Tenerife Holidays
Tenerife Holidays
Tenerife is the largest and main island of the Spanish Canary Islands which lie around 1,200 miles off the west coast of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean. Tenerife offers something for everyone with wonderful resorts for couples and families as well as more lively resorts for those who enjoy the nightlife. Lying four hour from UK airports, Tenerife is a relatively easy getaway and is a great choice for those looking for some sun during our winter months.
Tenerife has been associated with the typical beach ‘package’ holiday. There is nothing wrong with a flight plus a hotel and beach, in fact we’re all for it and love it! But often overlooked though Tenerife also offers a lot more for those who fancy something different from cycling trips, to Volcano walking, lots of water sports including sailing, water skiing and jet skiing. These can be day trips or something more experiential over a few days.
There is plenty of accommodation for all tastes and budget and the food choices are fantastic, indeed Tenerife has all of the ingredients for a wonderful holiday destination.
Tenerife resorts
Costa Adeje
Costa Adeje is maybe one of the more famous and upmarket resorts in Tenerife. Costa Adeje is on the south side of Tenerife, this is great because the resort gets sun almost year round and is certainly warm enough for a holiday at any time of the year. Apart from the weather the resort also boasts two wonderful water parks, Siam and Aqualan as well as a number of beaches.
Tenerife's beaches
Playa Del Duque
A beautiful beach of some si x hundred meters in length nestled in a cove of grey and gold sand. The beach itself is owned by a hotel but is open to the public. If nothing else take a walk along the path to the beach for amazing views. If you’re a runner then this path is also a favourite with locals in the mornings.
Playa del Puertito
This beach lies just below the resort of Adeje and was once an old traditional fishing village. As this beach is just off the main tourist trail it is enjoyed by locals for BBQs and relaxing.
Playa Blanca
Costa Adeje’s nudist beach. At 200 meters it’s not the largest but the size is unimportant. The beach is a favourite with divers and snorkelers due to the rich marine life, in particular the rays, barracuda and even sharks not too far off shore.
Playa de Fanabe
This beach lies quite some distance from the resort, around 5km away. It is a quintessentially British themed area with tea rooms surrounding the beach.
Playa del Bobo
A favourite as this beach lies in the heart of the resort and is close to many of the hotels. The beach itself boasts black sand and is in a man made cove and is a fav for families. It’s actually quiet as many people seem to prefer golden sand.
Things To Do
Costa Adeje is quite a large resort and so there are plenty of things to do. We can’t list everything but here are some of the highlights.
Sea - There are a lot of activities which are beach and / or sea based. One highlight is the Submarine. This small sub takes you up to 30 meters below the surface just off shore to experience the marine life up close.
If you prefer to be on the surface then there are a number of whale watching and dolphin spotting boat trips. We’d suggest checking out the Royal Delfin or Shogun II as your vessels of choice.
Abrazo Sailing will get you access to hidden beaches! You can charter a vessel or join a group. The yacht captain (included in the price) will take you sailing around the local waters and let you swim in gems of coves.
Water Sports - There are jet skis to enjoy in many spots as well as water skiing, banana boats, wake boarding, SUP, Scuba Diving and even windsurfing weather permitted. Finally, you can always enjoy a normal swim!
Siam Park - One of Europe's best water parks and a great day out for everyone. The setting is tropical Thailand, the water slides come in all shapes and sizes including a near vertical drop. There are plenty of places to rest, eat, drink and relax for the day.
Aqualand - This water park is aimed at families and younger children. The rides and slides are not as extreme as in Siam Park and much gentler. Something though to be aware about is they hold dolphins in captivity for shows.
Nightlife
There are far too many bars and restaurants for us to list name name here. Suffice to say it’s a good idea to explore and ask reception at your accommodation for any recommendations. Worthy of note though is Showtime Tenerife, a local Broadway tribute with musical hits of the latest shows. Here you can purchase a VIP pass which includes dinner and unlimited drinks. Just saying…
St Eugen’s Bar offers somewhere more lively with cover bands, tribune acts and a lively sing along vibe. Great fun.
The Pub - for those who don’t like to stray too far from home the Pub is, well, a pub.
La Cockteleria - This cocktail bar is hidden away on the backstreets and isn’t vey big. However, if you can find it, you’ll enjoy magnificent cocktails at half the price of almost all other bars in the area.
Restaurants
You’ll be unsurprised to learn there are a lot of restaurants in Costa Adeje. Like the bars, there are too many list but we’ve picked out a small handful you might want to take a closer look at. In our humble opinion the review sites and are basically flawed as one can’t be sure who has reviewed plus, things change and really the local population have the finger on the pulse so we’d suggest checking in with your hotel.
Playa de las Américas
Next door to Costa Adeje, this is the party capital of Tenerife. If you’re looking for a holiday with a lively nature and a lot of nightlife then look no further. Due to the party nature and hedonistic vibe the resort is firmly aimed at the younger market rather than families. If you’re looking for something peaceful and quiet we’d advise do not stay in Playa de las Americas, it’s not for you.
Most of the young crowd head to the 1km high st also known as Veronicas, this is where you’ll find the bars, clubs and cabaret with lots of neon and music to really let you know this is the party street. This street comes alive every evening and parties on well into the early hours and beyond.
There is plenty of accommodation to fit all budgets here and a wonderful sandy beach to sleep the hours away in the sun before the next party. The beautiful sea will give you a new lease of life we’re sure.
There are a few beaches you can relax on:
The Playa de Troya is nearby. It lies in a sheltered cove and the waves break much further out on a sandbank making the waters calm and ideal for swimming. The golden sand is an added bonus.
If you fancy some surfing then head over to Playa Honda. There are no sandbanks further out here so the Atlantic rollers come in making this an ideal beginners surfing beach.
If you fancy something a little quieter then head to Playa de el Bobo where the waters are calm and the crowd relaxed. Ideal for families and kids.
Teide National Park & The Mountains
When in Tenerife we’d highly recommend some time in the Teide National Park and the Teide volcano, probably the main attraction! You’re able to book onto trekking tours on the volcano itself or if you prefer, join a bus tour. For those who fancy a bit more of adventure you can trek the Chinyero Volcano walk lying within Teide where you’ll go from Green lushness to bleak, black volcanic rock.
You may also book onto an overnight stay, on a clear night the star gazing is out of this world. This is something very different to most tourist experiences of Tenerife.
The park is also famous for the ‘Machu Picchu of Tenerife’. In reality this is the Masca Valley which lies in between the Teno mountains where you can trek down to the bottom through the gorge and hop on a boat taking you towards Los Gigantes.
Aside from Teide there are also plenty of mountain regions to discover including Montana Rogja within the Granadilla de Abona which divides two beaches. Here you see the diversity of wonder of the landscape of Tenerife, a side of the island hardly any tourists get to see.
