Why I Love Tenerife: My Tips For Visiting Tenerife With Kids
When it comes to family holidays, for us, it has to be the Canary Islands. I am the first to admit I’ve not been to many destinations, Egypt just before I turned 30, a few trips to Disneyland Paris (and hopefully many more to come) and countless trips to the Canary Islands. My first taste of this stunning part of the world was a family holiday to Gran Canaria for my mum’s 60th birthday.
As soon as we touched down at the airport, I knew I was going to love it. Since then, while we’ve not returned to Gran Canaria, we have visited most other islands. Lanzarote holds a special place in my heart, but I also think that was because it was my first holiday without Olivia, and it felt so good just to be away with my mum and youngest sister and be able to relax.
Most recently, in October 2022, I finally made it to Tenerife. Other family members have been many times over the years; it is a strong favourite with my mum and youngest sister, who frequently go on holiday together. But for me, it was my first time, and it was for a good reason. We were celebrating my eldest niece turning 18.
It was a whole family affair, except my niece didn’t know one of my sisters was joining us; she initially couldn’t make it. After an early morning start at the airport, it was a fantastic surprise for her to see them join us there. 7 adults, 5 kids and one week in the sun staying all-inclusive with nothing to do but relax and enjoy ahead of the birthday celebrations.
This leads me nicely to visiting Tenerife with kids. Tenerife has so much going on, it is the perfect place to visit with kids, and there is plenty to do and get involved in outside of your resort and accommodation. If you’re looking for holidays with kids in Spain, you need to consider Tenerife. We spent a lot of time off-site and even visited what has recently been voted the best Mcdonald’s location in the world by visiting Brits. And yes, it is a stunning location. If you go, you must grab an iced drink (and chicken nuggets) and take in the view; you won’t be sorry! It’s on the promenade in Costa Adeje on Playa de Torviscas.
But I digress; while Mcdonald’s is a must for most kids, you don’t go all the way to Tenerife for fast food; it has way better things on offer.
Tips for Visiting Tenerife
After our visit, I have a few tips for visiting Tenerife with kids or even without.
- Check your accommodation and surrounding areas – Tenerife is very hilly. If you are visiting with young kids, you might find the uneven terrain a bit much for them, so pay attention to your location and find a place close to local amenities to reduce walking and travel times.
- Explore the coast – there are so many beach activities for all ages, from young to old, and places to sit and eat along the promenade. Don’t stay at your accommodation. Whether you are looking at villas in Tenerife or choosing an all-inclusive hotel, get out and explore.
- Sun Protection – Obviously, this is a given, but the midday sun can get really hot, and on one day, we had to buy Olivia a new outfit despite her being covered in F50+ So, take extra sun protection and keep those little ones covered.
- Booking excursions – we found taxis to be relatively inexpensive, so when booking excursions, look at the cost of making your own way there over package days out. Sometimes, it can be cheaper to go it alone. Ask at your hotel reception for tips; typically, they will call you a taxi to get you where you need to be.
- Avoid Peak Season – temperatures in Tenerife can reach highs of 29 degrees plus (during our October trip, it was unseasonably warm, and some days reached over 30). If you are travelling with younger kids before, it will give you more manageable temperatures, while June, July and August can see soaring temperatures.
- Share Meals – we ate out for my sister’s birthday meal (it was her birthday during the holiday, too) instead of staying at the all-you-can-eat buffet at the hotel. We found the meal sizes to be extraordinarily generous and opted to share them between two for the most part. So before you order, have a look at the meals other people have to see the size and save yourself some money by sharing. Also, the drinks are reasonably priced too in many places.
The Best Things To Do In Tenerife with Kids
Tenerife is the largest of the eight Canary Islands, and it is often thought to be the best option for families as there is so much to do and see. Without further ado, here are my top tips for things to do in Tenerife with or without kids.
Take A Catamaran
The coastline off Tenerife is absolutely stunning and is home to many aquatic wildlife. On my niece’s 18th birthday, we took an amazing trip on a catamaran from Puerto Colon. We chose the 3-hour cruise, and there is also a 5-hour cruise available oto. The trip is suitable for all ages, and you get lunch and drinks on board, too (some drinks may come with a small charge). You can make your way there or book a seat on their coach from your hotel (we were nearby, so we booked a taxi). During the trip, you get to see whales in their natural habitat and get up close and personal with them. It is really a fantastic experience despite my seasickness. You are then served lunch on board, and you can get off and swim or snorkel during the pit stop before heading back along the coast of Adeje.
Monkey Park
The Monkey Park is located in Arona, Tenerife and two of my sisters and 3 kids headed out during our holiday to pay a visit. They had such a good time and got really involved in seeing all the animals. I am pretty sure they tried to jailbreak a few too. It is only a small zoo, and they suggest you can easily spend an hour there feeding the animals (food is an extra charge). As well as money, they have parrots, reptiles, and birds, and it is a great way to spend a few hours out of the sun with kids.
Forestal Park Tenerife
If your kids have an adventurous side located in Teide National Park, you can test your limits with this treetop adventure. There are 11 ziplines and 86 crossings, all designed for maximum fun and thrills and can be undertaken by anyone over 1.1 metres tall and over the age of 5. There is a family course which takes around 2 hours to complete, and the sports course, which is 3 hours long and allows you to see Tenerife from a whole different perspective. We didn’t get to visit this as our week was pretty busy, but it is on our to-do list for next time.
Costa Martianez Complex
Located in Puerto de la Cruz, Costa Martianez Complex is a fantastic landscape with artificial pools that have transformed the area. There are 7 pools in total, 4 for adults and there for children, and a range of bars, restaurants, and refreshment stands to give you a fun-filled water-themed day out in a stunning location. I’ll be honest and say we didn’t know about this during our visit, but now we do. It will definitely be on our visit next time.
Siam Park
We can’t really talk about fun things to do in Tenerife with kids without mentioning Siam Park. We drove past this on our way to our resort in Costa Adeje and obviously back again. We were pretty close to the park but didn’t get to visit it this time. Siam Park has often been rated as the best water park in the world, and there’s little wonder. There is something for everyone at Siam Park, from places to sit and relax and enjoy the calm of the pools to water slides, adrenaline water rides and sports and beaches to relax on; Siam Park has it all.
Conclusion
I cannot recommend Tenerife enough for families. There are so many things to do; even if you choose to do nothing much other than sit on the beach, there are still plenty of things to do. Our older girls took out a small water boat with a slide into the sea and had the best time while we enjoyed the fun of the lively promenade and sampled some local food and drinks at some of the many eateries and bars. What I’m getting at is, in Tenerife, you will be spoilt for choice for something to do all the time, and on that note, excuse me while I go look at arranging our next visit!
