Lago Martiánez

Lago Martiánez is an open-air swimming pool complex in Puerto de la Cruz, on the northern coast of Tenerife, designed by artist and architect César Manrique.

What is Lago Martiánez?

It is a large leisure park covering roughly 100,000 square meters, built around an artificial lake. The site includes several pools, small islands, gardens, sun terraces, and a number of restaurants and bars positioned to take advantage of views over the Atlantic Ocean. Locals and guides commonly refer to the whole complex simply as "el Lago" — "the lake".

Why did César Manrique design it this way?

Manrique, a Lanzarote-born artist celebrated for blending architecture with the Canary Islands' volcanic landscapes, conceived Lago Martiánez as a place where built structures work with the natural terrain rather than against it. Dark volcanic rock appears throughout the complex, used to edge the pools, shape decorative features, and set off the planted areas. The design also borrows from local defensive architecture, incorporating bartizans and palisades that give parts of the site the look of an old coastal fortification. Manrique added his own sculptures across the grounds as well, turning the complex into something more than a bathing facility — an open-air setting for his art alongside the pools and gardens.

What stood here before the complex was built?

The site was originally known as "Llanos de Martiánez". Before the artificial lake was created, the area held natural rock pools filled by the tides, and these drew some of the first tourists to visit Tenerife as early as the late 19th and early 20th centuries. When Manrique designed Lago Martiánez, he was effectively formalizing a spot that had already served as a bathing area for locals and visitors for decades.

How is the complex laid out?

The main lake sits at the center, surrounded by smaller pools of varying character — some wrapped around landscaped islands, others bordered by terraces meant for relaxing rather than swimming. Paths wind between the pools, gardens, and viewpoints overlooking the ocean and the Puerto de la Cruz coastline. Restaurants and bars are spread throughout the site, so visitors can spend a full day moving between swimming, sunbathing, and eating without leaving the complex.

Where exactly is Lago Martiánez located?

The complex sits in Puerto de la Cruz, one of the main tourist towns on Tenerife's north coast, in Spain's Canary Islands, at approximately 28.4194 N, 16.5436 W.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lago Martiánez? It's an open-air swimming pool complex in Puerto de la Cruz built around an artificial lake, with islands, gardens, and terraces, covering about 100,000 square meters.

Who designed Lago Martiánez? César Manrique, an artist and architect known for merging buildings with the Canary Islands' volcanic landscapes. The complex also displays a number of his sculptures.

What is Lago Martiánez also called? It's widely known locally as "el Lago", meaning "the lake".

What was on this site before the complex existed? The area, called "Llanos de Martiánez", held natural rock pools that tourists were already visiting by the late 19th and early 20th centuries.