This summer we decided on a very last minute family holiday to Tenerife. A place that we had mixed reservations about, but fell in love with almost immediately. It blind sided us in the very best way. We had no idea that it was quite so beautiful or as wonderful as it is.
Like most parents, our holidays have changed somewhat since we’ve had the little ones and we don’t seem to take as many of them as we used to, so those once or twice a year escapes are just as exciting for us as they are for the little ones. So it’s for that reason that I’m sharing 4 reasons why Tenerife is most definitely worth your family summer holiday the next time you are thinking of one.
Location & Time Zone
A four hour flight with a 13 month old can feel like forever, but in reality its a hop skip and a jump from the UK to Tenerife. A four hour flight to warm, sunny climes is nothing really and by the time you’ve caught up on the latest series of Suits, read that trashy magazine you bought at the airport and eaten the last of your duty free snacks (because no one does free onboard snacks short haul anymore!) the plane is hitting the tarmac.
Even better is the zero hour time difference between the UK and Tenerife which makes it THE perfect place to holiday with children. Time difference is definitely something you should think about carefully when planning your family holiday. No jet lag, no falling asleep in the middle of dinner and no ridiculous o clock wake up times makes Tenerife a winner all round.
Temperature
When we originally saw the 38 degree forecast for Tenerife we were seriously worried, thinking it would be another case of hot, sweaty Paphos (where we holidayed two years prior) ahead of us. But whilst Paphos may have been 40 degrees and felt it, Tenerife was a balmy and breezy 38 degrees. Warm but perfectly manageable for us and the little ones. In fact I’d go so far as saying it was perfect weather wise.
Family Friendly
When it comes to spain and the islands off of it, I think they are all pretty family friendly. I think its one of the main reasons why us brits have a love affair with this area of Europe and Tenerife is no different. I have to admit, before we went I had a certain perception of what Tenerife would be like but was completely blown away by just how wonderful this little island is. I think we all fell a little bit in love with Tenerife in the short time that we were there. There is so much to do and see for families, and for all types too. We did the touristy stuff, we did the typical family type stuff, we did the adventurous stuff and we even did the local stuff. There really is so much to see and do and something for everyone.
Scenary
One thing that we weren’t prepared for was just how scenically beautiful this little island is. You are permanently surrounded by a backdrop of the most amazing and dramatic mountains, or stunning coastline, all of which is accessible and explorable. We took a car up into the mountains on one of the days that we were there and I couldn’t recommend it more. Going high up into the clouds is as breath taking and amazing as it sounds. So yes, Tenerife has all of the touristy, family stuff that you would expect, but it is also a beautiful place to visit and explore and we couldn’t recommend it more.
We loved Tenerife so much that we made a video of our holiday. Check it out below and see what we mean for yourself.
Love these photos. This place seems to be a great destination to visit for my family. I used to think that Tenerife is all about the touristy beaches. Great!!
Author
Oh thank you so much, that means a lot. I never really appreciated or enjoyed taking photos as much as I do since I started blogging. A lovely photo can add such richeness to blog posts. I’m really pleased that you’ve come away with a broader view, just as we did after we visited, it really is such a lovely place to visit 🙂