Where to Stay in Tenerife, Spain, for a Beach Holiday

Thanks to a 2018 renovation, the beachfront Guayarmina Princess is one of the freshest hotels in the area. In addition to on-trend decor, the adults-only Costa Adeje property is packed with features (six bars, three restaurants, three pools and an extensive spa) and is right next to Fañabé Beach, with direct access to southwest Tenerife’s epic beach walk.

The huge Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife is a modern resort designed to keep families, couples and large groups entertained and happy at all times. Set on a small volcanic beach about a 15-minute drive north of the Playa de las Americas tourist zone, Hard Rock compensates with three pools (one for adults only, complete with a swim-up bar), six restaurants, a rooftop bar and round-the-clock room service. Rock-music fans can get their guitar fix through the hotel brand’s signature Fender guitar/floor amp delivery service.

This large beach resort is the quintessential Playa de las Americas hotel. In terms of amenities, it ticks the major boxes with multiple pools, bars and restaurants, and the buffet breakfast is well received. There’s no spa, but on the family front, there are arcade games, supervised activities and a water park-style pool.

An elegant experience is on offer here. The pristine circular resort lives up to the palatial portion of its name, with a sprawling footprint and loads of refined features such as Bali beds by the beach, a spa and fitness centre, an adults-only infinity pool with sunken loungers and half a dozen restaurants and bars. Twin lagoon-shaped main pools dominate the oceanfront area, each with loads of covered sunbeds and their own pool bar. The 334 serene guest rooms are huge and have sleek bathrooms and private glass balconies.

The 525-room Bahia Principe Fantasia is right on the beach on the southern edge of Tenerife. Like its sister resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, the sprawling resort is geared entirely towards families with young children. There are perks galore for kids of all ages, including a kids’ club, a teens’ club and live shows with original music and choreography. Room options include swim-up suites (rare on the island) and a special suite set in the hotel’s Disney-inspired castle, including a kids’ dressing room decked out with costumes.

Hotels in Tenerife are usually located on or near the beach, but this all-inclusive-optional resort is set in the middle of the 18-hole Las Americas golf course and its many lakes, streams and lush green hills. All 121 rooms – each a full apartment with a kitchen, living room and private balcony or terrace – have received a cool design overhaul, with calming earth tones and natural textures such as wood, wicker and rattan. Serene though it may be, there is nonetheless a full docket of supervised activities and poolside entertainment for kids and adults, and the beach is close by.

The family-friendly HD Parque Cristobal is a unique hotel pick in high-octane Playa de las Americas. While most neighbouring hotels are big hulking things with neat rows of balconies, HD Parque Cristobal is designed like a low-rise (and low-key) village of whitewashed bungalows with kitchens, lawns and patios, right in the heart of the town’s commercial district. The set-up gives families more space and privacy than they might ordinarily find so close to the beach, though games, events and entertainment organised by the resort are never hard to find.

As plainly stated in the hotel’s moniker, fun is the name of the game at this kid-friendly, all-inclusive hotel near central Los Cristianos. High-energy entertainment comes courtesy of the hotel’s lively animation team, whose itinerary includes everything from leading aquarobics and Beatles singalongs to performing magic, acrobatics and Blues Brothers tributes. Those looking for a calmer time can find that too, in one of the hotel’s three quieter pools (there are five) or the thermal spa.