Canary Islands family holidays

The Canaries really know what they’re doing when it comes to family-friendly hotels. The four largest islands each come with their fair share of resorts, all designed to tick boxes with kids both big and small.

In Lanzarote, the key players are Costa Teguise, Playa Blanca and Puerto del Carmen. There are heaps of hotels in each resort, but one of our faves is the Gran Castillo Tagoro Family & Fun Playa Blanca. An all-inclusive option, it strikes the perfect balance between fun and tranquillity and has six swimming pools, a spa, plus loads of restaurants to choose from. Alternatively, there’s the Sol Lanzarote, on Puerto del Carmen’s Matagorda beachfront, which offers something for everyone, including a jam-packed activity programme.

Over on Tenerife, your best bets when travelling with children are Los Cristianos or Costa Adeje. But having the kids in tow certainly doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality. If you’re looking for a little bit of luxury on your Canary Islands family holiday, consider a stay at the five-star Gran Tacande Wellness & Relax.

Like most islands, the Canaries are outdoorsy kinds of places – with a near constant supply of sunshine, you don’t want to be wasting hours indoors. The beaches will no doubt be where you spend most of your time on a Canary Islands family holiday, and that’s exactly as it should be. With white-sand, golden-sand and even black-sand varieties dotted around, there’s lots of scope for colourful castle building, while the generally calm waters mean it’s pretty safe territory for kiddies to take a dip. Or, if your kids are slightly older, they might want to give watersports a go – surfing, kayaking, snorkelling, windsurfing and diving are all widely available in the Canaries.

It’s not all about the water, though – there’s plenty more to entertain active whippersnappers if you head inland. All islands offer excellent opportunities for hiking and biking. In Lanzarote, you can join a guided hike through the lunar landscapes of Timanfaya National Park, while Teide National Park has the best trails on Tenerife. And in La Palma, there’s loads of ground to cover in Caldera de Taburiente – the largest erosion crater in the world.

There really is no bad time to go on a family holiday to the Canary Islands. Although this archipelago officially belongs to Spain, it’s actually closer to mainland Africa than it is to Europe, and its excellent positioning in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean means the islands enjoy a subtropical climate. So summers are hot, winters are mild and the sun shines throughout the year. Even in January and February – typically the coldest months – daily highs rarely dip below 20°C.

July and August are the hottest months of the year, with temperatures often creeping close to 30°C While a coastal breeze stops things heating up too much, there’s little to be done when it comes to keeping the crowds at bay. If you visit during the peak summer months, you’ll find resorts are busy and most beaches are heaving with tourists. Come September, though, things cool down a few degrees and the crowds start to fall away. Autumn can be a great time for a Canary Islands holiday – things are generally quieter but the sea remains lovely and warm, so the kids can still have fun splashing about.