Bahia Principe Fantasia Tenerife
Bahia Principe Fantasia, now branded Bahia Principe Explore Fantasia, is a five-star, all-inclusive family resort at Golf del Sur on the quieter south-east coast of Tenerife, a few minutes from the airport. It was purpose-built for families in 2018 around a white castle, with seven pools, a water park, a kids' club and nightly shows, and everything runs on one all-inclusive price.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who Fantasia suits, who it doesn't and the facts to skim before the detail.
Bahia Principe Fantasia was built from the ground up for families with young children in 2018, and it carries the group's Explore Kids branding, a family-focused tier used at only two Bahia Principe resorts worldwide, this one and its sister in Punta Cana. It shows in nearly every detail: seven pools and a separate water park, a white castle at the centre with a nightly light show and a nursing room on every floor. It's a premium resort and it's all-inclusive only, so the price is upfront and there's no half-board or bed-and-breakfast alternative to opt down to. You'll get the most from it if you want a self-contained, entertainment-led week close to the airport, and less if you want a sandy beach on your doorstep or a staffed crèche for a baby.
It's officially a five-star resort, though one reviewer who'd stayed felt it closer to a four-star, and it rates well with guests. Across TripAdvisor it sits around 4 out of 5 from roughly 3,000 reviews, and it has 766 reviews on Booking.com, and family editors return to it often: MadeForMums names it "best for babies" in their Tenerife top ten, Family Can Travel and Travel4Baby both rank it their number one family hotel on the island, and it has picked up a best-hotel-pool award. The consistent theme is that it's one of the most family-focused resorts in Tenerife.
Best for
You want an all-inclusive built for families with young children, a big pool and water-park set-up and a castle theme with nightly shows, a few minutes from the airport.
Maybe not for
You want a sandy beach on your doorstep, a staffed crèche for a baby under 3 or the freedom to drop the all-inclusive on days out.
Best ages
Babies and toddlers up to primary age. The Kids Club starts at 3, and the baby infrastructure is strong, though there's no under-3 crèche.
What stands out
Seven pools and a separate water park, the white castle and its evening shows, plus one of the shortest airport transfers on the island.
What to check
The children's-pool heating and winter swimwear, and which room sleeps your family. Three children need the Castle Suite.
Where is it?
Golf del Sur, on the quieter south-east coast of Tenerife.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where it sits, the theme that runs through it and what the flat site means with a pushchair.
Fantasia sits at Golf del Sur, in San Miguel de Abona on the south-east coast of Tenerife. This is a different part of the island from the busier Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos strip on the south-west, and it makes for a quieter, more self-contained stay: most families spend their days on the resort rather than heading out. It's a large, purpose-built resort of around 372 rooms, with the restaurants, pools and kids' facilities spread across the grounds.
The theme is what sets it apart. The centrepiece is a white castle, home to the Castle Suite, with a replica of the island's ancient dragon tree beside it, and after dark the two become a light show. The whole resort is styled around a children's story world it calls the Papimber universe, which carries through the decor, the Kids Club activities and the evening entertainment. It gives young children a lot to be excited about without leaving the gate.
The ground is flat compared with the cliff-side resorts elsewhere on the island, and reviewers don't report the steps or access trouble those can involve, so a pushchair should be easy to get around. Cleanliness comes up again and again in reviews, with guests describing the resort as spotless and the housekeeping as constant. There's also a Family Concierge service to help you organise the days and make sure everyone gets what they came for. For the wider island, its beaches and when to go, see our Tenerife guide.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the pool snack bar, the three à la carte restaurants and how the booking really works.
Everything here is on the all-inclusive, across five restaurants and four bars. The buffet and the pool snack bar are the everyday options with no booking, and the three à la carte restaurants take reservations for dinner.
Echeyde is the main buffet, serving international food across breakfast, lunch and dinner, with themed sections and a dedicated children's area. It's the room you'll use most, and there's no reservation and no fixed sitting, so you walk in whenever a toddler's appetite arrives. Salt-free purées for babies are set out in the buffet. The dress code is relaxed, just shoes and a shirt. The main thing families flag is that it can get busy and noisy at peak times, and the food isn't always piping hot, which is a common buffet gripe rather than a failing unique to here.
