To Tenerife with children? Someone just asked me that question. Are you going on holiday to Tenerife with your children? I was honestly a little surprised. Yes why? Why not? Don't get me wrong, I like to go away without my kids sometimes, but why not take them to Tenerife specifically? We have now discovered that it is wonderful for children.
If you've been there, you probably already know that. If not, read my travelogue, because there's even more to do than you probably think! In addition, we have not kept our holiday 'standard' in the south of Tenerife, but that we have also seen a few things from the north of this island. And there's only one word for that:fantastic!
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Anyway, Tenerife it is.
Maybe the plane trip would hold you back a bit at first, but I really enjoyed flying with the kids. Is something different than long car rides with the kids in the backseat. To be fair, you also travel by plane for a while, but I think that is a bit more varied. In addition, Lotte had never flown before and just really wanted to join the plane. Well… influences from my father I think, he was a fighter jet pilot 😉 .
By the way, we booked the flight to Tenerife from Charleroi, Belgium. Saved quite a few bucks because of course we had to fly in the May holidays with school-aged children and then the tickets in the Netherlands are more expensive than in Belgium. For us Charleroi is a 2 hour drive, so that is doable. Are you flying to Tenerife with children or are you going to fly with a baby? Then read our tips for a pleasant flight.
After more than 4 hours of flying we enter Spanish territory and the long pants can immediately be exchanged for something lighter, yay! Next to Tenerife with children is Lanzarote with children also very nice by the way!
Because we took the drone to Tenerife for beautiful film material from the air, we had to take some large suitcases with us. If that was not the case, we would have done it all with hand luggage. If you're going to Tenerife for a week (or a little longer), that's fine and you don't have to wait at the belt for the rest of your luggage.
Tip:Make sure that your hand luggage has the correct dimensions. The rules on this are getting stricter! Luc was allowed to try out the Leitz trolley. A lightweight suitcase on rolls that meets all dimensions but is also extremely suitable because of its weight. The lighter the trolley, the more clothes it can hold 😉 .
And if he goes out alone as an adolescent, or if mom has a press trip, then he is also ideal. With all the separate compartments it contains, you can easily keep your laptop, cables, toilet bag and travel papers separated from each other and find them in a jiffy!
The climate here is fantastic. That alone can be a reason to visit Tenerife with children. However, it is now the case that it can generally be cooler and rainier in the north than in the south. And so we are in the north. Frank is constantly working on the weather forecasts beforehand. Although I never do that myself, I am getting a bit desperate now… 16° almost every day and 60% chance of rain. In the north that is. Damn! I don't have to leave the Netherlands for that!
In the south the weather forecast is much better, 25°, sunny and dry. How come? Something with a mountain and wind and stuff. We decide - if the weather in the north of Tenerife turns out to be really bad- just drive to the south every day 😉 . Fortunately, it is great! Such a mountain in the middle and a sea breeze may well cause clouds… the wind blows the clouds and rain away again if it is lucky.
All in all we have seen some dark clouds during this holiday, and felt a few specks of rain. But most of the time it was sunny, warm and excellent weather to do things with the kids and admire Tenerife itself!
We were in a lovely house, but if you are looking for a child-friendly hotel to stay in Tenerife with children, check out below:
With peace of mind, after a 4 hour flight, we whiz with our Countryman through the dry sunny south on the highway to the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz. Not that we have an accommodation there, no, we are a little inland in a real Spanish house which -as we have seen through Interhome on the internet- looks very cute. The question is, of course, whether that is actually the case;). Always exciting!
Of course, when we have to get off the highway, we take a wrong turn. The navigation picks it up quickly and sends us criss-cross through the narrowest paths upwards. Sight Seeing El Rosario so to speak. What a wonderful region and you can taste the real life on Tenerife here. This area is so very different from the south with the high-rise buildings, luxury apartments, many shops and the pronounced tourism. It's green here, there are some dogs roaming the street and the people we meet -there aren't many- they look at us friendly and encouraging.
When we arrive at our house, a warm welcome awaits us. Cristo, owner of our house, and his dogs come running. Apologizing for his work clothes, Cristo directs us to a path above his house that leads to our idyllic spot for the week ahead. Frank has only just turned the car on the narrow path, but that should not spoil the fun. Unless I decide to take a picture of it instead of helping him with directions 😉 . #everythingfortheblog
As usual the children bounce around and as soon as the door of our house opens they fly into the rooms to see who is going to lie down where. Do you recognize that?
