Places to Go in Playa de las Américas: Tenerife Resort Guide

Playa de las Américas is a purpose-built beach resort on Tenerife's southern coast, small in population but busy with visitors. It works best as a base for a sunshine holiday where the beach, the pool and a few easy day trips fill the week, rather than somewhere you come for old streets or museums.

For entertainment in Playa de las Américas, families tend to head for the water parks: Siam Park is around half a mile from the resort and Aqualand Costa Adeje about a mile. Animal lovers have Loros del Sur, a parrot park about half a mile away, and Monkey Park a little further at around two and a half miles. Golfers will find Golf Las Américas on the doorstep, roughly half a mile out.

The beaches are what most people come for. Playa de las Vistas is the closest big stretch of sand, about a mile away, and Playa de Los Cristianos and Honda Beach lie around the same distance, by the neighbouring town of Los Cristianos. Along the Costa Adeje coast, Playa del Duque and Playa Los Callados are both roughly two miles away.

For a change of scene, the landscape opens up towards La Rasca. The Reserva Natural Especial del Malpaís de la Rasca, a protected area, is about four miles away, with the Castillo de La Rasca at around three miles, Punta Rasca Lighthouse and the small beach of La Arenita both about five miles off. It makes a good half-day outing with car hire.

The climate here, measured at nearby Adeje, is warm all year. Daytime highs run from 20°C in February to 28°C in August, and nights rarely drop below 13°C. July is the driest month on record with no rain days at all, and April and May see only two each. February is the one shoulder month, a little cooler with around six rain days; March brings the most rainfall, though still only five rain days.

That steadiness is why so many British travellers come for winter sun. Christmas in Playa de las Américas usually means highs around 21°C and lows of 15°C, with about four rain days across December. For a day-by-day forecast check closer to departure, but the monthly averages are a reliable guide when you book.

Tenerife South (TFS) is the airport to fly into, with direct flights from the United Kingdom and a drive of about 14 minutes to Playa de las Américas. That short transfer is a real advantage with children or after an early start. Tenerife North (TFN) is around 53 minutes away by road but has no direct flights from the UK, so most holidaymakers will not use it.

If you want to explore further, the ferry port at Los Cristianos is only about a mile away, with sailings to the other islands; Santa Cruz de Tenerife is roughly 40 miles off.

Most British visitors book a package: flights from a UK airport into Tenerife South, a hotel and the 14-minute transfer bundled together, with a choice of board basis from room only through to all inclusive. You can compare Jet2holidays, TUI, loveholidays and On the Beach deals on this page. As with any family resort, prices tend to climb during UK school holidays, so travelling outside them usually gives more choice.

If you prefer to arrange things yourself, you can check hotel prices, compare car hire for the trip out to La Rasca, and see tours and tickets for attractions such as Siam Park, all from the same page.