Last Updated on 7 February, 2024
It was one long cold winter (as cold as it gets in London) when my girls and I decided to go in search of some winter sun. Without having to fly too far, but somewhere warm enough, Canary Islands seemed like a good option. Out of seven Canary Islands, we opted for Tenerife.
Tenerife is the largest and the most populous of the Canary Islands which attracts millions of people every year due to its pleasant weather all year round. It didn’t disappoint us either – days were warm and sunny with only slightly cool evenings.
Playa de las Amรฉricas resort
Seeking for lots of fun in the sun, we decided to stay in Playa de las Amรฉricas resort situated in the south of the island. Back in the days, it was a fishing village but now it’s the island’s main holiday and nightlife centre.
During the first few days, we explored the nearby surroundings.ย First stop, of course, was the beach!
ย
Playa de las Amรฉricas has six different beaches – three natural ones with black volcanic sand and three man-made ones with imported sand from the Sahara desert.
The first beach we approached was a man-made beach with golden sand, but it was smaller and felt a bit more crowded.
We didn’t mind the black sand at all, which felt more original, and later decided to move to lava beach. It felt rather exotic and not dirty at all!
Siam Park – The Water Kingdom
As much as we loved being lazy on the beach, we were craving a bit of adventure. Luckily, Tenerife has plenty of that! Walking distance from our hotel was Siam Park – the best water park in the world according to Trip Advisor! How could we not!?
We soaked and played in the waves pool – the Palace of Waves.
Went down a couple of slides (multiple times).
[columns size=”1/2″ last=”false”][/columns]
[columns size=”1/2″ last=”true”][/columns]
We spent the whole day going from one attraction to another, and before the park closed, we went on the highest and steepest slide I’ve ever seen or been on. Tower of Power is 28m high in which you can reach a speed of up to 80km/h, finishing the ride passing through a huge aquarium full of sharks and rays!
The views from the top were amazing, but I was secretly hoping that the park would close and they wouldn’t allow me to go on it.
When my turn came, I was instructed to cross my arms on my chest, lie flat and not lift my head up as I could hit the edge of the tunnel that goes throughย the swimming pool. I was even more scared!
When I got on the slide, everything went so fast I didn’t have time to scream or be scared. I think I kind of even liked it! Imagine freefalling on the almost vertical drop with gallons of rushing water, then going through a transparent tube which is immersed in the shark-filled aquarium before emerging safely in the splash pool, sounds fun, right!?
Loro Park
There is no visit to Tenerife without a visit to Loro Park – a 13.5-hectare zoo which initially was opened with 150 parrots (Loro in Spanish means parrot), but has grown massively and now has 4000 parrots of 350 different species as well as other animals and exotic plants.
My favourite part of the park was the treetops which take you along the jungle pathways with the birds in their natural environment.
The exotic flowers in deep hues weren’t any less fascinating…
Nightlife
We loved playing in the sun during the day, but we were also curious to see what the nightlife in Playa de las Amรฉricas was all about.
We got all dressed up and headed out for some drinks and dancing!
Read More:ย My Experience at O Beach Ibiza Pool Party
The main areas for the bars and clubs are all located in and around the centre of the town and along the beachfront. Veronicaโs strip is a very popular area for the younger crowd with bars and nightclubs pumping dance music all night! We enjoyed the cocktails and danced plenty before going back to the hotel to get some sleep for the next day’s adventure.
Day Trip
In the morning, we set off on a day-long excursion to explore Tenerife’s natural surroundings outside the resort.
El Teide National Park
First stop was El Teide National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage site comprising a 10-mile-wide volcanic crater which dominates the centre of the island.
The park has an amazing, unique lunar landscape of lava flows and rock formations which has been featured in many Hollywood movies.
The famous rock formation named Roque Cinchado, and Mount Teide, a 3,718m high active third volcano can be seen in the distance.
On this excursion, there wasn’t sufficient time to take the cable car up to the Mount Teide, but I’m sure to do that next time I go!
Icod de Los Vinos
The next stop was a typical Canarian town of Icod de Los Vinos located in the northwest part of the island.
Here we walked around the cobbled streets and lovely squares with fountains and visited the famous ancient Dragon Tree.
Garachico
The next stop was the town of Garachico which has been partly destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1706 and has formed the unique lavaย pools.
Read More:ย How to Spend 6 days in Mallorca, Spain
Masca
After lunch at the restaurant Rocamar, we headed to our last destination – ย Masca village, located in the middle of spectacular Teno Mountain. The village is so small it only has around 90 inhabitants. The views in Masca are absolutely stunning – a must on anyone’s itinerary!
Whale Watching
We spent our last days in Tenerife being more active and not lazing around. Whale watching was something none of us has ever done so it was an easy decision.
We sailed into the ocean and immediately got rewarded with the views of the island and Mount Teide in the distance
Then spotted the promised whales in their natural habitat.
When the boat stopped for a short while, we didn’t hesitate and went straight in!
New Friends
However, the best part of the whale watching excursion was meeting new people. Two Londoners who happened to stay in our hotel and be on the same boat (what are the odds!?) became our friends.
The rest of the day and evening we spent frolicking on the beach, taking tons of pictures and drinking sangria until the sun went down.
![dancing on the beach in Tenerife](https://www.sheloveswanderlust.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Tenerife-lightroom-32-of-112-1024x683.jpg)
How to get there:
- Tenerife has two airports: (North Airport (TFN) and South Airport (TFS) that a number of airlines fly to.
- There are 2 ferry routes operating between Spain and Tenerife offering you a combined total of 4 sailings per week. ย A ferry takes a significantly longer time than flying but it has restaurants, lounges, playgrounds for kids and if travelling with a vehicle, it allows you to carry anything you need.
Leave a Reply