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Costa Adeje: At a glance
Where to stay: Melia Jardins del Teide for a quiet, adults only stay close to El Duque. Hotel Riu Arecas in La Caleta for an upscale large resort hotel or Los Olivos in Fañabé with seafront apartments for a mid-range budget.
Best things to do: Hire your own car and explore Tenerife at your own pace. Book a stargazing tour on Mount Teide or join a Kayak tour and paddle with dolphins.
Best time to visit: Tenerife is a great year-round destination and the temperatures remain warm even during the UK autumn and winter, making it a great winter sun destination. If you want to sunbathe, and swim in the sea, the summer months are the best time to go, but it will be busier and you may have to pre-book popular restaurants. To enjoy the weather without the crowds and have slightly more bearable temperatures for hiking, I’d recommend visiting in June or September and early October.
Enjoy the Canaries? Check out my blog on what to do in the island of La Palma, Canaries
Fun things to do in Costa Adeje, Tenerife for couples
I visited Costa Adeje with my husband in August for a week-long break. The holiday was meant to be a relaxing trip, after a busy few months at work and a chance to chill out. However, if you have read any of my blogs, you’ll know that I’m not very good at sitting still. Even during my two week holiday to Montenegro last year, I planned a road trip and stayed in 4 different towns!
As we were travelling in August, an adult only hotel was non-negotiable and we stayed at the Melia Jardins del Teide, which I would really recommend. The atmosphere is very laid back and the facilities are great, with a good sized gym, daily classes and workshops and several bars and restaurants on site. So, even though my husband was looking forward to lounging by the lovely pool at our hotel, I had other plans and added a few sights and activities to our itinerary to keep us (mostly me) occupied.
So, if you’re like us and want a holiday that not only offers relaxation, but also a chance to explore Tenerife too, here are some of the best things to do in Costa Adeje for couples.
Visit Mount Teide
You cannot visit Tenerife and not take a trip to see Mount Teide! Teide is Spain’s highest peak, at 3718m high and is still an active volcano.
There are several ways you can experience Mount Teide, including getting out on the various hiking trails around Teide National park, to enjoying a scenic drive around the park, stopping at the many viewpoints along the way. It really is accessible to everyone. You can also take a cable car to the top of Mount Teide, although it is recommended to book the cable car tickets in advance.
For total flexibility, I’d recommend hiring your own car, then you can spend the day exploring at your own pace and even enjoy a picnic in the national park. The roads are good, but as you would expect from mountain roads, they are winding, so just take your time.
Book your rental car in advance with Discover car. (I always opt for full insurance just to make sure that I am fully covered, especially when I’m driving on narrow mountain roads.
If you would rather not drive, there are so many tours you can do in Teide, including the popular nighttime stargazing tours, like this one.
I booked this late afternoon sunset tour, which included time at the Roques de Garcia, where there was a short walking trail. Seeing these huge rock formations as the sun started setting over them, with Mount Teide in the background was incredible!
Visit Masca Valley
The Masca Valley is beautiful, with dramatic scenery, sweeping views and a cute little 18th century village. There is not a lot to do here, other than soak in the views, but it is definitely worth a stop if you are driving around Tenerife, and is one of the most popular stops on a self drive tour of Tenerife. Many of the tours to Teide will stop here as well.
The tiny village in the valley is home to only a few local residents and locally run restaurants, open for lunch. There is also a cute stone church and a small visitors centre. The road leading down to the village is very narrow and winding, but the views are incredible!
Hiking the Barranco de Masca
If you want to see more of the Masca area, you can hike through the deep valley itself. Starting from Masca Village, there is a 3 hour hike, which takes you through the base of the ravine, finishing at Masca beach, where a boat will come and collect you and take you back to Los Gigantes. The hike is only open to guided tours and must be pre booked in advance.
Siam Waterpark
The Siam waterpark is one of Europe’s most coveted and is the best thing to do in Tenerife for families (and big kids too!) General admission starts at €44 per adult, but there are also other options which include fast-passes and VIP additions. The waterpark offers a bus service from around the island, prices start from €21 pp for a round trip, so it may be cheaper to get a local taxi or local bus and walk from Costa Adeje.
Walk along the coastline to La Caleta
This is a lovely free activity in Costa Adeje. From The Corner Mall in Adeje and Playa del Duque, you can walk along the coastal promenade all the way to La Caleta. The views are lovely and you can stop at the beach along the way. Along the promenade you’ll pass larger hotel resorts and up-scale restaurants and beach clubs. The walk from Costa Adeje to La Caleta takes about 30 minutes one way and once you reach La Caleta, I’d recommend enjoying a coffee or lunch at one of the small cafes overlooking the rocky bay.
