The Bahia Principe Fantasia Hotel in Tenerife offers all you could want for a relaxing, family break away…
To celebrate the launch of Wizz Air’s new flight route to Tenerife, we jumped across the pond to try the Bahia Principe Fantasia Hotel. And it didn’t disappoint. The five-star Bahia Principe Fantasia Hotel on the beautiful southern coastline of Tenerife, Costa Adeje, is the ideal stay for any family chasing that elusive winter sun. Family holidays are often tricky to get right; a stay whereby both adults and children of all ages are equally catered for is hard to come by but this is where the Fantasia hotel shines!
The Setting
Whilst sunbathing in the UK is rather a sporadic enterprise, realistically limited to just a few weeks a year, the sunshine prevails the entire year in Tenerife. Tempered by the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, average daytime temperatures, even in the coldest months between December and February, remain a very pleasant 17 °C with top temperatures in the low 20’s and between 6 and 8 hours of sunshine each day. The flight time is a mere 4 hours from beating rain and biting winds to balmy breezes ruffling the sun-soaked palms, cocktail in hand.
It was clear from the outset that the Bahia Principe Fantasia Hotel specialised in family-friendly retreats; from the staff on hand to entertain the kids the moment you arrive with magic tricks and even a sweets trolley to the child-sized steps up to the reception desk. All the while the reception staff made check-in as seamless as possible for the adults, a saving grace when travelling, even if the flight time is only 4 hours!
The Hotel
Walking through the Bahia Principe Fantasia Hotel revealed further design features with families in mind – large corridors to the baby changing stations and buggy storage units. They have thought of everything to make things as easy and relaxing as possible for families whilst remaining very modern.
Quite often on all-inclusive holidays, it can feel crowded and hectic but this is not the case at the Bahia Principe Fantasia. Due to the spacious layout, boasting seven different pools means fighting for a sun lounger is a thing of the past; you can truly sit back and relax! One of the pools is dedicated for children with water fountains, slides, climbing frames and splash areas – it’s just a shame there isn’t an adult version!
The peak sea temperature surrounding Tenerife is in August at around 24°C dropping to a minimum of 19°C in February, which is still as warm as it ever is in the UK. Even so, to make the pools pleasantly accessible all year round some of them are heated. The real treat, however, is the adults-only infinity pool, overlooking the spectacular coastline you can stare out onto the seemingly endless ocean all day long. With the closest bar just meters away there really is no reason not to just soak up the sun’s rays with a good book in one hand and a cocktail in the other.
The poolside bar is just one of seven bars in the hotel so you won’t ever be far from an ice-cold drink, cocktails, mocktails, wine or beer! The lobby bar is a great place to sit and have a drink in the evening, whether seated at the bar or on the comfy leather sofas or in one of the more private booths, it has a great atmosphere and serves even better cocktails!
The Bahia Principe Fantasia hotel has an excellent Wellness Centre for those wishing to pamper themselves a little more whilst on holiday or for those who like to work up an appetite for their all-inclusive dining. There is a very well equipped gym on-site which also offers a variety of exercise classes throughout the day so you can make the most of the snack bar, guilt-free; well, almost!
Oh, and of course, no hotel is complete without its very own fairy tale castle. If you want to live the life of a prince or princess you can stay in your very own private castle! The ‘Magic Suite’ truly is something special, taking centre stage for a family of five and something both parents and children can enjoy. The kids can entertain themselves for hours with a wealth of dressing up items as well as their own minibar and games station – every child’s dream!
If you want to explore what the island has to offer there are a range of superb activities that can be booked through the hotel such as tours of Mount Teide, the still smouldering volcano in the most visited national park in Europe where stargazing trips are also available, taking advantage of the air quality and lack of urban light pollution to provide a recognised “starlight destination”. There is also the famous Siam Waterpark, a superb well-kept golf course and whale watching tours. For those who love to be out on the open water, the whale watching tour is not to be missed. Setting out on our private yacht along the coastline is blissful in itself and you might be lucky enough to encounter a family of pilot whales. Witnessing these gentle yet playful creatures up close and personal was a truly unreal highlight of our trip and an exhilarating day out. There are over 26 species that can be seen in the area, including baleen whales, killer whales and even blue whales!
