With year-round sun, fantastic golf courses and a bunch of brilliant attractions, the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife is the perfect family golf trip. Let’s find out more.
Before we delve into the incredible family attractions, let’s take a look at the island’s wonderful golfing highlights.
Abama Golf Club
Set high above Tenerife’s western coastline with incredible views, the luxurious Ritz Carlton Abama Resort is home to Abama Golf Club. The golf course is beautifully conditioned with endless sea views and elevated tees. Draped across natural undulations, it’s set alongside banana plantations with over 25,000 palm trees and 22 lakes and streams to offer a unique, memorable golfing experience.
Buenavista Golf Club
Designed by the great Seve Ballesteros and located in the remote northwest of Tenerife, Buenavista Golf Club is a stunning cliff-top course that provides incredible views over the Atlantic. It’s a varied and interesting layout that’ll test every aspect of your game, as you would expect from Seve. It works its way along the ocean with several of the greens hugging the coastline.
Golf Las Americas
Located in southern Tenerife, Las Americas Golf is a highly popular course for holidaying golfers. Adjacent to the resorts of Playa de Las Americas and Los Cristianos, it might get busy particularly in high season, but the fairways and greens are in superb condition and the layout is as entertaining and varied as any on the island.
Tecina Golf, La Gomera
The island of La Gomera is accessible from Tenerife’s North Airport, or via a ferry crossing from Los Cristianos in the south to San Sebastian de la Gomera, the capital city, which operates daily and takes less than an hour.
The golf course here is part of the 4-star resort of Hotel Jardin Tecina, which sits high on a clifftop, about 25 minutes’ drive away from the capital. With incredible views of the Atlantic and Tenerife, Tecina Golf descends on different terraces, giving it a unique stepped design. In the upper parts it feels wild and arid, before you descend to the tropical fruit trees of the lower parts.
Other courses you can play during your trip to Tenerife
There are over 60km of beaches across Tenerife to choose from and the warm weather means comfortable swimming all year round. In the south, Playa de Los Cristianos is an energetic place, with children’s play areas and beach volleyball opportunities. El Médano is popular with water sports enthusiasts, where older kids can try out kite- and wind-surfing.
Waterparks
Siam Waterpark in Costa Adeje, a wonderful Thai-themed water park, is one of the best in the world and a great family day out. The park’s Lost City is great for young kids, older ones can enjoy The Wave Palace, while Coco Beach is great for all the family with a huge wave pool. Great rides such as the terrifying Dragon vertical slide, the ultra-competitive Naga Racer slides, and the fun Mekong Rapids make it the perfect place for thrill- and fun-seeking families.
Just down the road, Aqualand is another water park, but this one is perfect for families with toddlers, with pools and rides designed for younger kids. The whole family can enjoy the dolphin show and even get to swim with them. There’s also some thrilling rides, such as Tornado, Kamikaze and the Rapids.
Animal Parks
Loro Parque, a huge zoo on the outskirts of Puerto de la Cruz, is a tropical paradise and a family favourite with dolphin and orca shows. There’s plenty of other great shows and sights for the whole family to enjoy with lions, parrots, pelicans, gorillas, chimps, tigers, and even sharks. An alternative park in the south of Tenerife is Las Aguila Jungle Park, close to Los Cristianos, which has a host of animal shows and attractions featuring lions, tigers and alligators.
Planetarium
A family visit to Teide Observatory is one of the most popular destinations for those with children thanks to the educational and fun activities that it runs. Tours start at sunset and include breathtaking views of the sun setting over the rugged peak of Mount Teide. Astronomical guides will walk you through some incredible aspects of the solar system and you’ll get the chance to look through the powerful observatory telescopes.
Volcano Hike
On the west coast of Tenerife is the spectacular Mount Teide National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Mount Teide at the centre, the world’s third highest volcano and the highest peak in Spain. There are numerous guided tours for families with children over 5 years old, day trips to the top, and a thrilling cable car ride that’ll be the experience of a lifetime for young and old.