La Caleta is a small fishing village, but is nice for a little wander around and feels more traditional Canarian. You can also get a bus here from Costa Adeje in the evening for dinner for a change of scenery.
Hiking the Barranco del Infierno
This is a great option if you want to do a spot of hiking but don;t want to travel too far from the coast. The Barranco del Infierno is just a 15 minute drive from Costa Adeje, in the main town of Adeje. The hiking trail is only 6.5km there and back and will take you between 2.5 – 3 hours, depending on how fast you walk and how many photo stops you take!
The trail winds through a scenic gorge, with dramatic mountain peaks all around you. You need to book a ticket in advance and the number of people walking the trail is limited, so it never gets too crowded. In the summer months, the trail is only between 08.30 – 10.30 due to the heat in the gorge. I would recommend going first thing, like we did, so that you have the trail pretty much to yourself. The morning clouds will likely still be hanging around the peaks first thing in the morning, which also adds a beautiful moody feel to the walk.
Take a Whale and Dolphin boat trip
The warm, deep waters off Tenerife’s southern coast is a permanent residence for some species of whales and bottlenose dolphins. There are also seasonal visitors with migratory species passing through at different times of the year. This means that you can have a good chance of seeing whales and dolphins year-round.
Book a short 1.5 hour tour, like this small boat whale and dolphin tour. Or choose a longer half day catamaran tour, like this one.
Paddle with dolphins on a Kayak tour
If you enjoy being out on the water, I would highly recommend booking a guided Kayak tour. I booked myself on a tour and had the best experience. We had a small pod of dolphins swimming around and underneath us, as well as two small sharks and turtles. It was incredible. My tour was with Xplore Tenerife who were brilliant. You can leave your belongings in a secure locker at their office and there are changing facilities and toilets and the guide was really good. There are many tour companies to choose from all around Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas, but I would definitely recommend the tour I did. This is the exact tour I went on: Los Cristianos Kayak tour
See the cliffs of Los Gigantes
The Los Gigantes cliffs, or Acantilados de Los Gigantes are not to be missed when visiting Tenerife! The sheer volcanic cliffs rise straight up out of the sea, like a huge 600m high wall. They really are quite an impressive sight. The best view of the cliffs is from Mirador Punta del Roque. If you are getting the bus (either 473 or 477) from Costa Adeje to Los Gigantes, I’d recommend getting off early at Puerto de Santiago and walking along the coastal path to the viewpoint. Doing this means that you’ll have a view of the cliffs as you walk towards them.
The town of Los Gigantes is quite small and sadly whilst we were there in August 2026, there was a lot of construction going on in the centre of town, but there are some nice cafes around the marina and small beach. There are also some natural ocean pools as well.
Go shopping
Costa Adeje has plenty of designer shops, with the Duke Shopping centre, Plaza del Duque and The Corner Adeje. If you are looking for something a little more mainstream, you’ll have to head towards Playa de la Americas, where there are more high street brand shops. Along Costa Adeje promenade there are the usual small souvenir shops, as well as duty free type shops with sunglasses, perfumes and cosmetics.
Explore the rest of the island in your own car
If you want to get out of Costa Adeje and explore the rest of tenerife, the best way to get around is by hiring your own car. The roads are good in Tenerife, just be mindful that parking can get quite busy in the popular tourist spots, especially in places like Teide National Park and Masca Valley. I use Discover cars when hiring a car abroad as I find their website really easy to use and the prices are competitive. In fact, I also used Discover cars to drive around the Canarian island of La Palma on a recent short break, which was incredible. If you like hiking and seeing impressive landscapes, I would definitely recommend checking out my guide to La Palma.
Here are some other places you might want to visit whilst in Tenerife:
Puerto de la Cruz
The town of Puerto de la Cruz is on the opposite side of the island and has quite a different feel to Costa Adeje. It is more traditional with charming Spanish-Canarian buildings and a historic centre.
La Rambla de Castro Nature reserve and coastal trail
This scenic coastal trail in the north of Tenerife takes you through palm forests and winds its way along the coast with gorgeous views across the ocean. It is a point to point trail, 4km in length, so you will either need to go back the same way (making it 8km in total), or get a bus or taxi back to the starting point. You can start from either San Pedro or El Burgado viewpoint.