Dreams Factory is the pool snack bar for the daytime, doing burgers, fries, wings and soft drinks. It's a family favourite for a quick refuel between swims, with no booking and no dress code.
Il Paradiso is the Italian à la carte, open for dinner with a reservation, and the one small children tend to love: alongside its own children's menu there's a pizza-making activity for them. Freshly baked pizza and classic pasta are the mainstays.
Nemuru is the Asian and Japanese à la carte, again dinner by reservation, with woks and pan-Asian dishes and sushi available on request. Ladón is the grill, dinner by reservation, doing cuts of meat with sides, and children are welcome.
Your all-inclusive includes two à la carte dinners in a seven-night stay, per the resort's current terms, so you choose two of the three rather than eating at all of them. The restaurants book up fast, so reserve on the Bahia Principe app before you arrive: you can usually book up to five days ahead of travel. Changing a slot once you're there is possible but finding a free alternative can be hard, so it pays to lock in the early sittings that suit small children when you book. The buffet and the pool snack bar cover every other night with no reservation.
Special diets are catered for, with coeliac, lactose-intolerant and fructose-intolerant options handled if you speak to customer services on arrival. Vegetarians are well looked after; vegan choices are more limited. Dinner at the three à la carte restaurants is smart casual, with long trousers the evening standard for men, though tailored shorts or jeans are accepted; the Echeyde buffet only asks for shoes and a shirt.
The four bars, and drinks at the pool
The Lobby Bar Hesperis is the family meeting point, open through the day for coffees, soft drinks and cocktails. The Infinity Bar is adults only, by the infinity pool with sea views, serving its own cocktail list. The Sports Bar has big screens and a pool table for the daytime, with snacks alongside the drinks. Around the pool, San Miguel beer is on tap, cocktails come in plastic cups, soft drinks are self-serve and there are slushies from midday to 6pm. There's a separate Enchanted Pastry and Coffee shop, but it's an extra charge rather than one of the four included bars. No straws are provided anywhere as an eco measure, so bring reusable ones if your children need them.
Rooms and suites
Every room type with its beds and who it sleeps, and which suit a family with a baby.
There are seven room and suite categories. The resort doesn't publish room sizes in square metres, so the table below sets each one out by its beds, how many it sleeps and what's worth knowing, rather than by floor area.
| Room type | Beds | Sleeps | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Suite | King, plus a bunk bed with a pull-out, so three singles | 2 adults, 3 children | Inside the castle, reached by a private lift, with a walk-in dressing room full of costumes and two minibars. It includes a welcome bottle of Moët for the adults, a drink for the children, breakfast service in the room, games and views over the resort. The only room of its kind, and the one to book for three children. |
| Family Master Suite Sea View | King, plus a sofa bed | 3 adults, 2 children | Sea view, a separate living area, two TVs and a guest toilet. A baby bath and cot come on request. |
| Family Master Suite | King or twin, plus a sofa bed | 3 adults, 2 children | A living area, two TVs, a minibar and a guest toilet, with a sliding door through to the children’s sleeping area. A baby bath and cot on request. |
| Junior Suite Sea View | King, plus a sofa bed | 3 adults, 1 child | Sea view, with a balcony or terrace. A baby bath and cot on request. |
| Junior Suite | King or twin, plus a sofa bed | 3 adults, 1 child | A balcony or terrace. A baby bath and cot on request. |
| Junior Suite Swim Up (adults only) | King or twin | 3 adults | Opens onto a shared swim-up pool. Adults only, so no cot or baby kit is offered here. |
| Superior | Full-size or twin | 2 adults | A balcony or terrace and a minibar. No cot is listed, so check first if you need one with a baby. |
For a family, the choice comes down to how many children you have and whether you want a door to close on a napping baby. The Family Master Suites are the mainstream family choice, sleeping up to three adults and two children, with a separate living area and a guest toilet. They do not stretch to three children, though. If you have three children the room to book is the Castle Suite, which sleeps two adults and three children on a king plus a bunk bed with a pull-out, and sits inside the castle itself with a private lift and a walk-in dressing room full of costumes. You get a bottle of Moët on arrival, plus a welcome drink for the children, in-room breakfast service, games and views over the resort. It's the only room of its kind. The Junior Suites suit a couple with one child, and the Junior Suite Swim Up is adults only, so it carries no cot or baby kit. The Superior is a two-adult room with no cot listed, so check availability before booking it if you're travelling with a baby.
