La Palma blogger: Puerto Naos

Blessed with the one of the biggest beaches of the island, Puerto Naos is the main beach town on La Palma’s west side and has been continuously developed this way since the 80^th. Another blessing has helped to bring tourists, locals and even people from the Spanish mainland to Puerto Naos and that is the all year round sunshine, beach and bathing weather. Caused through an excellent geographical location, clouds from trade winds are not much affecting the area. Shirts and shorts are the year round outfit in the mild climate of this part of the Isla Bonita.

Puerto Naos from the road down the lava

Before the 80^th just a couple of island typical *Pajero’s (tiny little houses) has been in Puerto Naos. First victim of a wrong planed tourist scene was the concrete skeleton of a hotel, which has been blowed up after years of being an ugly ruin, before a new and better planed hotel was build on the same spot. In 1990, the 4 Star Hotel *Sol La Palma with a capacity of 1000 beds opened on south of the beach and on top of the rocks. A beach promenade was coming at the same time to develop space for restaurants, bars and shops. In the first row on *Paseo Maritomo it’s the only address where apartments have a sunny view at the ocean. All house in the streets behind are showing just the house across the street. Except the apartments on the promenade, houses look simple and sometimes pretty poorly build.

Paseo Maritomo the promanede right at the ocean and the best address here anyway

Nevertheless Puerto Naos is the west-side-scene where everybody is showing up at least once a day, or stay for the beach or for one of the handful restaurants and bars for lunch, dinner or just a drink. Everybody knows everybody, honking just about everywhere, otherwise it is pretty quite in Puerto Naos, just the smell of the bakery or a grill restaurant is going around the corners, until it’s gone with the wind. On summer weekends it can be very crowed here and requires some patients looking for a parking space or just leave Puerto Naos to one of the smaller beaches next exit.

Lava beach of Puerto Naos with a remarkable lava rock

Black lava beaches at high noon are very hot (about 140 F) don’t forget slippers or you wait until sun set on your towel. Bigger waves can be extremely dangerous because back running water has a incredible current and is just pulling you into the ocean, where you will come back as part of the next wave. I have seen people in big waves fighting for their lives. No kidding about the waves, always stay on the save side and the fun never ends.