Canary Islands Easter 2025 - which island / resort

[Jellybean023]

To set the scene we are a family of 4 - DD will be 6 and DS will be 3 when we travel. DH’s idea of a perfect holiday is definitely something more cultured - think city breaks with plenty of museums or somewhere with lots of roman ruins - however he’s coming round to the idea that these kind of holidays don’t necessarily suit young kids, so he’s willing to give a beach type holiday a go (though I would say he’s still expecting not to enjoy it, so I really want to make sure I get it right and change his mind). Kids love a beach and DD in particular would spend hours in a pool with slides etc. Neither DH or I are the kind to sit and sunbathe all day so definitely would be looking for somewhere with something to do, obviously to keep kids entertained as well.

We want to go away Easter 2025. Have considered turkey, Greece, Italy etc but the weather is too hit and miss or it’s out of season in April so we’ve landed on the Canaries. We’ve got quotes for GF Isabel in Costa Adeje (Tenerife), a couple of places on Lanzarote (Costa Teguise) and Elba Sara in Costa Caleta (Fuerteventura). All are priced roughly similar at around £3-£3.6k half board or full board as a package with flights (all are apartment style options with at least a separate bedroom for the kids, which is important for us).

I can’t decide which location will suit us best so looking for tips / inspiration or alternatives. How do the different resorts compare? Which would you choose? Help please!

We've just come back from an 11 night stay at H10 Lanzarote Gardens. The hotel itself is very nice. It's clean, welcoming and the pools are good but personally felt that a stay in Playa Blanca would have suited us better (better beach for young child, less windy, resort felt more family friendly). Plus our 3 year old daughter found the hotel a little too loud/overwhelming - but this isn't a criticism of the hotel, we've just found that busy dining halls/ too many other kids doesn't work for her and we will go self catering for our next holiday. Can't comment on the kids club as daughter refused!! My only real criticism of the hotel itself would be that the food was a little disappointing - definitely felt like we were eating for sustenance rather than enjoyment (which coupled with our daughter's response to hotel dining led to us eating out quite a bit).

I did however also want to mention that Lanzarote has a lot of family-friendly activities that your DH would probably appreciate too. I'd really recommend hiring a car and exploring the island as there's lots of cultural and scenic things to do - Cesar Manrique was an artist who lived on the island and has designed many of the sculptures and architecture. There is a museum of his work and his house has been maintained and is open to the public. He has also designed/influenced many other attractions including the Mirador Del Rio (spectacular viewpoint over La Graciosa), Cueva de los Verdes and Jameos del Agua (Caves which kids will love exploring). Of course there is also Timanfaya volcano which they give demonstrations to show the fire/ steam still active below the surface. Anyway worth checking out, it's our favourite Canary Island as to us it feels it has more culture and things to offer than the others.

Also, if you're looking at the H10 book direct with the hotel, we saved £££ by doing this and booked our flights separately. You can join the free loyalty programme for a discount and as a member you get complimentary stuff (free drink on arrival, chocolates and water in room etc).

How did you find La Gomera? I have been considering it. Been to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Didn’t really like either.

@Jellybean023
No, it was about 1hr 15 minutes from airport. We stayed at radisson blue and it was fab. You could get a taxi that would prob cut it to 45-50 minutes.

We really like it. This summer will be our third visit. We like hiking though so tend to do a lot of walking. It doesn't have (m)any sandy beaches though so not a place to go if you want to go to the beach. It is really quiet and not at all touristy so suits us well. It's very picturesque.

@BadgerMushroom20 I nearly booked the H10 Lanzarote gardens for August but decided against and booked Fuerteventura as the hotel was next to the beach. Is it more suitable if you have younger children? I have heard that it gets very busy and the food isn't great on the all inclusive.

On a very last minute break we ended up in Costa Teguise in May and walked past the hotel and we thought it looked lovely but it seems like a large hotel.

We went this month so being term time there were definitely more pre-schoolers, didn't see many over 5's at all but this may be slightly different during school hols. I would say that the hotel itself is definitely geared most towards younger children but Costa Teguise itself felt more geared towards couples (bars felt quite adult, very few play parks or activities outside the hotel other than some bungee trampoline things near the seafront). The beach itself is nice but the sea is quite rough on this coastline, Playa Blanca/Playa Dorada beach is more sheltered and better suited to young kids imo

I'd recommend Mogan in Gran Canaria but it sounds like you are looking for something a bit more upmarket? If the budget allows, I'd recommend the H10 in Meloneras, it's an upmarket beach resort in Gran Canaria, you could do AI there or B&B as there are so many beautiful restaurants on the promenade that I always feel it would be a shame to miss out on.

link here

I would also always book everything separately, though you might want to compare prices with the likes of TUI or another travel company. Either way, arrange your own transfer from the airport as it's max. 30 mins but having to wait for other travellers and then drop them off can add hours to the journey!

Thanks for the tips. Not AI but I've been looking at here...

www.ramadaresidencescostaadeje.com

Found from another mn thread. Does anyone here know it?

There's no getting away from it, lots of resorts in the Canaries are "brits abroad". But, there are still very nice places in those resorts and it is the perfect set up for family holidays and will always be a safe bet.

I'm more familiar with Gran Canaria, I'd stay between Peurto Rico and Mogan. Day trip to Mogan (by ferry) on market day, hire a car and drive up the mountain for the views, drive out to Las Palmas for a day. Visit the water park. There are tons of coastal walks that are child friendly with beach stop offs, water sports, boat trips. We saw hundreds of dolphins on a boat trip when dd was young, it was a brilliant day.

Enjoy, wherever you end up!