Every room includes air conditioning, an LED TV, a balcony or terrace, a USB charger, a kettle, an iron, a telephone and an in-room safe at no extra charge, plus a minibar that arrives stocked with beer and juice and is topped up with water each day. Laundry costs extra. The master suites have both a bath and a shower and two toilets, which is useful with a family, and reviewers note the bath and shower floor can be slippy, so a non-slip mat is worth packing. After booking you can choose your preferred room number by view, floor and location through the hotel. Cots, baby baths and changing tables come on request in the family rooms, though not the Superior, so ask your travel agent when you book or email the hotel direct.
Pools and water park
The pool set-up that families rate, how the heating works in winter and the safety point to know.
There are seven pools in total plus a separate water park, and the pools, not the sea, are where most of a family's day happens. Two of the seven are children's pools, which are heated through the winter months, so a baby or toddler can swim off-season. There are four general swimming pools including the main resort pool, and an adults-only infinity pool that looks out to sea, where the 18-and-over rule is strictly enforced.
The water park and splash area is a highlight, with slides, tipping buckets, jets and mini waterfalls in a shaded setting, and reviewers describe it as impressive and safe for young children. It runs alongside the pools rather than being one of them.
Two practical points come up in reviews. The poolside surfaces can be slippery, and there are enough reports of falls that pool shoes are worth wearing. While the two children's pools are reliably heated in winter, the larger pools can feel cold from October to March, so an older child who wants to swim about may want a thermal swim vest or shortie wetsuit for a winter trip. Sunbeds are included, and there's a free daily towel exchange, though in half-term the loungers at the warmest upper pools get reserved with towels early in the morning. Balinese daybeds, with a bottle of Prosecco and nibbles, can be hired for an extra charge and are delivered late morning or mid-afternoon.
Volcanic, and about 2km awayThe beach
Fantasia is not a beach resort, and it doesn't pretend to be: the pools and water park are the daily water, which suits families with very young children who don't need the sea. There's no beach on-site. The nearest is San Blas, about 2km away by a coastal walk, a small dark-volcanic beach rather than a stretch of sand, fine for a paddle and a look around. For a wide golden-sand beach you're looking at a taxi of around 8 to 14km to the Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos area, so most families keep the beach for a day trip and use the resort's water the rest of the time.
Babies and toddlers
The clubs and ages, the baby kit and the evening entertainment small children love.
There's no staffed crèche or baby club for under-3s here, which is the one thing to be clear about if supervised drop-off for a baby is what you're after. The Kids Club runs from age 3 to 12. The resort doesn't publish the range on its own site, so it's worth confirming when you book. It's themed around the Papimber story world, with workshops, games, expeditions and cooking activities, and children sign in by room number. In the reviews we read, sessions typically ran as a morning drop-off from about 10am to noon and an afternoon session from around 2pm, but current hours are best confirmed at check-in. In practice children over 8 rarely go, so the club skews younger. Under-3s can join a session if a parent stays alongside them.
There's also a Teens Club for 13 to 17s, though it's an informal hangout with music, ping-pong and table football rather than an organised programme, open until about 8pm.
Where the resort really stands out for babies is the infrastructure around them. There's a nursing room on each floor with a microwave for warming food and seating for feeding, buggy parks at every restaurant and salt-free purées in the buffet. The on-site Lobby Shop sells nappies, wipes, baby snacks, clothes and everyday medicines, so you're not stuck if you run out. Cots, baby baths and changing tables come on request in the family rooms, and children's menus are available across all the dining. Baby stroller hire and bottle warmers are available for an extra charge if you'd rather not bring your own.
