Winter sun - Canaries?

[PetiteRaleuse]

After a long winter last year with all kinds of bugs etc we are thinking of trying to get some sun this year. We need to stay within the EU so was thinking of Canaries. Questions:

Which would be best with a baby and toddler, or more, likely, two toddlers by then? Do car hire companies provide car seats? Will the resort pools be warm enough to swim in or do the resorts have indoor pools? I have never been to a beach resort, not really my thing. Is there anything to do at that time of year other than beach stuff?

Or would. I be best off leaving it for later in the year and going to the mountains for a winter break and better clean air?

When were you thinking of going ? Canaries are warm i.e. sun bathing weather up to end of October and from Easter onwards.

I'm not sure about Nov - March, we went to Lanzarote in Feb and whilst it was pleasant the hotel pool was blinkin freezing as was the sea.

We are hiring with Auto Reisen this year and they seem to provide free child seats which is ace as usually you have to pay for them.

Lanzarote was a surprise to us there is a Cesar Manrique house to go to, and pleasant scenery to look at. We love Tenerife but with toddlers I'm not sure what else other than the beach there would be to do - we enjoy ambling round the shops and not doing very much !

First half of Feb. Does anywhere have indoor pools? Happy to just wander otherwise.

No need for real attractions. Stroll in the sun would be enough /messing around on the beach. Just, not in thermals, we'll be needing them here from this weekend onwards.

And thank you for answering :)

indoor pools don't make much sense in the Canaries - not tropical but a pleasant twenty-something centigrade most of the year.

Tenerife has lots of sightseeing and walking but not with two toddlers. Lanzarote also has lovely sights but again, not for kids.

with little ones I would think all you do is splash in the pool and build sandcastles, so anywhere will do really.

But it will be too cold for that in February. Nevermind, will be for another year :)

Thanks

We just got back from tenerife with our toddler. It was hot (up to 29c during the day) and we had a great time.

We hired a car with Auto Reisen. They provide infant car seats free if you book the car online. Lots of car hire companies at Tenerife South airport though - all seem to have car seats available for a charge. We went with AR as it was free.

I'm not a beach person or resort person either but we wanted with winter sun. We ended up staying in serviced villas to avoid the resort feel but with the benefit of facilities and tons to keep the toddler entertained on site. Pools, including toddler pool, heated from 1 Nov where we were. Other places may do the same so worth checking. We Sam in the sea and was surprised at how warm it was.

Lots to do in Tenerife. Go up El Tried although not recommended for babies < 1 year due to the altitude. Lots of walking in the national.park if that's your thing. Otherwise: Loro Parquet, Aqua Land, Siam Park, horse riding, quad biking, island hopping, diving, tandem paragliding are all popular activities.

HTH.

swam in sea
el teide

Darn phone!

"indoor pools don't make much sense in the Canaries - not tropical but a pleasant twenty-something centigrade most of the year"

But the pools are very cold in the winter months. We went to Lanzarote one February half term and we managed to top 20 degrees on only one day. It was far too cold to swim because none of the pools were heated.

So not worth me going for a laze with the kids then. They don't have passports - just EU ID cards. We could take them elsewhere but didn't want the cost of passports while they are babies.

Will look at EU mountain resorts with indoor pools. Thanks all for your advice.

Most private villas in lanzarote have heated pools.We have swum quite happily in feb

It'll be warm enough to swim in a heated outdoor pool. Kids running around will be warm enough, people lying around might be less than warm.

Lanzarote average highs of 18 in Feb

Tenerife 19

My local travel agents seem to go for the all inclusive resorts, but I will look into vilas flight only deals. My local airport is Luxembourg so I don't quite have the same options you lucky Brits have.