My husband quite literally runs on Vitamin D. So when we were deciding where to go for a little October sunshine, we had one main goal — warm weather and blue skies. We wanted a destination that would be reliably sunny in October, easy to reach from Ireland, and somewhere that worked well for families without being overly busy. We’d never visited the Canary Islands before, but with direct flights from both Shannon and Knock, Tenerife seemed like the perfect choice.
What We Wanted From This Trip
We kept our wishlist simple — we wanted:
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A quiet spot to properly relax and spend some family time together
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Good food and a few nice restaurants to try
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An apartment-style setup so we could cook and do our own thing
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A pool for the kids (non-negotiable!)
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And a visit to Siam Park, which we’d heard amazing things about
Where We Stayed: Amarilla Golf Residences
We based ourselves in Amarilla Golf Residences, a lovely, calm corner of Tenerife surrounded by golf courses but still close to the sea. It’s a really peaceful area — just a two-minute drive from the well-known Bahia Principe Hotel — and it suited us perfectly at this stage of family life.
The hotel had:
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Spacious rooms (ideal for families)
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A great pool with no early-morning sun-lounger dash
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A small games room with pool, table tennis, and foosball that became our nightly ritual
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A pool bar and beautifully designed spaces with calm, modern decor
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A lovely on-site restaurant, Archille Bistro, where we ate one evening
We stayed in a two bed apartment and had a lovely balcony with loungers and outdoor dining table overlooking the pool. Housekeeping came each day to clean. Housekeeping also came each evening to set up the sofa bed for my youngest before bed and would then return and put it away the next day.
Suitable for families?
There’s no kids’ club or loud entertainment, which suited us perfectly. It was relaxed, friendly, and never felt overcrowded. We saw plenty of other families, but the overall vibe was quiet and chilled — exactly what we wanted. If you have kids who are at the stage that they need action, lots of things to do and will get bored playing in or by the pool – then this place might not be for you just yet! There were two small public playgrounds within a short walk (10 mins) from the hotel that we visited on our way to and from dinner some nights. At the pool area, there is a shallower small pool for younger kids and a life guard on duty throughout the day.
There was a small supermarket we could walk to and several restaurants nearby, which made things very easy. There is also a small shop in the hotel with a few essentials which surprisingly wasn’t overpriced and handy for snacks, pool toys etc for the kids.
This area of Tenerife definitely leans more towards the quiet side — a lot of retirees and older couples — but that’s what made it such a great spot for us as a family. Away from the madness of busier more touristy areas with busy nightlife scenes – which isn’t our buzz.
What We Did
Honestly? A lot of swimming, chilling, and just hanging out together.
We spent plenty of time by the pool, enjoyed lazy mornings, and mixed in a few days out:
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Siam Park – a huge hit with all three kids and a full-on but fantastic day. (I’ve written a separate post on that with our top tips here!)
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Loro Parque – another highlight and a lovely day out, especially for animal-loving kids.
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Supermarket sweep in Mercadona – tell me there’s anything more exciting than exploring a foreign supermarket? No, there isn’t!
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Mini golf at Vivo Mini Golf in Playa de las Américas – €69 for the five of us to play 18 holes. Pricey, but worth it for the laughs and competitive chaos.
We did spend afternoon exploring Playa de las Américas, which was interesting to see. It’s busy and very touristy — not really our kind of vibe, but great for a wander, a bit of shopping, and a walk along the seafront.
Where We Ate in Tenerife
One of the best parts of Tenerife was the food. Prices are pretty similar to home — alcohol slightly cheaper, but not dramatically so. The quality everywhere we ate was excellent, and the service was always warm and family-friendly.
Here were our favourites:
🍤 Restaurante El Mirador de la Marina
Our absolute favourite — and walking distance from the hotel. It’s at the end of a pier in the marina with lovely sea views. The seafood was incredible, fresh and full of flavour, and they made such a fuss of the kids. We ended up eating here three times because it was just that good.
🍽 Archille Bistro (on-site at Amarilla Golf Residences)
Stylish setting, friendly staff, and beautifully presented food. We had dinner here one evening and were really impressed. Great option if you want to stay close to “home” after a day by the pool.
🎶 The 19th Hole
Casual and fun — live music in the evenings, ice creams for the kids, and lovely views. Perfect for a relaxed night with no fuss.
🍣 Sakura Teppanyaki
We went here for our youngest’s birthday because he wanted sushi for dinner — and it was good. The food was incredibly fresh and the staff were brilliant. A big menu with lots of options to keep everyone happy.
🍝 Limonella, Playa de las Américas
A lovely Italian restaurant with a great atmosphere, delicious pasta and pizza, and a nice wine list. Beside the seafront and great spot for people watching.
Final Thoughts
We had such a lovely week. The weather was perfect — 26°C every day, bright sunshine, and not a drop of rain. We hired a car from Top Car for €200 for the week, and it was absolutely worth it — it gave us the freedom to explore further afield whenever we fancied.
Our accommodation was great value at €1,200 for the week for the five of us (room-only), and having our own space worked really well. We mixed lazy days by the pool with fun outings, ate some gorgeous food, and genuinely relaxed.
That said, if I’m being completely honest, Tenerife isn’t the most “beautiful” European destination I’ve been to. It’s a volcanic island, so the landscape can look a bit stark and lacks the lush, natural charm of somewhere like Madeira (which we visited earlier this year and absolutely fell in love with). That said when we drove to the North of the Island the landscape is different and more mountainous and green and we didn’t get the opportunity to explore the whole island.
Culturally, it’s also very geared towards tourists — everything is easy and convenient, but you don’t necessarily get a strong sense of local Canarian culture unless you go off the beaten track.
But that’s okay. Tenerife delivers exactly what it promises — sunshine, nice food, family time, and a week where you can properly switch off. Sometimes that’s what you need.
We came home rested, with a few extra freckles, and lots of lovely memories.
