Playa Jardín is Puerto de la Cruz's most designed beach, and deliberately so. César Manrique shaped the seafront setting as a composition of black volcanic sand, palms, flowering gardens, paths, and low walls, turning what could have been a simple town beach into a piece of Canary Islands landscape design.
The Atlantic here can be lively, so pay attention to flags before swimming. Even when the water is rough, the beach works beautifully for a walk: surf on one side, garden planting on the other, and the dark sand giving the whole scene a drama that pale resort beaches rarely manage.