Offering year-round sun, Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands and one of extremes too – from the fun-loving south to the more traditional north. As a family holiday destination Tenerife has lots to offer from Puerto de la Cruz’s animal attractions to Siam’s Park’s Thai-themed water park.
Playa de las Americas offers a fantastic nightlife and suits those looking for more action and excitement and its eight beaches make it a mecca for family holidaymakers, although it is a busy and bustling resort so head for the beach early and stake your claim for a a good spot! Away from the beaches but just as appealing for the family holiday are the water parks, and for an evening out in Playa de Las Americas there are numerous places to eat to satisfy every pallette in this attractive resort, which resides only 25 minutes from the airport.
Costa Adeje is near enough to Playa de las Americas to share the activities and nightlife but it also offers access to the more relaxed resorts of Playa Paraiso and Playa de la Arena and can happily accommodate those looking for peace and tranquility for their family holiday in Tenerife as much as those looking for fun and excitement. Children will love the Sky Park Aquapark in Adeje whilst for older kids and adults there are plenty of opportunities to try watersports.
Transfer time to Costa Adeje varies according to the sub-resort, but is typically around 1 hour from the airport. Although a purpose-built resort, the sky-rise hotels and apartments do not dominate the skyline and Costa Adeje follows much more of the Canarian way of life and traditional fayre is much more apparent at the local restaurants.
Playa Paraiso, home to the excellent Roca Nivaria hotel, is very laid back and ideal for a relaxing family break. Look for the hotels that suit you with their facilities as beach is only small and rocky – but the lido right on the seafront more than compensates!
Los Cristianos also offers a quiet pace of life to holidaymakers. It is a relaxing resort overlooking a man-made beach and small harbour, complete with welcoming restaurants and cafes along the length of the promenade but again close enough to the thrills and spills of Playa de las Americas if you want them.
Sun-drenched Tenerife weather
The island of Tenerife is blessed with pretty much year-round sun and it’s a great family holiday destination if you travelling with small children and able to avoid the busy, hot summer months. Temperatures on the island are at the very least pleasant for 12 months of the year making it an ideal choice for a half-term or Easter break. Being volcanic, some of the beaches are quite dark in colour but the golden sands are there to be found too. It is also home to the highest Spanish peak at Mount Teide.
Out and about in Tenerife
Tenerife has plenty of attractions to entertain you on your family holiday although these are largely focused on the beach of water-based activities, with two further water parks (Siam Park and the Aqualand Aquapark) ready to keep you cool. If you like animals, try the wildlife park in Puerto de la Cruz or the zoo and botanical gardens in Playa de las Americas – or even head out to sea on a whale-watching trip!
The aforementioned Mount Teide resides in Teide National Park and a cable car ride takes you close to the summit, from where the views of Tenerife and its neighbours is quite stunning.
Tenerife Cuisine
With large numbers of visiting Europeans, eating out in Tenerife can be as cultured or as familiar as you choose, but if you opt for local cuisine the delicacies naturally involve seafood and tapas and the paella is always good.
Getting to Tenerife
As a popular destination for British holidaymakers there is an abundance of flights to Tenerife, although it is the charter airlines rather than the scheduled ones that make up the bulk of the options. Flight time is around 4 hours from the UK and flights operate to Tenerife South Airport.