Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife – Good for teens?

 

Not quite adults – yet not children – teenagers are a force of their own. It’s hard to know what will float their boat, and what will command eye rolls. What will they like on holiday? For example, the brand new five-star Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife is an all-inclusive hotel located on the south coast of Tenerife. On paper – it looks a family dream. The 372-room resort is centred around a mesmerizing six-storey fairytale castle, with a kids water park, 7 swimming pools, 5 restaurants, 6 bars, splash areas, kids club, a teen “Loft”,  spa, gym and nightly Cirque du Soleil-style entertainment. But would teenagers like it?  Would they be enchanted by the castle? Or would they think it’s boring? We visited on a press trip to find out!

 

 

Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife is definitely not a “quiet” resort. It’s buzzing with families of all ages. And no wonder — there are so many family touches. For families with younger kids, there a buggy loft (to park strollers so you don’t have to take up space in your room), a baby room to heat up food and sterilize bottles, kids club and activities and a dedicated kids buffet section. And if adults want to chill without little ones around there an adults-only infinity pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and an accompanying infinity bar.

 

 

Is Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife good for teens?

Absolutely! My girls (aged 14 and 15) loved it. Teens are at that awkward age. At the cusp of childhood and adulthood – it can be difficult to find something they enjoy. I wasn’t sure if they would be entranced by the giant fairytale castle, but I was informed by my You Tube-watching 15-year-old that  “castles and anything Disney-esque are very much ‘in'”.

There’s a magical feeling about the resort that resonated with them. They liked having lots of families around – and of course a plethora of other teenage girls … and boys … to hang out with. 

They also really liked the dedicated teenage area, The Loft. equipped with not  just the usual pool table, foosball and ping-pong, the teen Loft is brightly coloured and very inviting with a private disco, video game room, a Deejay area for mixing sessions, and a multimedia area for watching videos.

The whole effect, especially at night when the castle and surrounding pools are lit up, is pretty magical.

 

 

 

The rooms at Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife

We stayed in a Master Suite, which accommodates up to 3 adults and 2 kids in a king sized bed (or 2 twins) and a sofabed. It’s a very cleverly designed open suite – during the day you can open the sliding doors to a large room. At night, close the doors and it becomes 2 rooms.  The Scandi-style furniture and mustard accents and modern amenities give it a very fresh and modern feel. There’s a free mini bar that is refilled daily and they always brought a big bottle of water to our room. I was so pleased to see coffee/tea making facilities! This is so rare for Spain. Our room looked onto the castle and swimming pools – we had a great view of the main show from our balcony.

Being a new hotel, it’s very technologically advanced. There are plenty of charging points, large televisions, free wifi and a web app where you can book pretty much anything – including your meals and shows. The best bit, however, was the all-inclusive wrist band that held a chip that opened our room. You just rock up, flash your wrist and the door opens. So clever! No having to keep track of where the room key. I was so excited about this.

 

 

 

 

 

Pools, water park and splash areas

This is where we spent most of our time. The resort has 7 swimming pools to choose from! The upper pool area is absolutely gorgeous. The sky and water set against cream tiles, red umbrellas and white loungers makes a stunning backdrop. Three pools here join together to make a huge infinity pool separated by walkways. The lower level has the water park, splash zone, wading pools and is clearly aimed at younger families.  There’s also the adult infinity pool. I *may* have spent some time here 🤣🤣

There are plenty of sun loungers as you would expect at a 5-star hotel. And yes, there are those annoying people who get up at 7 am to bag their sun loungers. Luckily in this hotel, there are so many pools and umbrellas there are loads of places to sit (even in the shade, which is what we always do).

 

 

 

 

All-inclusive eating

Our family love all-inclusive resorts. We like the freedom of not having to worry about how much everything costs – and that prices are locked in. I love being able to tell the kids to go up and order what they want. My girls love buffets. Given the choice – they would pick a buffet over restaurant. They like to try out new foods in the quantities they like and not having to wait for food to come. I on the other hand love a la carte restaurants! The all-inclusive programme at Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife has a combination of both.

The main buffet is the upscale Echeide , which has a wide choice of freshly prepared items including  individually grilled fish and beef, and the best raspberry pana cotta we’ve ever tasted! There is also 3 a-la-carte restaurants: IL PARADISO (Italian with wood-fired oven – make sure to try the sharing platter or the mozzarella, fig and arugula salad); NEMURU (Asian); and LADÓN (aka the grill) with an open kitchen an absolutely delicious grilled Black Pork.  Kids will love the SNACK DREAMS FACTORY, with colourful donuts, hot dogs and ice cream on tap.This is all-inclusive at its best.

 

My 14-year-old’s perspective

I really loved that Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife was an all-inclusive resort. This meant that we didn’t have to bother mum every time we wanted something. The snack bar at the pool had self-serve ice cream (yum) and we could also order our own Mocktails (I liked the “San Francisco” which had lots of different fruit juices). The buffet had many choices and I was torn between being healthy and having yogurt, fruits and seeds to using the “make your own pancake” machine. I tried some local dishes, like grilled fish with the red and green sauce. We also liked the a la carte restaurants. My favourite was Il Paradiso, an Italian restaurant where I learned to make my own pizza! I definitely ate too much!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife: Good for teens

 

My 15-year-old’s perspective

There are loads for teens to do at Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife! The swimming pools were really big and there were 3 on the top-leve,l and a kids pool and water park with splash areas on the lower level. I made lots of friends there and we had a lot of fun. The entertainment wasn’t at all like what I expected. We were too old for the kids disco (though they were cute to watch). The main shows were like going to a Cirque-du-Soliel performance! The main pool area is the stage, with the castle transforming into a multi-media show with acrobats hanging from the magical tree.

But the best part was the teens club. I haven’t seen anything like it. There was the usual pool tables and foosball, but there was also a private teen disco with a music mixing area. There was a “bar” area that looked really cool. It’s the perfect place to get away from the parents and little kids and hang out with your friends (and make new ones).

 

 

 

 

Nightly Entertainment

We were very impressed by the nightly shows at Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife. The main show “The Garden of the Hesperides” takes place outside and the castle become a green screen for a multi-media theatrical production with Cirque-du-Soliel type acrobatics. It tells the tale of Papimber discovering the Garden of the Hesperides. The performance then moves from the castle to a huge magical tree (and the audience moves with it). It’s pretty spectacular. We also saw “Toy Circus”, that reminds all ages what it is like to be a child. It’s a circus-inspired show with dancing, acrobatics, and singing. My teens were duly impressed.

 

 

 

Bahia Spa, Gym and Sports Ground

The Bahia Spa offers massages, body treatments and  beauty services. You can get a massage with locally sourced plantain oil or Aloe Vera oil to help hydrate sun-drenched skin. There’s also a “Girl’s Day” – perfect for mum and daughters. The full-service gym overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. There’s also a multi purpose sports ground perfect for letting off some steam.

 

 

Outside the resort

Step outside the back gate of the resort and there is a pathway along the beautiful San Miguel de Abona coast. Black lava contrasts with the blues of the Atlantic. It’s a nice place for an evening stroll or run. The town is just a 10-minute walk and worth checking out.

 

 

 

 

 

Watch our video!

 

 

 

IF YOU GO:

Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife, Av. J.M. Galván Bello, S/N, 38639, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
+34 922 10 55 56 https://www.bahia-principe.com/en/hotels-in-spain/resort-fantasia

 

 

Looking for a hotel in the Canary Islands?

Read: 34 of the best family resorts & hotels in the Canary Islands.

Disclosure: Our stay at Fantasia Bahia Principe Tenerife was provided by the hotel group. All opinions are my own.