Tenerife Vacation: Relaxation, Teide & Costa Adeje

After spending a few days in Barcelona, we hopped back on a plane and finally arrived in Tenerife, the destination we had been planning from the very beginning.

From the start, we wanted this Tenerife vacation to be all about slowing down, switching off, and enjoying a slower pace of life. So we picked a beautiful hotel with everything we needed and spent our days soaking up the sunshine by the pool, taking long sunset walks along the promenade, and eating our way through some incredible food.

We chose Costa Adeje because we were looking for a quiet area with great restaurants and a lovely waterfront perfect for evening strolls. And honestly, if I went back to Tenerife tomorrow, I’d probably stay here again.

Things We Did in Tenerife:

We only had two must-do experiences on our list. The rest of the time, we simply went with the flow and enjoyed the slower pace of island life.

A Trip to Mount Teide (Teide National Park)

You simply can’t visit Tenerife without making the drive up to Mount Teide. And it’s not just about the volcano itself – it’s about the journey getting there.

Every few minutes, the landscape feels completely different. You start surrounded by palm trees, then the lush greenery slowly disappears until all that’s left are volcanic rock formations and scenery that looks straight out of a sci-fi movie. It’s no surprise that productions like Doctor Who and Clash of the Titans were filmed in Teide National Park.

Since *le husband is really into astronomy, a daytime tour was never even an option. We had to experience Mount Teideafter dark.

Because Teide National Park is a protected area with virtually no light pollution, the night sky is unbelievably clear. We could spot constellations with the naked eye, and the tour even included telescopes set up at a scenic viewpoint, giving us the chance to admire planets and other celestial objects up close.

Scandal Dinner Show

*Le husband stumbled upon this show by chance, and knowing I have a soft spot for cabaret performances and acrobatics, there was never any question whether we’d go or not. 😃

Scandal Dinner Show is an evening cabaret performance that combines live music, dancing, breathtaking acrobatics, and a fine dining menu served throughout the show.

Relaxing, Strolling & Great Food

The rest of our days unfolded exactly as we’d hoped, with no strict plans or schedules to follow. We wandered along the coast, admired the pastel-colored houses overlooking the ocean, and simply enjoyed the sound of the waves crashing against the black volcanic rocks.

Tenerife has an excellent food scene, and one of the biggest surprises for me was discovering that our resort was home to not one, but two Michelin-starred restaurants. As someone who’s always on the lookout for memorable dining experiences, I was pretty excited.

One of them, the two-Michelin-starred El Rincón de Juan Carlos, was located inside the hotel, although it operated independently. Since it was only open for dinner and only on selected evenings, we booked a table as soon as we arrived. At the time, the chefs were testing new dishes, so we chose the eight-course tasting menu.

The experience definitely deserves its own blog post. But… long story short, we ended up taking dessert to go. 🤦‍♀️ I suddenly felt really sick and had to run back to our room, where I unfortunately “gave back” every Michelin star I’d just eaten. 😅 If Barcelona had made me suspect that seafood and I weren’t exactly best friends, Tenerife confirmed it once and for all. (*Le husband had the exact same tasting menu and felt perfectly fine afterwards, so it was clearly my intolerance, not the food.)

Because of that, we also had to cancel our reservation at the resort’s other Michelin-starred restaurant, San Hô, whose menu focuses mainly on seafood and raw fish.

So I happily went back to my all-time favorite: jamón ibérico. 😆

Our Tenerife Vacation: Final Thoughts

What we (well, I) loved:

1. The weather: Sunny days and perfect temperatures for both the beach and long walks, without the unbearable heat.
2. The hotel and its location: Our stay at Royal Hideaway Corales Beach lived up to every expectation. The area around the hotel was clean, well-maintained, and perfect for relaxing evening strolls along the coast.
3. Uber: We were pleasantly surprised to find Uber available in Tenerife. The waiting times could be a bit longer since there aren’t that many drivers on the island, but it was still a convenient and comfortable way to get around whenever we needed it.

What we (okay, I) didn’t like:

1. The dinner included in the Mount Teide tour: While watching the sunset over Mount Teide was unforgettable, the dinner stop included in the tour was quite disappointing. The restaurant where all the tour groups stopped that evening was extremely crowded and chaotic. Service felt rushed, the food was fairly underwhelming, and the restrooms were packed. Thankfully, the stop didn’t last long enough to take away from what was otherwise a fantastic experience.
2. Calima (Saharan dust): We also experienced one of the Canary Islands’ less predictable weather phenomena. For a couple of days, the clear blue skies disappeared as Calima brought fine dust and sand from the Sahara Desert. The views became hazy, and even the sun was barely visible. Fortunately, it passed quickly, and we were soon back to enjoying Tenerife’s beautiful weather.
3. Cash-only payment on buses: One small inconvenience was that we couldn’t pay for bus tickets by card. We had to carry cash every time we wanted to use public transportation, which felt a bit inconvenient since we’re so used to contactless payments.

Where we stayed:

Choosing the hotel was probably the most important decision we made for this trip. Since we knew we’d be spending a lot of time there, we wanted a place we’d genuinely enjoy, not just somewhere to sleep.

And that’s exactly what we got. I think we spent at least half of our vacation sitting on our terrace, simply looking out at the ocean.

We stayed at Royal Hideaway Corales Beach – Adults Only, and the attention to detail impressed us from the moment we arrived. Our room had a warm, minimalist design, and the ocean view was incredible. We were lucky enough to watch beautiful sunsets from our terrace almost every evening.

Activities We Booked on GetYourGuide:

Teide: Guided Sunset & Stargazing Tour by Night with Dinner

Tenerife: Scandal Dinner Show Entry Ticket and 5-Course Meal

Tenerife wasn’t the trip where we checked off the most sights, nor was it our most adventurous vacation. But I think it was one of the few trips I came home from feeling truly rested. Sometimes, you simply need a few days where you don’t do much at all. And Tenerife turned out to be the perfect place for exactly that. 😉