The Room
One of the first things to note is that your room key is also the wristband they provide you with at check-in, a genius idea that makes worrying about where you’ve left your key card or who’s going to need it to get back into the room first, a thing of the past.
The rooms, like the rest of the hotel, are very tasteful with clean lines and a spacious, open layout. A good night’s sleep is crucial and can often make or break a holiday. Large king-sized beds and plush soft pillows offer a blissful night’s sleep and make it exceedingly difficult to get up in the morning. The rooms have a separate bath and shower as well as two toilets – very convenient whether staying as a couple or family. The shower and bath are equally spacious and the shower has decent water pressure, making it hard to leave. The rooms come equipped with everything you would expect of a 5 Star hotel including two TV’s, minibar (part of all-inclusive), tea and coffee station, hairdryer and washroom set.
The dining experience
There is always the temptation to fill your plate sky high with a host of random food selections on all-inclusive holidays which can often be sorely disappointing. This is not the case at the Bahia Principe Fantasia, the food in the main restaurant is simply delicious and with such a variety of different dishes on offer, you never get bored. The fish, freshly cooked to your liking, is a highlight at mealtimes, especially when paired with the traditionally cooked paella! However, if Spanish food isn’t up your street they have various other culinary delights such as beautifully cooked pasta and pizza as well as a seemingly endless selection of cured meats, cheeses and lighter options such as the salad bar and beautiful roast vegetables.
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, and the Bahia Principe Fantasia Hotel must think so too because the spread of breakfast items is second to none. Everything you could possibly wish to have for breakfast is laid out from a Full English to enormous light, fluffy pancakes and everything in between.
There are three “à la carte” restaurants in the complex including an Italian, Asian and Steak House. You can sample all three if you wish as three a la carte meals are part of the all-inclusive deal. Just like the rest of the hotel, the décor is very upmarket and worthy of any 5-star restaurant, each subtly reflecting the style of cuisine. We ate at the Steak House and the food served is every bit as good as the setting; all three courses were just what you would expect to receive in a top-end steak restaurant and of course, the steaks were cooked to perfection.
If you’ve had a late night at one of the bars in the hotel and don’t quite make it to breakfast, or if you haven’t quite had your fill, there is a snack bar open in the day where you can source some of the best hangover food going!
Family Features
What the Fantasia Bahia Principe Hotel does exceptionally well is providing facilities for children. They have gone the extra mile to make sure all bases are covered regarding childcare, giving the adults a little more opportunity to take a bit of ‘me time’. There is a supervised Teens Club with its very own private disco held in a well decked out games room where they can while away the hours. For younger children there is a Kids Club available during the day; the staff are very friendly and make sure the children are well entertained with a whole host activities such as costume workshops, games, island expeditions and the opportunity to bake in their gorgeous child-sized kitchen.
One of the most thoughtful features is the supervised playroom just by the main restaurant which is specific to mealtimes (6-10 pm) so that parents if they wish, can take the opportunity to have a romantic meal together, a rare opportunity and something all parents would appreciate.
It isn’t just the kids who have their entertainment covered, the hotel has its very own professional theatre. So you can head down after dinner, grab a drink from the theatre bar and enjoy a masterful production of music, lights and acrobatics!
Getting there
Wizz Air has recently released a new route from Luton Airport London to Tenerife, starting on 12th December 2019 they will fly every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from just £35.99 one way so it’s never been easier or more affordable to hop on a plane and banish those winter blues! You can book your flight here.
Book
Find out more about the five star Bahia Principe Fantasia Hotel in Tenerife on their website here.
Av. J.M. Galván Bello, S/N, 38639, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
