Tenerife has two airports on opposite ends of the island, and which one your flight lands at changes your first hour on the ground more than almost anything else you’ll plan.
TFN or TFS
Tenerife North (TFN, Los Rodeos) sits close to La Laguna, on our side of the island. From there it’s around 40 minutes by car to us, mostly on the TF-5.
Tenerife South (TFS, Reina Sofía) is the bigger international airport, with far more direct routes from northern Europe — for a lot of guests it’s the only nonstop option. From TFS it’s about an hour to us, again mostly motorway.
If your dates and airline give you a genuine choice, TFN saves you real time. If TFS is the only sensible flight, an extra 20 minutes is a small price for landing on this coast rather than the other one.
Do you actually need a car
Inside San Marcos, no. The beach, the restaurants, the small supermarket and Club Náutico are all within a few minutes’ walk of the apartment, and you can walk the coastal path to Garachico in around an hour.
Beyond the village, yes. Icod de los Vinos, Puerto de la Cruz, the wineries, the hikes and Teide itself are spread along the coast and up the mountain, and the bus network here is built for residents’ commutes rather than a visitor’s itinerary. If more than a couple of days of this guide interests you, hire a car.
The practical bit
Both routes run mostly on the TF-5 motorway and are straightforward driving. The thing that actually catches people out isn’t the road — it’s forgetting that a hire car has to be collected at the airport first, which for a busy arrivals hall can easily add half an hour before you’re even on the road. Build that into your first evening rather than into your dinner reservation.