The best part of living in Europe, travel wise, is that we have cheap flights from major cities. From Bordeaux we can usually find flights starting from 50€ round trip to different French cities, European countries, and beyond! For our children’s winter holiday we chose to go to Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain this year.
In 2020 we went to Lanzarote (read about that here) and fell in love with the Canaries. Each island is very different. Lanzarote is small, more agro tourism available, incredibly unique vineyards, and nice beaches. It’s also like being on the moon as there is no vegetation.
Tenerife, as we found out, is the most populated island and historically the center of trade. Its vistas, from rainforests in the North La Laguna, to desserts of the South near Los Gigantes, are breathtaking. The road through the center of the island with large drops into misty green mountainsides was such a contrast to the horse ride through dirt roads through succulents and large rock formations.
GETTING TO TENERIFE
Flights for all four of us, nonstop, was under 300€ total on Easyjet . Yep. If you’ve never heard of Tenerife, it’s off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic and is about a 3 and 1/2 hour flight from Bordeaux. All but Tenerife were uninhabited when Spanish discovered and one smaller island off the West coast of Tenerife was where Christopher Columbus used to stop on his way across the ocean.
The island receives around 6 million visitors a year, many German and Russian. There are two airports, but you can travel from one end of the island to another in an hour and half, so no harm if you land on either. I’d recommend a week to explore.
Drive around for the vistas. Car rentals can be tricky to get to and from airport, with shuttles only coming maybe every 30 minutes between the car rental location and airport. Give yourself plenty of time when returning the car. Parking lots can be tighter than even in France, so large cars are not ideal. However, as it is very hilly, an automatic would be nice if you’re not used to a manual drive.
WHERE TO STAY IN TENERIFE
We took a house in San Cristobal, one of the original villages in the North for the first half, an historic family home converted into an Airbnb. Very centrally located, parking under ten minutes walk, grocery three minutes and shopping and restaurants all nearby, it was a good start. The homes fenced gardens are enviable and a great place for kids to play. Overall, recommend but not for small children under 5, as there are many fragile items in the house.
https://www.booking.com/Share-2ireHxU / 38201 San Cristobal de la Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
For the second half of the trip, we chose an all inclusive kids friendly resort, which by the second disastrous restaurant meal with my unadventurous eaters, I was happy to have pasta with butter available at all meals. Did they complain they wanted a restaurant after a day? Of course! But still worth it lol! There are a lot of stunning all inclusive locations, Tenerife is more glamorous than Lanzarote so five star hotels (some which include butlers) are possible. I wanted a clean room, nice warm pool, all inclusive, with a great view. We chose Landmark Costa Los Gigantes, a one bedroom with sofa beds (not comfy for adults) and main bedroom, bathtub, and one buffet restaurant (there are other restaurants but we didn’t choose that option).
If you have small children, this would be great as many activities were more for under 6 years. They did have a teen club as well. The kids between 7-12 were at a bit of a loss, but my girls did enjoy the heated pool for about five hours a day, which had some animations and a snack bar with hot dogs that they loved. At night they have dance parties for kids before a main music performance and the night they had the Queen cover band was a win. Over all, good experience and didn’t cost a fortune compared to the others so nothing lost. The views onto La Gomera island at sunset were dreamy, and honestly I needed a few pina coladas listening to 80’s hits at the pool. I needed a chill. Staff were very helpful and friendly. Spa on site.
Landmar Los Gigantes https://www.booking.com/Share-210hik / 38683 Puerto de Santiago, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN TENERIFE!
CARNIVAL!