Cristo gives us information about the local supermarket (mega cheap) and we enjoy the charm of our house. First do some shopping and then enjoy the view, a good glass of wine (me), a cup of coffee (he) and the fact that we are together, while the kids do a bottle flip. This is vacation.
We 'only' spent 6 days in Tenerife with the kids. Not that much when you consider that you are also traveling in 2 days of it, but we spent our time well! As far as we are concerned, you should not miss the following on Tenerife with children!
A beautiful city in the north-west of Tenerife. If you drive from the east (for example Santa Cruz) on the highway, you will eventually arrive at the last mountainous part along the coast. Puerto de la Cruz can be seen 'below' and what a beautiful view this provides! Arriving in the city we first walk over the stone pier at a small beach. Sniffing the salty sea breeze, I watch the children jump in amazement over the stones in search of the countless crabs that are here. One even bigger than the other. Our children don't seem to need much more than this. Satisfied, Frank and I settle down on a large flat rock and we absorb the energy of Puerto de la Cruz. This makes Tenerife with children a breeze!
Fortunately, we get the children with us after an hour and we discover that this city has much more to offer than we initially thought. Behind this first beach (at the Lago Martiánez park) is a huge boulevard that leads to the center of Puerto de la Cruz. In addition to this Lago Martiánez Park, the coast along the boulevard also offers opportunities to splash around between the rocks, and they make full use of it.
The old town has a typical Mediterranean character. With narrow cobbled streets, squares and shops and houses in all kinds of colors, it is a feast for the eyes here.
You can certainly eat and drink here. We sat here 'at the arches' and had an extensive dinner for about € 50.00. With drinks and a beautiful view. Not much compared to the Netherlands and also a clear difference in price compared to the south of Tenerife.
On one of the other days we went back to this beautiful city, but this time to visit the Loro Parque. A real attraction in Tenerife and definitely worth a visit if you like zoos. It is not for nothing that they have been chosen as the best zoo in Europe. Even if you don't like zoos, this park is still very beautiful to see. With penquins in an environment where they imitate their natural habitat as much as possible (including falling snow), dolphins, a lot of beautiful parrots that also fly loose in a large jungle and of course the orcas. If you go to Tenerife with children, you should not miss the Loro Parque.
Did you know that 'our Morgan' also swims around here? The deaf orca that has washed up in the Netherlands is given training here based on light signals. Animal lover as I am I always find zoos a bit dubious. On the one hand I think it's fantastic to see all these special animals, but the other side is that you always think about the natural environment where they actually belong. Still, I think they do an excellent job in the Loro Parque.
The best trainers are located here, but also researchers. The Loro Parque is very committed to animal welfare. Not only within the zoo, but also outside of it. They invest with money and knowledge in all kinds of projects all over the world.
For example, what I also think is fantastic is the 'lesson' that you get as a visitor during the shows. Not only will you gain more knowledge of the animals, but you will also be informed, for example, about how you can save a dolphin's life when washed ashore. They can all show this because the dolphins are trained that way. Nice. Furthermore, I think the photos speak for themselves.
Another attraction not to be missed. You might not think it, but our children were really looking forward to this trip. So if you are in Tenerife with children, be sure to take the opportunity to climb this volcano - the highest mountain in Spain.
We had already requested a permit 2 months ago to climb the top of Pico del Teide. Every day they only allow a few people on the top, so if you want that you have to be there in time. Incidentally, the permit itself is free.
You understand that we were very disappointed when we arrived at el Teide… the gondola turned out to be under maintenance, exactly on the day we had our permit! Damn. So no gondola ride up. And worse… so no climb to the top either. Very unfortunate, and certainly a reason for us to go back again. Fortunately, the drive to del Teide itself is already very beautiful, with beautiful photo opportunities in between. But the crème de la crème… well, we saw that pass by nicely.
Interested in climbing the top of Pico del Teide? Request your permit here.
The beach Playa de las Teresitas is a great must-see if you visit Tenerife with children. There's nothing better than hanging out on the beach and playing with water, sand and shells, right?
They also call this beach 'the golden beach'. Tenerife does not have real white sand beaches as we know them here. Because of the volcanic soil, the beaches there are normally black (very fashionable) or brownish. However, Playa de las Teresitas is not a natural beach. You sit with your butt on a piece of Sahara when you sunbathe there, because this sand was transported by ship from the Sahara to Tenerife. Can you also say that you've been to the desert and not just to Tenerife with the kids 😉 .
