The Canary Islands has always seemed like such a glamorous get away, and we were lucky to experience it as our first “beach and pool” vacation as a family of four. Our four day trip to Tenerife was incredible, probably because 1) it was after we had recovered from COVID/completed self-isolation, and 2) it was the perfect escape from London weather; so we had a newfound appreciation of travel to a warm destination. Tenerife is a four-hour flight from London and a family-friendly island!

Canary Islands Activities with a Toddler and Baby

Hotel Pool:

Our hotel, the Meliá Jardines del Teide, was a great hotel for our family. The highlight was that they had a kiddie pool where the water was a foot deep and the pool was heated. Because we went in December, this was ideal for our toddler and baby, as the non-heated pool was just too cold for them (and me :)). I’m not a huge pool person, but learning about heated pools, especially during the winter months, is a game changer for our kids. Moving forward, if we travel during cold weather, I will always ask hotels if they provide this.

Beach:

The Playa del Duque beach was lovely, and we had fun spending time lounging around! I read my psychological thrillers and the kids spent hours playing in the sand and playing with the shovels/buckets I had brought. We picked up pizza and fruits and ate right there. They were a bit terrified of the cold ocean waves, but at least we conquered Faiz’s fear of sand!

Zoo:

Loro Parque Tenerife is one of the best zoos in Europe. This zoo has over 500 animals living at the zoo, include an enormous aquarium, children’s playground, and coordinate daily shows with trained birds, sea lions, dolphins, and killer whales! Our kids were mesmerised. It was a bit of a drive from our resort in South Tenerife, but absolutely worth it! We used a tour bus to take us for the outing.

All in all, it was not a ‘sight-seeing’ type of trip that we usually take. However, it was perfect for our young kids. We look forward to exploring more of the Canary Islands one day!

For more ideas on other cities in Spain to visit, check out my blog posts on our trips to Barcelona and Mallorca.