Europe · Beach and resort guide
The broadest Canary Island choice, from polished resorts to family favourites and dramatic landscapes.
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Families, couples, celebrations and winter sun.
We would think twice for
Travellers who want small, local and undiscovered, because the southern resorts are large and international, and the island's charm lives in its landscapes and its hotels more than its resort streets.
What we would want you to know
North and south differ in weather, landscape and resort style.
We’ve been here
We were married on Tenerife, at Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora on the quiet west coast near Alcalá, and we still return. Knowing one corner of the island from the inside is exactly why we are fussy about which coast a client ends up on.
Si & Beth’s take
Tenerife means more to us than simply being one of the destinations we sell. We were married here, and it is an island we know both as travellers and through the holidays we arrange for clients.
Map and areas
The island's smartest stretch, where the best hotel stock sits behind a manicured seafront promenade. Evenings are calm rather than loud, the beaches are groomed, and most of our couples and multi-generation families end up here.
The lively heart of the south, with the Veronicas strip, live music and bars that run late. It merges into Costa Adeje along the promenade, so a hotel on the boundary gives quiet nights with the action a short stroll away.
A former fishing town that is flatter and more walkable than its neighbours, with a sheltered beach and a working harbour for the La Gomera ferries. It has a loyal following of winter regulars who like its unhurried Spanish feel.
The north's historic resort, greener and more Canarian than anything in the south, with old streets, the Lago Martiánez pools and Loro Parque. The trade-off is cloud: it sees less guaranteed sunshine, so it suits travellers who want to explore rather than sunbathe.
Tucked beneath 500 metre sea cliffs on the west coast, with black sand at Playa de la Arena and boat trips to the cliffs from the marina. Streets are steep in places, which matters for anyone with limited mobility.
Weather and seasons
The south coast is the reason Tenerife sells all winter: January still averages 23°C by day, although the Atlantic is a brisk 20°C and evenings call for a layer. From May the island warms steadily, and August brings highs near 30°C with the sea at its warmest, around 24°C by September. Rain is rare in the south: even February, one of its wetter months, averages only around 9mm. Christmas, New Year and February half term are the dearest weeks of the island's year, while November and early December often give the best balance of warmth and price.
Worth timing a trip around
One of the biggest carnivals in the world, with weeks of parades, costumes and street parties in the capital. Hotels book early and prices rise island-wide.
Streets and the town square are covered in intricate carpets made from flowers and the coloured volcanic sands of Teide.
Pilgrims walk through the night to the basilica in Candelaria for the feast of the patron saint of the Canary Islands on 15 August.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23°C | 15°C | 20°C | 1 mm |
| February | 23°C | 15°C | 19°C | 9 mm |
| March | 23°C | 15°C | 19°C | 6 mm |
| April | 24°C | 16°C | 19°C | 0 mm |
| May | 25°C | 18°C | 20°C | 1 mm |
| June | 26°C | 19°C | 21°C | 0 mm |
| July | 29°C | 21°C | 22°C | 0 mm |
| August | 30°C | 22°C | 23°C | 0 mm |
| September | 28°C | 21°C | 24°C | 2 mm |
| October | 28°C | 20°C | 24°C | 8 mm |
| November | 26°C | 18°C | 22°C | 2 mm |
| December | 24°C | 17°C | 21°C | 7 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Tenerife Sur, 15 km away at 64 m. Rainfall is from the same station and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22°C | 16°C | 20°C | 40 mm |
| February | 22°C | 16°C | 19°C | 72 mm |
| March | 23°C | 16°C | 19°C | 57 mm |
| April | 24°C | 18°C | 19°C | 33 mm |
| May | 25°C | 19°C | 20°C | 7 mm |
| June | 27°C | 20°C | 22°C | 15 mm |
| July | 30°C | 22°C | 22°C | 4 mm |
| August | 30°C | 23°C | 23°C | 3 mm |
| September | 28°C | 22°C | 24°C | 6 mm |
| October | 27°C | 21°C | 24°C | 62 mm |
| November | 25°C | 19°C | 22°C | 43 mm |
| December | 23°C | 17°C | 21°C | 35 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Sta. Cruz De Tenerife, 29 km away at 35 m. Rainfall is from Tenerife/Los Rodeos, 23 km away and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Sand, shingle and swimming
Golden sand, calm water and neat rows of loungers in front of Costa Adeje's grandest hotels. Expect to pay for the setting, but the swimming here is about as easy as the island gets.
A sheltered town beach where the breakwater keeps the sea gentle, which makes it one of the safest bets on the island for toddlers and nervous swimmers.
A palm-lined sweep of pale sand near Santa Cruz, protected by a breakwater and loved by locals at weekends. Worth a morning if you are exploring the north east.