The only white beach in Tenerife is located in the north near the village of San Andrés and looks tropical with beautiful mountains in the background. You can rent a bed there for € 2.50 per day and there are enough trees to find shade if you want. You will also find some stalls to get a snack and a drink.
From Playa de las Teresitas we decided to look for McDonalds in Santa Cruz. On spec we drove into town and parked our car at a very beautiful park in the middle of the city:Parque de la Granja. If you're ever in the area 😉 , it's a must.
Strolling through the park along the riverbed that has been transformed into a sports ground for young people, you arrive in the extensive center. This route gives you a real sense of the local life in this city and certainly surprised us.
Guaranteed to see whales and dolphins with a boat trip. Promised and received and how we enjoyed it. One of the must-sees if you visit Tenerife with children. At the front, on the bow of the catamaran, we have seen dozens of dolphins. I was so perplexed that it took me a long time to realize it might be fun to take a picture of it 😉 . I was only just in time.
In the end we spent 5 wonderful hours on the boat (with a pill against the nausea). Dolphins and small whales seen and of course the Los Gigantos cliff that rises 600 meters above the sea.
You can arrange these boat trips anywhere. Personally, I would never choose the glass bottom boat… that is asking to get seasick. In addition, I want to smell the salty sea air when I sit on the water. We were now on a catamaran, but if the opportunity arises again… I would go on an even smaller kind of private yacht with only 11 people on it or something. That seems fantastic to me.
Since we have a house in the north and we fly to the south (nice and handy), a rental car is not an unnecessary luxury. Not by the way, because you really see a lot more of Tenerife with children if you have a car available. No car? Then you are completely dependent on standard trips and the tour buses that run. It may seem convenient from a hotel, but you have no freedom at all. Personally, I think that is a considerable loss.
Anyway, we have used 'our' Mini Countryman (always wanted to have!) extensively to explore the island of Tenerife with children. For example, we are all the way south from our house in about an hour to take a boat trip. And in 20 minutes we were in the beautiful port city of Puerto de la Cruz. We were also able to make the trip to Teide at our own pace. Another advantage… with your own car, puking children are a much smaller risk than with a bus tour. I can already see myself every moment that one of them becomes nauseous walking to the bus driver to ask if he would like to stop for a while to get some fresh air 😉 .
Renting is also a breeze. So do it from your lazy chair in Holland, and then show your papers at the airport in Tenerife. Oh and also good to know… at Sunny Cars -where we have arranged the car- you rent the car all-in. Damage and theft insurance, an additional liability insurance of € 7.5 million (Whut?), coverage of glass, tires, floor and roof damage:all necessary insurances are included. They always pay back the deductible. So you do NOT have to take out extra insurance at your destination (which they will try to sell you there on the spot, so pay attention)!
And speaking of insurance… don't forget to also take out a continuous travel insurance if you - just like us - travel a bit more often. But even if you go on vacation once a year, it's worth it. We have had to use it many times before. For example when Lotte broke her leg during winter sports and earlier when my father became seriously ill and was diagnosed with cancer. Only in situations like this do you realize what benefits such an insurance has for you, while the premium of such an insurance is really not that bad if you look at this per month.
In a few weeks, for example, we are going to England for a weekend with DFDS, to discover Newcastle. A different story than to Tenerife with children, but the travel insurance is still valid and I find that very reassuring. After all, you never know. Of course, a detailed report will also follow about our car holiday England 😉 .
We will go to England by boat, but we would also like to rent a car there to explore a bit of England, even though we won't be there very long. Have you ever driven a car there? It seems slightly exciting to me!
It was 14 years ago for us that we were in Tenerife. We have agreed that it will not be another 14 years before we visit Tenerife with children again. There is still so much we want to discover there. A small selection:
For now we have to make do with all the beautiful photos and memories.
Have you ever been to Tenerife (with or without children) and do you have any tips for us about something we should definitely not miss next time? Let me know and I'll add it to our wishlist 😉 .
This article about discovering Tenerife with children was created through a collaboration with Interhome and, as you have come to expect from us, represents our honest opinion. If you also want to see if it is something for you… all the houses on Tenerife that Interhome has to offer can be found here.
ps… Fellow blogger Stephanie went to Gran Canaria with her kids † If you want to know more about it, read her blog!
