Once a fishing village, today El Medano is a small but modern resort town with a population of more than 1,000 people.
It is located on the southeastern coast of Tenerife, in one of the most arid and hot parts of the island.
As a result the vegetation in the vicinity and in the town itself is rather scarce with the exception of some species of shrubs and palm trees.
The settlement is known for its large and completely natural beach with relatively light beige sand.
The beach stretches for over a kilometer between El Medano to the north and the huge rock of Montaña Roja to the south.
Because of its typical summer winds, El Medano is known as a very attractive place for practicing windsurfing.
Furthermore, the wind creates a pleasant feeling of a cooler weather, and you can feel the temperature of about 29°C a little bit lower.
Winds usually decrease significantly during the winter months.
The combination of a quiet and constant sunny weather and daytime temperatures of at least 21 – 22°C creates ideal conditions for sun-tanning on the beach.
Besides its impressive coast, the town attracts tourists with its extremely casual and unpretentious atmosphere.
Due to the slow pace of life, the village has a typical Mediterranean spirit, although most of the buildings are quite new.
Since the town relies heavily on tourism, it offers a good selection of places to stay as well as a number of nice restaurants to eat or just have a drink.
El Medano is an easily accessible tourist destination.
It is located less than 5 minutes drive from Tenerife South (Reina Sofia) Airport.
However, the village is situated at the opposite end of the island in comparison with the cities of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Cruz.