Anaga Nature Reserve
This nature reserve was the first piece of land that emerged from the sea when the island of Tenerife began to form. Part of the park contains the highest biodiversity per sq km in the whole of Europe, which means it is a highly important protected area. There are several hiking trails you can follow within the park, just make sure that you check trail conditions before setting off.
Relax at the beach
If after all those activities, you are just ready for a rest, head to one of Costa Adeje’s black sand beaches. The largest beach in Costa Adeje is Playa de Fanabe. This is where all the restaurants, shops and bars are. It is popular with families, due to the convenience of being close to everything, including a lot of the resort hotels. Personally, I prefer Playa del Duque and think this beach is much better for couples visiting Costa Adeje. It is quieter, though there are still shops and cafes nearby.
Where to stay in Costa Adeje
This is really important as it will determine whether you enjoy your stay in Tenerife. Even though the region of Costa Adeje is quite small, all of the different areas have quite a different feel to one another. So pick your base wisely!
La Caleta
At the northern end of Costa Adeje is La Caleta, a small fishing village, set around a beautiful rocky cove. The atmosphere is much more tranquil and relaxed and it feels less touristic compared to other areas of Costa Adeje. So if you are looking for laid back charm, lazy morning coastal walks, quiet cafes and peaceful swims in the sea, then this could be the right place for you. La Caleta is also known for having some excellent, seafood restaurants – as you would expect for a fishing village!
Choose La Caleta if you want a more tranquil base which feels more Canarian and less touristic.
Places to stay in La Caleta:
Check out the Royal Hideaway Corales Beach for adults only luxury or look at HOVIMA Jardin Caleta for a modern aparthotel.
El Duque
El Duque is known as the more upscale area of Costa Adeje. Relaxed, upscale cafes and restaurants sit on the promenade behind the beach, as well as relaxed beach clubs for the evening.
Playa del Duque is a sandy beach, with calm water, great for swimming. You can rent sunbeds and umbrellas but there is also space to lay your towel if you prefer. From El Duque, you can walk along the coastal promenade to La Caleta, which takes just 30 minutes. El Duque also has a number of designer shops located in the Plaza Del Duque The Duke Shops shopping centres.
Choose El Duque if you want to be based in more peaceful surroundings, but still close to shops, restaurants and SEEN beach club, but with the option to walk to Fañabé for a lively night if you fancy it.
Places to stay in El Duque:
Hotel Riu Arecas and H10 Costa Adeje are both upscale resorts with a seafront location.
Fañabé
Fañabé sits in the centre of Costa Adeje and has a range of hotels and accommodation to suit various budgets,
The dark black sand beach of Playa Fañabé is a popular spot for families, with easy access to facilities. There are two beachfront promenades, one at beach level and one which sits above the beach, looking down. Both promenades are lined with restaurants – the upper path has larger, more upscale restaurants, like the popular Lumma and Almalfi. Whereas, the lower path offers smaller, more budget friendly options. Fañabé is a very busy area and it can be touristic, with street sellers and the odd ‘English pub’ and Irish bar. The atmosphere at night is lively, but in the more upscale restaurants, it can feel calmer. Just be prepared to book the nicer restaurants in advance during peak season to avoid queuing for a table.
Choose Fañabé if you want to stay in a more upscale resort but still be in the centre of the action, with lively bars and tourist shops.
Places to stay in Fañabé:
Princess Inspire is an upscale adults only hotel or Los Olivos is a nice seafront hotel which is more of a mid-range budget.
Colón / Torviscas
This is the area between Fañabé and Playa de las Americas, where you will also find the Puerto Colón marina. The two main beaches here; Playa de la Pinta and Playa de Torviscas are similar to Playa Fañabé and are popular with families. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants here, and although there are some more upscale places, like Gilda, many of the restaurants here are a bit more budget friendly, yet still offer a nice atmosphere for couples and families alike.
Staying in this area, you will be close to possibly Tenerife’s most popular tourist attraction – Siam water park and you can also take a Whale and Dolphin boat tour from Colon Marina. Book your Whale and Dolphin tour here
From Colon, you can also walk along the promenade to Playa de las Americas in just over 30 minutes, where you will find lots more high street brand shops, and very lively bars. Playa de las Americas is known as a bit of a party destination for tourists in Tenerife.
Choose Colon/Torviscas if you are looking for some more budget friendly options in Costa Adeje, but want to be close to the nightlife of Playa de las Americas for the occasional party night.
Places to stay in Colón / Torviscas:
Stay in an elegant apartment at Flamingo Suites Boutique Hotel. Or more for a more affordable option, check out Apartamentos Tinerfe Garden
