Tenerife Hotels
Tenerife is a small island situated off the west coast of Africa. Tenerife remains hot most of the year making it an ideal holiday to increase your tan, even in the winter. Tenerife is a great choice for a family holiday as it offers Europe's widest range of tourist attractions and activities which include Siam Park, Europe's largest water park and the exotic Jardin Botanico. Tenerife provides a little bit of everything, from chilled out days to fun and noisy nights.
How Hot?
Tenerife enjoys moderate temperatures throughout the year and there are no seasons of extreme cold or suffocating heat. Average temperatures in winter are 63°F rising up to 75°F in summer.
The north of the island though still warm, is usually cooler than the south; also receiving more rain and clouds than the rest of the island, while the south is always the warmest and sunniest with the least cloud. The mountains in the centre of the island have a different climate altogether, often it's quite cool with fresh winds and during winter snow can be found here particularly on Mount Teide.
Out and About
Tenerife is fringed with golden and black sand beaches, a happy blend of lively beach resorts in the south, beautiful cities in the north and a diverse interior combining rugged volcanic landscapes with vineyards and pine forests. Dominating the centre, the magnificent heights of Mount Teide can be seen from almost anywhere on the island.
You can walk to the spectacular view points near the top of Mount Teide, the highest peak in Spain, along the pathway from Montana Blanca in about 6 hours. Alternatively, you can take the leisurely option and ride the cable car which operates daily. Either way, you will be rewarded with far-reaching views across the Canary Islands.
The clear warm waters and trade winds mean water sports enthusiasts can enjoy surfing, diving and sailing. On land there is a network of cycling and hiking trails, 9 golf courses and opportunities for climbing and caving, horse-riding and paragliding.
Walkers and lovers of the fresh countryside will love rambling, or driving, through the Parque Rural de Anaga, in the north east of the island; a verdant landscape of forests, fruit groves, vineyards and farmland, populated with traditional hamlets and villages. Bird watchers might make their way to the mountainous forests and rugged coastline of the Parque Rural de Teno in the north-west of the island. For whale-watching and dolphin spotting head for the south-west coast where you are almost guaranteed to see these fascinating marine mammals.
Also in the north of the island you have the historic city of San Cristobal de la Laguna and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island's vibrant capital, which is complete with museums and cultural attractions, plazas and gardens, a pedestrianised shopping centre and the busy cruise ship terminal. A little further south, the historic town of La Oratova and the cosmopolitan town of Puerto de la Cruz are just 5km apart. In La Oratova stroll around the two historic quarters, downtown and uptown, admiring traditional Canarian architecture, stately homes, the botanical gardens, the pretty Plaza de la Constitution and the 17th century church and convent of San Augustin. In Puerto de la Cruz stroll along the colourful waterfront plazas, stop for lunch and take a dip in one of the swimming pools at the Lago Martianez, beautifully designed by Cesar Manrique.
For fun days out, Tenerife has plenty of theme parks and leisure attractions to choose from. There are 2 traditional aqua parks in Costa Adeje as well as the Iceberg Park at the beach; Aqualand, which also has a dolphinarium and the spectacular Siam Park which is beautifully themed with a lazy river and an array of slides and pools for all ages. Of the animal parks, Loro Parque at Puerto de la Cruz is a paradise not to be missed. The jungle themed Jungle Park Las Aguilas and the Money Park at Los Cristianos are also well worth a visit. Worlds apart in terms of adventure levels but both in beautiful locations, you can go zip-wiring and following the trails through the pine forests at Forestal Park at Las Lagunetas or stroll around the large and comprehensive miniature representation of the Canary Islands at Pueblo Chico in the Oratova Valley.
For the best high street shopping experience head for Santa Cruz and for fresh produce browse its huge African Market. For out-of-town shopping centres you have La Villa near Oratova and Carrefour near Santa Cruz, both with a hypermarket and over 100 shops and restaurants. On the Costa Adeje, the GranSur shopping centre features an English cinema, supermarket and around 50 shops and restaurants, the stylish Plaza del Duque boasts over 100 designer brands. There are plenty of smaller centres in Playa de las Americas, not least the sparkling Safari Centre and neighbouring Americas Plaza.
There are street markets every day of the week along the south and west coast. Monday is Alcala market, Tuesday evening is Los Abrigos market, Wednesday is San Juan, Thursday is Torviscas market, Friday is Golf del Sur market, Saturday there are markets at Torviscas and El Medano and Sunday there is a large market at Los Cristianos. There is also an evening market every night at Playa de las Americas. For fresh produce, the busy markets of Tegueste and Tacoronte are open Saturday and Sunday mornings and La Laguna is open every morning.
Out for Lunch
Tenerife is well known for its wide variety of fresh seafood on offer from lobster and crab to mussels. You can find any sort of fish on the island. On the island of Tenerife you generally eat small lighter meals usually with a salad or tapas style. Papas Arrugadas are known as Canarian potatoes and commonly found as an accompaniment to most dishes served in the traditional restaurants.
You will find some excellent fish restaurants in the resorts of Golf del Sur and Costa Adeje. A more traditional meal can be found further inland and will also be cheaper than in the tourist resorts. The types of restaurants you will find in Tenerife vary from chic upmarket restaurants to makeshift restaurants on the street corners selling whatever they have left.
Quick Facts
Flight Time - Flight times vary between 4-5 hours from UK departure points.
Currency - Euro
Night life - Restaurants, Bars, Nightclubs and Cafes - A varied mix of evening entertainment offers just about everything for everyone.
Best Time to Visit All year round. Tenerife offers a year round holiday destination and is one of the most popular islands to visit.
Top Hotels In Tenerife
Here's a list of our top accommodations in Tenerife, ranked by our customer ratings and reviews.
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