Why visit Tenerife? La Gomera is the island that you see every day if you are staying in the south of Tenerife. The island is much smaller compared to Tenerife, but it hides tremendous beauty, an amazing national park and forest and winding roads that lead to lookout points with modern architecture. From Tenerife South you can book a day tour that includes the ferry ride, transfer on the island in order to see all the best places and lunch at Mirador Abrante (probably the most Instagrammed place on La Gomera). See extra info on Tenerife Forum Community.

Alternative things to do in Tenerife: wine museum. Delight each of the senses with a wine tasting at Casa del Vino in El Sauzal in the north of Tenerife. It’s a great place to learn all about the island’s thriving wine industry (and have a few pre-lunch tipples, if you’re so inclined. I definitely was). You’ll also get to marvel at the intricate detail of the traditional Canarian ceiling in one of the rooms. Around 8,000 hectares of Tenerife is dedicated to wine production and the destination has five wine trademarks – a lot, considering its size! I loved learning all about the traditional cultivation methods and the state of Tenerife’s wine scene today at the wine museum. Oh, and look out for the museum’s two friendly cats!

These natural salt water pools are plenty of fun to cool off in – particularly if you’re coming down from one of the mountain hikes or golf courses nearby. There are also showers and bathrooms to get changed in too. Whilst the golden sands of Médano are ideal for posing and sunbathing with the best of them, you should really try your hand at kitesurfing here. This is a great, safe spot to surf for experienced riders, with Médano and Tejita offering two different spots to ride the waves. Whilst Rio may have the biggest carnevale in South America, the Canary Islands are the place to be for it in Europe. Over the course of a week, festivals, processions and parties flood the streets of Santa Cruz with colour, feathers and glitter. The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is a fun event to attend with a group, or with the family – you’ll never see anything quite like it.

If you’re interested in more unusual attractions in Tenerife, I recommend a visit to Chinamada which is a tiny hamlet in the north of Tenerife’s Anaga mountain range. Chinamada is home to a ‘troglodyte community’ who live in a group of around 30 modernised cave houses. Two thirds of these cave homes are underground but they’re not as primitive as they once were. Don’t be surprised to see a satellite TV dish protruding from one or two – the hamlet got its first electricity supply in the 1990s. The surrounding landscape is filled with potato fields, though few of the residents live solely off the land these days.

Located right above Los Cristianos, Siam Park is a relatively new attraction that has gained enormous popularity with tourists. It is best visited during hot summer weather with family and children, as it provides water rides, an enormously huge wave pool complete with gold sand beach and a mile-long lazy river for you to chill and have fun showcasing your favorite bathing suit. If you want to experience thrills and spills, go on the Tower of Power, a 100 foot high near-vertical slide, which will bring you through an amazing aquarium full of ocean residents. Siam Park is dedicated to Thai theme and is Tenerife’s latest and biggest theme park.