Valentine's in Tenerife

As our last trip as a family of 3 we wanted to go somewhere warm in February and a direct flight from Basel. That limited our options pretty quickly and narrowed us in on the Canary Islands with the additional perk of Starwood hotel option.

I wouldn't necessarily rave about Tenerife / Adeje but we had the absolute best time. I'm not sure if it was just because the trip felt extra special as our last with 3 or if it's because we didn't plan a thing or if because E was a treat throughout every single day, but it was all perfect. 

We spent most of our time at the Sheraton, playing in the heated pool, visiting the kids zone and partaking in the constant food options. Big Man made friends everywhere he turned. (Although we DEFINITELY need to re-enroll in swim lessons. Stat. His favorite part of "swimming" was gulping down the pool water.) He was a constant ball of giggles and smiles. His favorite part being that all 3 of us were constantly together. "Mommy? Yes. Daddy? Yes.[insert contented smile & sigh]"

We visited the "#1 water park in the world" (according to Trip Advisor). Everyone was skeptical upon reading the signs however we checked some reviews that confirmed toddler friendly activities so figured why not. It was amazing! All sorts of different activities for every age. E loved the kiddie water slides. Matt loved the big kid slides and being that it was a cooler day and we were the 6th family in the park there were zero lines. I think he rode most everything 3 times. Mommy only was allowed on the lazy river (which was a tragedy because I LOVE water slides!!!!) but alas the smiles on my two kids (big & little) were still worth it. 

Boo!!!

The hotel was right on the ocean, but directly behind were the cool rock piles and we were told we could just walk a little bit & there was a big beach to play.

We followed the simple instructions and found the beach! It wasn't "big" but we still enjoyed splashing in the water & playing in the sand.

 

Sneaky Dessert Thief!

 That is until 3 days later when Matt went for a run in the morning and found the REAL beach, which was just over the next hill. This beach was surrounded by cute cafes on the "boardwalk", chair & umbrellas for rent, plenty of sand and waves. I can't believe we didn't just walk a bit further until our 2nd to last day!

Honestly, this was not the most luxuriously or glamorous trip of our lives, but it was truly one of the most special. I will always remember the laughter, smiles and love of our last trip when we were just a family of three.