Santa Cruz in Tenerife is considered to have the BEST carnival in Europe! It goes on for days, you’ll see events all over Tenerife, but the big stuff happens here. When we went the stages were set up in three squares in the city, with music, dancing, costumes of all styles – more men in dresses than you’ll ever imagine! Families, friends, young and old, it’s a blast! Parking is best on the outskirts, stores and museums are closed because you just need to be outside to dance… and drink! My girls and myself are not huge crowd people but we managed fine and didn’t stay for the big events, which are closer to evening. Dates change every year, so check updated calendar on tourism website. https://www.spain.info/fr/evenements/fetes-carnaval-santa-cruz-tenerife/
Just on outskirts of town, we had a really nice lunch at which also had underground parking nearby. It was about a fifteen minutes walk into the center of carnival action. Highly recommend. Cayote Restaurant / https://restaurantecayote.com / 29 Calle dr Guigou, 38001 Santa Cruz de Tenerife
HISTORIC MOUNTAIN VILLAGE OF LA OROTAVA
Is one of the most picturesque towns on the island, way up on a hill overlooking the sea. Multiple gardens to wander through, one of my favorite patisseries, colonial buildings and a nice shopping street. Easy can spend a day here exploring. The historic home of LOS BALCONIES will have you drawing up two story wooden porch and courtyard plans when you come home. One of the places where you can view the history of the island, architecture and culture. I saw one of the old volcanic rock filters for water which were used on the island here and would love to have one at home now!
Casa de los Balcones historic home / book in advance / https://casa-balcones.com / Monday-Sunday, last entrance at 6pm
Lunch at Casa Lercaro, in a historic building with stunning views of the hills and ocean. Really enjoyed the local porc which was served thinly sliced with spices on top, cold. Yes, touristy, but wouldn’t have wanted to miss it! Prices were correct and they were nice to children / https://casalercaro.com / book in advance
The nicest family bakery with some delicious local and in house specialties at Casa Egon is the oldest on the island and celebrated its 100 years in 2016. Light, slightly sweet traditional cakes, glazed local ‘donuts’ with jams, all taken from the old glass case and packaged in paper. / https://www.laorotava.es/es/noticias/un-siglo-de-dulces-casa-egon
SANDY BEACH AND LUXURY SHOPPING IN COSTA ADEJE
Maybe you’ll bump into David Beckham, Michael Jackson was rumored to have a home here…regardless, you’ll notice a huge difference between this beachside town and many others. Shopping includes high end designer brands, the beach has palm umbrellas and dressing tents, it’s Costa Adeje! You’ll find plenty of luxury five star hotels and all inclusive here (and some not). Many beautiful private homes. It’s worth a walk around and a drink looking at the waterfront!
STARGAZING ON LA TIÈDE VOLCANO
Tenerife used to be one of the most visited places in the world to stargaze, still near the top of the list but recent construction has created some light pollution. Buy your place in advance, and either take the bus or drive up to the top of the volcano to use professional telescopes. Much closer if you stay in South part of island. https://www.volcanoteide.com/fr/le_ciel_du_teide/observation_des_etoiles
DOLPHIN AND WHALE WATCHING ON A PIRATE SHIP
Boat trip to see wildlife with a chance to swim if the weather is good! Started out great, we saw dolphins (I’m guessing that’s all most people will see). Everyone was jovial, my daughter was loving it! Crew come around with beers, coke and rum…it’s a fun experience! *Then we got bad weather and swells and people were seasick, but girls still said they’d do it again! Book in advance / https://www.flipperuno.com / 38683 Acantillados Los Gigantes, Santa Cruz Tenerife, Spain
LORO PARK ZOO AND SANCTUARY
This is a whole day activity. They close around 530pm, so get there early, eat lunch on site, and take in all of the activities. My youngest was obsessed because she knew Michael Jackson had been there (Thriller is her favorite album right now). They have a lot of parrots and birds as they do conservation work. Your kids will have a great time. Walking around is easy, they have a lot of interactive options for kids with some of the animals. They have a rescue orca named Morgan who is deaf and they use lights to communicate with. The show is intense, it’s fun, the animals are so beautiful, and while I have mixed feelings on animals in captivity in general, I am glad I had to opportunity to see this. We ended up attending both shows that day. No need to book in advance. Ticketing onsite / https://www.loroparque.com/ticketsonline/es/paso0 / Av Loro Parque, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz
HORSE RIDING
Not going to recommend. Multiple reasons.
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