Black volcanic sand in Puerto de la Cruz, landscaped by the artist César Manrique. Atlantic waves roll in here, so watch the flags and treat it as a scenic swim rather than a paddle.
A natural beach near the airport that the wind has made one of Europe's windsurfing and kitesurfing hubs. Superb for watersports, less so for a still afternoon on a lounger.
Things to do
A lunar landscape of lava fields and rock towers around Spain's highest peak. The cable car climbs to 3,555 metres, and walking the last stretch to the summit needs a free permit booked well in advance.
Pilot whales live year-round in the channel between Tenerife and La Gomera. Choose a boat flying the Canary Islands' blue flag for licensed whale-watching vessels, which keeps its distance from the animals.
A hamlet clinging to a ravine at the end of one of the island's most dramatic mountain roads. The walk down the gorge runs under a booking system, but the village and the drive are worth the trip on their own.
A Thai-themed water park in Costa Adeje with some of the biggest slides in Europe and a wave pool with a real beach. Arrive at opening in summer, because the queues build fast.
A UNESCO-listed old town whose colonial street grid was copied across Spanish America. Flat, pedestrianised and full of cafés, it pairs well with a day in the Anaga mountains.
Ancient laurel forest, cloud-wrapped ridges and tiny villages like Taganana in the island's north-east corner. The walking here feels a world away from the southern resorts.
A handsome old port rebuilt after a volcanic eruption buried its harbour in 1706. The lava left behind the El Caletón rock pools, where you can swim when the sea is calm.
The ferry from Los Cristianos reaches La Gomera in under an hour, and its terraced valleys and ancient Garajonay forest make one of the Canaries' best day trips.
Tenerife protects its skies by law for the observatories on Teide. An evening tour to the national park, with a guide and telescopes, is one of the island's most memorable nights out.
Food and drink
Small potatoes boiled in salty water until wrinkled, served with red and green mojo sauces. You will see them everywhere, and they are rarely better than in a village bar.
Informal family-run wine houses in the north, open for part of the year to sell the household's own wine with home cooking at low prices.
Tenerife's layered coffee with condensed milk, Licor 43, cinnamon and lemon peel, served in a glass so you can see the stripes.
Rabbit marinated in garlic, wine and paprika, a traditional Canarian dish you will find on menus in the north far more often than in the resorts.
Vines grown in volcanic soil in the Tacoronte and Orotava valleys produce characterful reds from Listán Negro and whites from Listán Blanco and Malvasía.
Shape of the trip
Days 1 to 3
Settle into the south, walk the promenade to Playa del Duque and take a morning whale watching trip from the marina.
Day 4
Drive up through the pine forest to the crater, ride the cable car early and stay for the light on the rocks in late afternoon.
Day 5
See the cliffs from the water, then drive the switchbacks to Masca and back down the west coast for sunset.
Days 6 and 7
Explore the greener north: La Laguna's old streets, a guachinche lunch and the Anaga forest trails.
An idea to react to, not a fixed package. We shape the real thing around your dates, your pace and what the flights are doing that season.
Money
Tenerife is priced by the calendar more than the hotel star rating: a February half term week can cost far more than the same room in late November. Sea-view rooms in Costa Adeje carry a real premium and, because winter evenings are spent on the balcony, it is one upgrade we often think is worth paying. A short hire car costs less than a single organised Teide excursion for a family.
Flights and transfers
Direct flights run year-round from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle into Tenerife South, which sits usefully close to the main resorts. It is a proper four-hour flight, so we plan flight times with more care than for mainland Spain, especially with young children.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
Same time as the UK
Euro (€)
Spanish
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Safe to drink, but desalinated in the south and most people buy bottled for the taste
Not expected; around 5 to 10 percent for good restaurant service is appreciated
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
The south and south west, around Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas. Cloud from the trade winds tends to sit over the north, which is why the north is so green and the south so reliable. Even in January the south averages around 23°C by day.
In the sun, yes: January highs average around 23°C in the south. The sea is cool at about 20°C, so heated pools matter for families, and evenings need a jacket. It is spring warmth, not summer heat.
About 4 hours 30 minutes from Manchester. That is noticeably longer than mainland Spain, so we take more care with flight times, especially with young children.
It depends on your evenings. Costa Adeje is quieter and more polished with the island's best hotels, while Las Américas is where the nightlife is. They join along the same promenade, so a hotel on the border can give you both.
Not for a resort holiday in the south, where the promenade and buses cover the basics. We suggest two or three days of car hire to reach Teide, Masca and the north, which a coach excursion shows you only briefly.
Very. The transfer from Tenerife South to the southern resorts is short, beaches like Los Cristianos are sheltered, and Siam Park is a highlight for older children. In winter, check that the hotel pool is heated before you book.
Photographs
Also worth a look
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