Tenerife · With kids

A water park above Costa Adeje with a wave pool and slides graded by nerve. A full day; ages 5+, with a shallow area for smaller children.

Parrots, penguins, gorillas and an aquarium at Puerto de la Cruz, reached by a free road train from town. Most of a day; ages 2+.

Pilot whales and dolphins live in the strait year-round; two-hour boats leave Los Cristianos and Puerto Colón. Ages 4+, and take seasickness tablets.

Eight minutes to 3,555 metres, where the air is thin and it can freeze above a warm beach. The final summit path needs a free permit. Ages 6+.

The north is green and often cloudy, the south reliably sunny. Teide needs coats even in August, and resort buffets serve dinner from 6.30pm.