Tenerife

Introducing Tenerife

The island's proximity to Africa means it shares the continent's scorching sun and consistently warm climate, drawing tourists to its dramatic volcanic sands all year round.

The most well-known resorts sit on the West coast where you can enjoy bags of daytime activities as well as lively nights, from the after-hours fun of Playa De Las Americas to the luxury resort of Costa Adeje.

Holidays in the South offer a quieter scene where you can lounge in coves with small, spotless beaches or enjoy the excellent golf courses.

Capital cities

Holidays in the North of the island provide an authentic cultural experience of Tenerife. Enjoy shopping around the island's main cities of Puerto De La Cruz and the capital Santa Cruz de Tenerife, both of which are vibrant places to spend your days and nights. With these and many more resorts in between, there's somewhere for couples, families and groups alike to enjoy the phenomenal Tenerife weather and scenery before retiring to some truly first-class hotels.

‘The island of eternal spring’

Tenerife sits in the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of northern Africa and shares the continent's scorching sun and consistently warm climate, even during the nights, hence why it's been given the nickname 'the island of eternal spring'.

Where else in the world can you bask under the sun whilst admiring the snow-capped summit of a mountain? Tenerife holidays invite you to enjoy dry weather and temperatures of 24°C to 28°C during the summer and even in winter it stays between 22°C to 25°C - warm enough for sunbathing at Christmas!

Black and gold sands

The island's native volcanic sands are a striking black colour, however over the years sand has been lovingly imported from the Sahara to create several golden stretches of sunbathing space in Tenerife. Black or gold, most of the beaches in Tenerife boast Blue Flag status for cleanliness and quality of sand.

Natural beauty

If holidays bring out your adventurous side, you can hike through the lush forest of Teide National Park and up to the peak of Mount Teide - Spain's highest mountain and the third largest volcano in the world! For a more leisurely trip we recommend taking the cable car high above the clouds to near the 3,718-metre summit where you can gaze across the turquoise sea and take some top-notch holiday snaps of Tenerife.

You can take one of the daily buses from either Costa Adeje or Playa de las Americas to the base of the mountain. For more natural beauty, take a trip to Garachico in the north where the kids will love exploring the volcanic rock pools – you might even spot some of the underwater wildlife native to Tenerife.

Attractions aplenty

You'll never be short of something to see, do or experience in Tenerife. For a truly amazing day trip you can go on a whale watching boat ride, take the Submarine Safari or visit a banana plantation. Access to Los Realejos plantation, near Puerto de la Cruz, is free or you can drive through the middle of it to experience the lush landscape and stunning ocean views.

The island is also crammed with mainstay tourist attractions including animal parks and waterparks in the south and the popular Loro Parque in the north with top animal shows and interactions. The waterparks in Tenerife are the envy of the Canary Islands - Siam Park provides thrills for adrenaline junkies whilst Aqualand is the choice for families and has a kidzworld, dolphinarium and chilled out rides as well as some more adventurous flumes if the adults can sneak off for a go. Buses to the park run daily from Costa Adeje and Playa de las Americas.

Shoppers’ paradise

Many resorts in Tenerife have commercial centres which offer everything from designer brands to unique souvenirs. For the best shopping experience on the island, browse the designer retailers of Playa de las Americas and Costa Adeje or take a trip to the capital city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which rewards visitors with an expansive shopping experience ranging from traditional island products to well-known brands.

Quiet drinks to clubbing all night

Tenerife holidays are perhaps best-known for great nights out, and the infamous Playa de las Americas doesn't disappoint - with dozens of different bars and clubs it has something for all tastes and is popular with young and old visitors.

This premier party destination regularly hosts nights with world class DJs, such as Judge Jules and DJ EZ as well as being the venue for the Arona Festival which brings top dance DJs to the island every August for a 12-hour party in the Domíngez Alfonso Olympic Stadium.

Elsewhere on the island there are plenty of resorts where you can spend your evenings relaxing with a drink in intimate settings without the party vibe. With a fantastic eating-out culture and lots of local wine to try, you can have laid-back nights in one of the great bars, restaurants and hotels during your holidays.

Culinary delights

Tenerife holidays offer the culinary delights of Canarian Cuisine. And take it from us, the ideal way to spend your nights is sampling the mouthwatering local food. Home grown meals can be found in a number of restaurants and tapas bars with many ocean-facing eateries offering freshly caught seafood - the parrot fish, vieja, is particularly good.

Also well worth a try is the Canary Island's signature dish of Pappas Arragudas - unskinned potatoes boiled in sea water, drizzled in a garlicy mojo sauce. Due to the rich volcanic soils and mild climate, Tenerife produces many distinctive and attractive wines and has five wine producing regions so there is a local wine to go with every dish.

Tenerife is big on food - and not just their own - you can get almost any type of cuisine on the island, from Indian to Italian. Or for those with homesick taste buds, the majority of resorts have plenty of British pubs serving familiar dishes, drinks and even Sunday dinners.

Carnival time

Spend your holidays partying in the street. With a carnival that is second only to Rio's, Tenerife sure knows how to fiesta. The week long Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which takes place during the week of Ash Wednesday in February, attracts visitors from all over the world who come to see the elaborate floats and costumes and delicious tortillas.

Smaller scale celebrations also take place this week in resorts around the island. Tenerife gets in the party mood for many other occasions across the year, with tourists always invited to join in the fun and celebrate well into the night.

Gorgeous golf greens

There are a number of superb golf courses all around Tenerife including a special collection of quality courses in the south west region around Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos where the well-kept greens contrast with the blue oceans surrounding the area.

The fantastic resort of Golf Del Sur is a 27-hole, championship quality course where the signature black volcanic sands of Tenerife make up the course's bunkers while small ravines create the water hazards. With great restaurants and a nightclub on site and the Playa de las Americas nightlife a short drive away, this resort makes for perfect golfing holidays.