The evening entertainment is a draw for young children. There's a daily mini disco that families with toddlers single out, and an evening theatre show that guests describe as West End quality, with circus acts alongside the live performances. It's popular, so you pre-book a seat on the Bahia Principe app rather than turning up on the night, and you can book up to five days before you travel. For a birthday or anniversary you can have a child's name projected onto the castle in a small illumination, booked ahead by email for a small charge, and the VIP room at the top of the castle can be hired for a special occasion for an extra charge.
On resort and nearbyThings to do
Beyond the pools, the water park and the Kids Club, there's plenty on site. The gym is included and well equipped, and there's a multi-sport court, also included. The Bahia Spa is on site as an extra-charge service, for adults and children, though the resort doesn't publish a treatment menu, so ask on arrival for what's available. The Golf del Sur course is 0.3km away for anyone who wants a round, booked separately as it isn't run by the resort. Off site, whale and dolphin watching runs as a day trip from the south-coast ports and suits children from about age 3, and the Family Concierge can help you plan the days.
The area and days out
What Golf del Sur is like on foot, and the day trips that are worth the taxi or hire car.
Golf del Sur is a quiet resort town built around its golf course, less buzzy than the Costa Adeje strip, with limited restaurants, bars and shops within walking distance. Most families stay on the resort for that reason. An ATM sits just across the road from the hotel entrance for cash. Close by on foot, the San Blas bay and its coastal walk make a short outing, and Montana Roja, a distinctive red volcanic cone, is a short and easy hike that suits energetic young children.
For a full day out you'll want a taxi or hire car. Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje are about 14km away, roughly 20 minutes, for the main tourist beaches such as Playa de las Vistas and the shopping at San Eugenio. Siam Park, one of the top-rated water parks in Europe with toddler sections, is around 15 to 20 minutes' drive. Loro Parque, an animal park with orcas, gorillas and penguins, is about 35 to 45 minutes north, and Teide National Park, the UNESCO-listed volcano with a cable car near the summit, is roughly 30 to 45 minutes inland and a good day out for older toddlers and up.
Loves and gripes
What families consistently praise and the limitations they flag, from our research.
What families love
- The purpose-built family design, evident in every detail from the castle to the nursing rooms.
- The baby infrastructure and the way staff engage directly with small children.
- The scale of the pools and the water park.
- The castle theme, the light show and the evening entertainment.
- The cleanliness, with the resort described as spotless.
- The short airport transfer and the spacious family rooms.
- The à la carte restaurants, with a dedicated children's menu at each one.
- A Kids Club that starts at 3, younger than the 4-plus common at rival resorts.
Common gripes
- The beach is about 2km away, and small and volcanic rather than sandy.
- Slippery poolside surfaces, and the bigger pools can be cold in winter.
- No staffed crèche for under-3s.
- All-inclusive only, with no board basis to opt down to, and a premium price.
- Only two à la carte dinners in a seven-night stay, and the restaurants book up fast.
- A quiet area with little within walking distance, a windier coast and an informal teens club.
How it compares
Fantasia's strengths are its theme, how close it is to the airport and the scale of its pools and water park. Where it loses out to some rivals is beach access and, for families with a baby, the lack of a staffed crèche: the Tenerife hotels below each run a baby club that Fantasia doesn't, since its Kids Club starts at 3. The table sets out the trade-offs.
