In an area only a little larger than London, Tenerife packs in enough variety to keep the pickiest of travellers happy. There are the sandy beaches, thrilling waterparks and facility-packed hotels that make a family holiday headache-free. But go beyond the southern strip and you’ll find Spain’s highest mountain, streets of colourful colonial-era buildings, valleys of subtropical forest shrouded in mist and, in the capital Santa Cruz, enough cutting-edge modern architecture to make Bilbao blush.
And despite the fact that Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, you can experience this almost bewildering diversity in just one day. Good roads and short distances mean driving around the whole island takes about four hours. The dramatic scenery looks just as impressive on two wheels, and both road cycling and mountain biking are popular. Extensive hiking routes wind across the island.
Tenerife’s stretch of Atlantic Ocean is adaptable too. Whale-watching boat trips run year-round, the conditions are good for kite-surfing, and scuba-divers discover dramatic underwater seascapes and a host of marine life.
And — surprise, surprise — this most versatile of holiday destinations can be enjoyed all year. Winter lows don’t drop far below 20C, and summer highs usually stay under 30C.
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What to do
Tenerife’s crowning glory is Mount Teide. Spain’s tallest mountain overlooks the staggeringly beautiful Teide National Park. Scattered with cones, caves and lava tongues, the volcanic terrain is softened in spring when the wildflowers bloom. After a scenic drive through the park, take the cable car to the base of the cone — on a clear day, you can see as far as Gran Canaria and La Palma. At night, the national park’s clear skies make it one of the top three places in the world to stargaze.
Santa Cruz feels positively cosmopolitan, with the striking Herzog & de Meuron-designed Tenerife Espacio de las Artes and Santiago Calatrava’s swooping, almost extraterrestrial Auditorium. Pop into the Military Museum to see El Tigre, the cannon that reputedly took Admiral Nelson’s arm.
Just 15 minutes away, the former capital La Laguna has a photogenic historic centre, where the grand, candy-coloured mansions reflect the island’s importance on the 18th-century transcontinental trading route.
Half smothered by an eruption in 1706, what remained of the north-coast village of Garachico isn’t much changed today, and its pretty, well-preserved colonial homes attract day-trippers, who also enjoy a dip in the lava-formed rock pools.
Where to stay
Whatever you’re looking for in a hotel, Tenerife can oblige: deluxe, palatial piles in sprawling grounds, upscale colonial-era boutiques, excellent-value apartments on the beach and family-friendly stays with waterslides aplenty.
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The majority of resorts are in the south. The famous Playa de las Americas, known for its buzzy nightlife, big all-inclusive hotels and bucket-and-spade atmosphere, is the largest. Neighbouring Los Cristianos is a touch calmer, attracting a more mature clientele. It’s the departure point for ferries to the other Canaries, so is a good base for day trips.
Purpose-built Costa Adeje is a strong family choice, with excellent beaches, safe swimming and waterparks near by. The hotels and villas around the Playa del Duque are luxurious; south around the headland it’s more budget-friendly.
On the west coast, Los Gigantes is named after the towering, 800m cliffs that give its black-sand beach a truly dramatic view. Nightlife is sedate, and this is a convenient location from which to explore both the south and north of the island.
Puerto de la Cruz is the main resort in the north, and is popular with Spanish tourists as well as Brits. Black-sand beaches are set against the verdant background of the Orotava Valley — a little extra rainfall in the winter months makes it far greener than the south. Temperatures are often a couple of degrees lower too.
Food and drink
Should you wish, you can sit down to Italian, Thai or even Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine for dinner in Tenerife, but you’d be missing a trick not to try at least a few local dishes during your visit — they’re easy to find in restaurants across the island. Fresh fish, grilled or made into a fragrant broth, and rabbit stew are both classics, and the island’s “fresco” goat’s cheese is served with the tangy red and green mojo sauces so common in the Canaries.
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If the Michelin guide leaves stars in your eyes, a stay at the ritzy Ritz-Carlton Abama is a must. Basque chef Martín Berasategui has earned two stars for the headline MB restaurant, and the hotel’s Japanese option, Abama Kabuki, has another one.
At the other end of the spectrum, bold travellers could seek out a guachinche. These lively, makeshift restaurants, usually located in garages or roadside sheds, aren’t swish, but serve excellent, authentic and cheap local food. Vegetarians will struggle, however.
Tenerife’s volcanic soil and range of microclimates mean it produces a real diversity of wines. A visit to the Casa del Vino — a former farm turned wine museum between Puerto de la Cruz and La Laguna — will allow you to taste options from across the island.
Don’t miss
At the island’s northeast tip, the Anaga Mountains are clothed in a dense canopy of ancient laurisilva forest, home to the largest number of endemic species of any biosphere reserve in Europe. The humid air, trailing lianas and flitting butterflies make you feel as if you have journeyed to a different continent, not just a few hours up the road. Hiking routes vary in difficulty, with a trio of easy options leaving from the Cruz del Carmen visitors’ centre.
Carnival in Santa Cruz is the largest in Europe, with street parties and parades that make it into a mini-Rio de Janeiro. But this is far from the only festivity in the island’s calendar. Hooded figures stride silently through La Laguna for Easter’s Semana Santa procession, and intricate flower carpets are laid on the streets of La Orotava for Corpus Christi. In November the San Andres celebrations in tiny Icod de los Vinos involve residents racing downhill on wooden boards, while spectators enjoy a taste of the new season’s wine.
Know before you go
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The currency here is the euro. Tenerife drives on the right. A forward-pointing arrow on the road indicates you have right of way, and an inverted triangle shows you must give way. And note: indicating left when there is no left turn usually means the driver plans to pull in and stop on the right.
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