I know it’s tempting to judge where to stay based on how nice the pics of the pool are, but there are so many other key considerations that you must take before committing, if you want the perfect getaway.
An all inclusive holiday isn’t exactly cheap, it’s a big financial input, so you need to be confident that it will meet your expectations, but this is why there are some key factors you should look into first and I promise it will be worth it.
Our trip was with Jet2, who were incredible at every aspect, from the transfer to and from your accommodation, to comfortable flights with friendly staff to direct you if you get lost or confused.
Adult Only Vs Kid Friendly
If you do or don’t have kids, this will make a huge difference to your experience and what you should look to book.
If you have children, then you should be researching the quality of entertainment, the children’s facilities they have on-site (whether the play area is sufficient to keep them occupied for long periods of time) and whether they have proper safety measures for children in place.
Equally, if you’re a couple going on holiday together or a group of friends, the last thing you want is kids running around screaming and splashing you as they jump in the pool. This is why adult-only hotels offer a vastly different experience, where all guests are slightly tipsy at all times and the entertainment is aimed at an older audience.
Personally, going forward as someone without children, I will only ever book an adult only resort for an all inclusive trip, as the activities and facilities are then more appropriately aimed at me.
Proximity To Activities
Work out what you want to do on your holiday. You could even write out a very basic itinerary. Maybe you want to visit Siam Park for a day, which is in the South West. Or maybe you’re focus is on being around the bars in Playa de las Americas and near Veronicas. Either of those options would place you in a similar area, around Costa Adeje.
Perhaps you’re more into hiking and you want to explore the great outdoors while in Tenerife, with trips to Mount Teide which is in the centre of the island, or you might want to visit Acantilado de Los Gigantes in the North West of the island, alongside Parque Rural de Teno.
If you want to visit the vineyards then you’re suddenly looking at the North East, the other end of the island and a very long Uber drive away.
If you take some time to plan out your itinerary, this will ultimately shape where you should stay and drive your decisions. Equally, you may want to stay on-resort the entire time, sipping on cocktails, watching the entertainment and swimming in the pool or sunbathing nearby. If that’s the case, then you can stay away from the tourist traps and find yourself an accommodation which is less busy and has the trade-off on location versus availability and perhaps size of rooms and pools.
Research Food & Drink Options In Advance
Before you book your all inclusive holidays, you should spend some time researching the hotel you’re considering to make sure they provide high quality food, they haven’t had any health concerns or negative reviews on food poisoning and that the food is actually provided.
What food is provided will vary between all inclusive resorts, people often think everything is included in their booking, but some resorts will offer you food all day and others may only have a single buffet open during set hours of breakfast, lunch and dinner, leaving you peckish waiting for it to re-open, especially if you oversleep one day.
A quick read through on Tripadvisor or Trustpilot will help you to spot the good from the bad. You can also commonly filter for reviews that mention the food, which helps you to jump through the generic waffle and get to the meaty portion…Without meaning to add too many food puns, I might be peckish.
You also may want to look up which beverages will be included in your all inclusive stay. I am happy to say 90% of the drink options on my stay were included, with the only exceptions being for big brand names, they instead provided cheaper alternatives, but when you’re having a cocktail you don’t care too much which brand has been used.
We could order beer on tap, cocktails, wine (white, red, cava) and even sangria, so I was happy with our options. We had a list of 20 cocktails included in the all inclusive, with 5 options on a separate paid list. In contrast, I’ve been on a previous trip where they only included 5 cocktail options with all inclusive, which as you can imagine, leaves you a bit bored of those within 2 nights.
What Do You Perceive As Luxury
I do love luxury holidays, but this can mean very different things to different people. For me, a nice warm pool is a necessary luxury if I’m going all inclusive, whereas for others it might be having a balcony so they can sip wine up there in the evening.
Work out what is your vision of a luxury holiday and make sure to include it in your trip, providing it fits your budget.
If you do plan on doing some sunbathing, then you might want to pay extra for reserved loungers, this means you don’t have to race there in the morning to throw your towel down and battle others that remove your towel. I see this all the time, I’m never too fussed so I just find one later in the day but I know if you want a premium spot then you either have to battle or simply pay that bit extra for it to be reserved by the hotel and only you can use it that day.
Luxury might also mean distance to key landmarks or activities. You normally pay less when you’re further out from civilisation, so decide how much you plan on leaving the resort and whether this will affect your experience.
The view from your room window/balcony and size of the room are also luxury considerations and whether you truly care, as some aren’t too fussed, considering they won’t spend much time in the room other than to sleep.
You may also be interested in booking some spa treatments, whether that’s a massage or a facial, these aren’t included in all hotels, so it’s worth looking up if this is important to you and finding one with a strong reputation.
Getting The App In Advance
Nowadays, several of the hotels in Tenerife have an app where you can reserve a seat at an on-site restaurant, book yourself into an activity or make requests. While you don’t tend to think about this until you arrive, you can actually download the app in advance and login before you’ve even checked into the hotel.
That way, you’re already aware of what is available and what you might want to do each day. This can also help if the app has a map, meaning you don’t get lost looking for the buffet.
Assess Your Room Sea View Prior To Your Stay
A number of hotels in Tenerife offer ‘sea view’, but this can often feel quite a loose definition of a seaview. I mean, if you squint your eyes and look to the corner to spot a tiny bit of the sea, I don’t really count that as a ‘sea view’. Therefore, it can be worth speaking to the venue in advance to find out which way your room will be facing and whether you can request a certain room.
I know a lot of people that do this in advance and get moved to a better room simply by asking, as otherwise you’re leaving it to pot luck which room they put you in.
You can also look up reviews once again, filtering for sea view or balcony, to get an idea of what you should be looking out on.
Even worse, I have heard others mention they had views of building sites, which can also mean loud noises during their stay, not something you want on a hangover. Make sure to look all of this up before booking to avoid any disappointment.
Research Whether The Pools Are Heated
This comes back to a trip I had in Madeira for a friends birthday, where none of the pools were heated and they were absolutely freezing. I’ve since begun researching whether they have heated pools, as it makes such a difference to your trip.
Whether you spend 80% of your relaxing time in the pool, or in a deck chair seems to be largely based on the temperature of the water and it can dampen your experience if none of the pools are heated.
Some may have a few heated, some may have one big heated pool and some others non-heated, while others may only have a small pool heated. Whatever the situation, make sure to research it in advance and find the best option for you.
Pebble Vs Sand Beach
When you leave Brighton for a beach far away, the last thing you want to spot is a pebble beach, but be warned that Tenerife has a number of pebble beaches dotted along the coast line.
If you want a sandy beach, then you may want to check out Playa de las Teresitas, Playa del Duque or Playa de Fanabe, all of which have a reputation for being nice and sandy.
In contrast, if you booked around the Golf del Sur then it’s all stone beaches along the south coast.
The issue is that hotels won’t admit this, they’ll be tactical with their photos and highlight that they’re just a 2 minute walk from the beach, not admitting that it barely qualifies as a beach, with the waves smashing against the rocky edges and much of it being considered somewhat dangerous to enter.
