Cheap Hotels in Tenerife: Budget Stays by Base Compared

How Budget Stays Differ Across Tenerife

Want a private room with a balcony near the sea in the north: Hotel Sun Holidays in Puerto de la Cruz. Want breakfast included in a historic town centre: Silene Orotava Pensión. Travelling solo and happy in a dorm: a Nests hostel, with Duque Nest for pool-side socialising, El Médano Nest for surf and kitesurf, Aguere Nest for La Laguna's old streets and Puerto Nest for the north coast. Hiking in the north-west: Albergue Bolico.

Our rule of thumb: hostels win on shared kitchens and social life, while the hotel and pension win on privacy. Los Amigos Nest sits between the two, since the chain lists private double and single rooms there with shared or private bathrooms and balconies.

Puerto de la Cruz: Hotel Sun Holidays and Puerto Nest

Hotel Sun Holidays is the one true hotel in this roundup. Sun Holidays' own website describes simple accommodation at an economical price on a quiet pedestrian street in Puerto de la Cruz's historic centre, where every room is exterior with a balcony. It lists free WiFi throughout, flat-screen TV with international channels, a solarium terrace with sea and mountain views and vending machines for hot and cold drinks, and it advertises special prices for groups and stays of more than ten days.

The hotel quotes 5 minutes to Playa Jardín, 300 metres to the town centre and a 15-minute walk to Loro Parque, with free public parking and public transport nearby. For a dorm bed in the same town, the Puerto Nest listing places that hostel in the seaside neighbourhood of Punta Brava, a short walk from black-sand Playa Jardín, with Teide views, a fully equipped kitchen, a terrace, coworking space and barbecue and social events.

Our take: Puerto de la Cruz is the best budget base in this guide for travellers who want beach, town and attractions together. If you would like one splurge night in the same town, our guide to 5-Star Hotels in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife covers the top end of the market there.

La Laguna: Aguere Nest in the Historic Centre

San Cristóbal de La Laguna is a UNESCO World Heritage city, and the island tourism board's Aguere Nest listing places this hostel minutes from its colonial streets, nightlife and Canarian food. Listed services include free WiFi, a coworking area, a large terrace and relaxation area, a fully equipped kitchen, lockers and secure storage, and free coffee and tea.

It is also close to Tenerife North Airport, which makes it a practical first or last night on the island. Our advice: choose La Laguna for culture and a communal atmosphere rather than beach time, and look at our Boutique Hotels in Tenerife guide if you would rather upgrade to a characterful private room; it includes La Laguna options.

La Orotava: Silene Orotava Pensión for Breakfast-Included Rooms

Silene Orotava is the pick for travellers who want privacy without hotel trappings. The board's Silene Orotava listing describes a 19th-century family house in an eclectic style in the historic centre of La Orotava, run as a guest house since 1970. Its rooms are doubles that can be booked for single use, all with a private bathroom and most with their own terrace.

Breakfast is included, and the central courtyard is described as ideal for it; rooms are cleaned daily, WiFi is free, an extra bed is available on demand and a baby cot is free. Upper and lower drawing rooms give guests space to read or chat, which suits couples and slow travellers who like an unhurried town base.

Costa Adeje and El Médano: Social Beach Hostels

The tourism board's Duque Nest page describes the largest and liveliest Nest hostel, in Costa Adeje about 5 minutes from Playa del Duque, with a swimming pool and jacuzzi, surf and diving lessons, a coworking space, barbecues and social events and a fully equipped kitchen. Our view: it suits solo travellers who want beach and nightlife on the doorstep.

El Médano is calmer and sportier. The El Médano Nest listing places the hostel steps from the ocean in a laid-back coastal town, pitched at surfers and kitesurfers, with surf lessons, dinner activities, games and sports, coworking and a fully equipped kitchen. The chain counts Los Amigos Nest, a short way from La Mareta beach, among its El Médano sites, and also lists Las Eras Nest with sea-view rooms, a garden, terrace and pool and a buffet breakfast it says is always included.

Teno: Albergue Bolico for Hikers on a Budget

For walkers, the Albergue Bolico listing describes a rural hostel on the Bolico farm near Las Portelas, in Buenavista del Norte, amid the Teno Rural Park in the north-west of the island. It is made up of two buildings with dormitories of 14, 12 and 10 places, a large garden, and services that include information on walking routes, a cafeteria or the option to rent the kitchen, picnics, a TV room, a library and a craft and hiking shop.

Mountain biking, talks and workshops, bird-watching equipment and a crèche or playroom round out the list, so it works for hiking groups and families as well as solo walkers. Our take: book it for a few days on Teno's trails rather than as a base for touring the whole island.

Dorms, Private Rooms and the Nest Pass for Longer Stays

If you plan to move around, the Nests Hostels website explains its Nest Pass: one flexible booking that gives access to shared dorms across its hostels in Tenerife and Gran Canaria. It covers shared dormitories only, not private rooms, and does not include Ibiza. You book it directly on the chain's site by choosing the Nest Pass rate, with a minimum of 7 nights, and reception confirms any change of hostel subject to availability.

The chain also advertises long-stay discounts, shared kitchens and fast WiFi with coworking, while Sun Holidays offers special prices for stays of more than ten days. For a slow trip, our advice is to combine a dorm-based Nest Pass between Costa Adeje, El Médano and Puerto de la Cruz with a few private nights at Silene or Sun Holidays.

Choosing Your Budget Base in Tenerife

Book Sun Holidays or Puerto Nest for Puerto de la Cruz and Playa Jardín, Silene Orotava for breakfast and a private bathroom, Aguere Nest for La Laguna, Duque or El Médano Nest for a social beach stay, and Albergue Bolico for Teno's trails. Room types and inclusions differ between dorms and private rooms, so confirm exactly what your booking covers.

Travelling with children rather than a backpack? Our guide to the Best Area to Stay in Tenerife for Families compares the resort areas with the beaches and facilities families tend to look for, so you can decide whether a budget hostel or a family resort base fits better.