Ten times the fun

RECORD-breaking water parks, dolphin-filled seas, first-rate hotels and guaranteed sunshine.

No, not Florida but good old Tenerife. And there isn't a kiss-me-quick hat in sight.

For decades the largest of the seven Canary Islands has been famous for its low-cost 'beer and beach' holidays. Resorts like Playa De Las Americas had a cheap and cheerful image.

But Tenerife is changing - and at such a pace it has become a strong rival to more fashionable family favourites. If a 'beer and burn' beach holiday is still your thing, there are hundreds of bars and nightclubs littered across the south coast.

But our stay highlighted just what is available now for families unwilling to shell out a fortune for a decent break.

First things first. Everything that was already good about Tenerife is still there. After all, two million Brits fly in every year so it must have got something right.

Chief among this Spanish island's attractions is the year-round warmth. Being just 150 miles off the west coast of Morocco, Tenerife temperatures stay at a pretty constant 23°C (73°F) even in winter-that's why it's known as the island of the eternal spring.

Next on the list of selling points is convenience. It's just a four-hour flight from the UK, with up to TEN flights a day from trusted scheduled airlines like Monarch. Flights are cheap and all-inclusive package deals very competitive.

But it is the attractions and resorts that make Tenerife a place worth visiting. The latest is the £35million Siam Park - the largest water park in Europe. It is based on Thailand, and is more of a theme park than a mere collection of slides and pools.

An incredible 8,500 palm trees have been planted on a previously barren hillside, and there are more than 14 rides, the world's longest lazy river and a white sandy beach overlooking a surf school with three-metre-high artificial waves. My children, Jamie, four, and his 18-month-old sister Megan, loved it.

Siam Park's main attraction is the Tower of Power. Here, adrenaline junkies enter a 28m freefall- reaching 25mph before hitting the bottom and being propelled in a clear flume through a giant tank of 13,000 tropical fish and 13 alligators.

Near Siam Park is Jungle Park- which boasts the only jungle in Europe, with more than 500 exotic animals including tigers, crocodiles and rare white lions. Its sister attraction, Aqualand, is a fantastic water park with one of the best dolphin shows in the world. And the trump card is that Tenerife is among the best places in the world to see dolphins and whales in their natural habitat.

In fact more than 27 species of dolphin, porpoise and whale - including blue, sperm and beaked - have been spotted in the crystal clear waters. We ventured out on the family-friendly Freebird One catamaran from Playa de Las Americas, and within ten minutes we were sailing alongside dolphins and pilot whales.

You can see how far Tenerife has come in the last 10 years by the dozens of top-class hotels along the south coast.

We stayed at the impressive Bahia Principe on the Costa Adeje, just a 20-minute transfer from the airport.

It is in fact two hotels on an adjoining complex - the four-star Costa Adeje and five-star Tenerife with spacious rooms. Facilities at both are first rate, with more than four pools, a spa, gymnasium, kids club and beach.

The all-inclusive restaurants take in an Italian, a Spanish, Chinese and very impressive Tenerife is small and easy to get around, and its landscape ranges from the lush greenery and banana plantations of the north to the volcanic rock of the south.

Its crown jewel is Mount Teide, which at 12,188ft is the highest mountain in Spain and part of the world heritage site Teide National Park.

Hikers and culture vultures love Santa Cruz in the north-home to the Tenerife Auditorium, the island's leading performing arts venue, which looks a bit like Sydney Opera House.

The town also hosts the Tenerife Carnival, second largest in the world after Brazil. Windsurfers flock to the east, while sun worshippers can be found on the beaches of the south.

Now it offers so much more, Tenerife has a whole world of attractions.

GETTING THERE: Monarch Holidays offers seven nights all-inclusive at the four-diamond plus Hotel Bahia Principe from £539 per person including flights with Monarch Airlines. A family of two adults and a child pay a total price of just £1,323. Suite accommodation for larger families. Visit www.monarchholidays.co.ukor call 0871 423 8642.

This article has 3 comments