's excellent value for a full day out.
Check current prices and hours. As of 2026, adult admission is typically only a few euros and the complex opens daily through the main season, but times and prices change and pools can close for maintenance. Confirm on the official municipal site before a special trip, and note the lido is weather-dependent on cooler, windy northern days.
Pair it with a walk around Puerto de la Cruz
Lago Martiánez sits on the seafront promenade, so it slots neatly into a day exploring the resort. Puerto de la Cruz is one of the most characterful towns in the Canaries — a proper working port with a pretty old quarter, plazas, a fishing harbour and a long history as Tenerife's original tourist town. Wander the promenade, stop for a barraquito coffee, and enjoy the very different, greener, more Spanish feel of the north.
If you do fancy sand as well, the town's other great Manrique-influenced creation, Playa Jardín, is close by — a landscaped black-sand beach backed by tropical gardens, and a lovely complement to a morning in the pools.
Getting there
Lago Martiánez is central and easy to reach on foot from most of Puerto de la Cruz. If you're staying elsewhere on the island, the town is well connected by the north's motorway and by frequent TITSA buses from La Laguna and the capital; a hire car makes it a straightforward day trip from the south, though allow around an hour and a bit each way and expect to pay for parking in town.
Manrique took a coast with no beach and gave Puerto de la Cruz something better — a lake, an island and Teide on the horizon.
Bring a towel, a book and sun cream, and give Lago Martiánez a proper, lazy day. It's one of the north's signature experiences and a reminder that the Canaries do design as beautifully as they do sunshine — see it alongside the island's other highlights.