| Resort | What it offers | The trade-off against Fantasia |
|---|---|---|
| Roca Nivaria Gran Hotel (Playa Paraíso) | A five-star with a Baby Club from 10 months, complimentary but by reservation, and beach access by lift. | Roca Nivaria has the staffed baby childcare and easier sea access; Fantasia wins on the castle theme, the pool and water-park scale and the short airport run. |
| GF Victoria (Costa Adeje) | A Baby Club from 10 months, a family spa and a spot 150m from Playa del Duque, a wide sandy beach. | GF Victoria is far better placed for the beach and has a baby club; Fantasia has the bigger pool set-up and the shorter transfer. |
| Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife (Playa Paraíso) | A Club Lullaby from 6 months for an extra charge, a beachfront club and a music-led feel for mixed ages. | Hard Rock has a baby club and suits older children and teens; Fantasia is stronger on theming for young children and simpler all-inclusive. |
| Bahia Principe Explore Costa Adeje | A sister resort at Playa Paraíso, a renovated older property rather than purpose-built, closed for refurbishment until December 2026. | Fantasia was built for families from the ground up in 2018, and its flat site is easier with a pushchair than the sister resort’s cliff-side position. |
Getting there and when to go
The short airport run, how to book and the months that suit young children best.
You fly to Tenerife South, which is about 9km from the resort and one of the shortest transfers on the island. You can book a hotel transfer in advance by email, or take a taxi from the airport rank, where they're plentiful, though either way arrange it before you travel rather than assuming a transfer is laid on. UK families book through Jet2, TUI, Booking.com or direct through Hyatt, since the resort is a World of Hyatt member. Take care with the name when you book: it's not the same as Bahia Principe Escape Tenerife, an adults-only resort for over-16s elsewhere on the island, or Bahia Principe Explore San Felipe in the north; the sister resort Bahia Principe Explore Costa Adeje is a separate property, closed for renovation until December 2026. UK packages usually run to seven nights.
On timing, the resort is open year round. Peak summer from July to August is the warmest and busiest, with the sea at its most comfortable, so book restaurants, shows and sunbeds early. The spring and autumn shoulders are comfortable and quieter, and winter still works, with days around 23° in November and December, though the nights turn cool and the coast is windier. The two children's pools are heated through winter, so an under-3 can still swim off-season if you plan ahead.
Month by monthWeather
Golf del Sur sits on the drier, sunnier south of Tenerife, with rainfall at near-desert levels of about 115mm across the whole year, almost none of it between May and August. Sunshine runs from about six and a half hours a day in winter to ten in July. The one thing to know for this coast is wind: the south-east is the windiest sea-level part of the island, so the pools can feel breezy in winter and spring, while June to August are calmer. The sea is comfortable to swim in from about June and warmest in September and October.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22° | 15° | 18 mm | 2 | 20° |
| February | 22.5° | 15° | 19 mm | 2 | 20° |
| March | 23° | 15.5° | 8 mm | 1 | 20° |
| April | 23.5° | 16° | 9 mm | 1 | 20° |
| May | 24.5° | 17.5° | 1 mm | 0 | 21° |
| June | 26° | 19° | 0 mm | 0 | 22° |
| July | 28° | 20.5° | 0 mm | 0 | 22° |
| August | 29° | 21.5° | 2 mm | 0 | 23° |
| September | 28° | 21° | 7 mm | 1 | 24° |
| October | 27.5° | 20° | 12 mm | 2 | 24° |
| November | 25° | 18.5° | 14 mm | 2 | 23° |
| December | 23.5° | 16.5° | 29 mm | 3 | 22° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer.
Good to know before you go
Check-in is from 3pm and check-out by noon, with early check-in or late check-out on request for an extra charge, subject to availability. A doctor is on call around the clock through a third-party service you pay for as you use it, and the nearest pharmacy and hospital are about 14km away towards Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos. The Lobby Shop covers everyday medicines and baby basics on site. Spain runs on 220V with EU Type C and F sockets, so bring a UK adaptor. The language is Spanish, with English widely spoken at the resort, and the currency is the euro, with an ATM across the road and exchange at reception. WiFi covers up to 10 devices per room. No straws are provided anywhere, so pack reusable ones if you need them. The kitchens cater for coeliac, lactose-intolerant and fructose-intolerant guests if you speak to customer services, though as the resort states, they can't completely rule out cross-contamination for serious allergies.
The resort's full address is Av. Galván Bello, Golf del Sur, San Miguel de Abona, Tenerife.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Is there a crèche for a baby or toddler?
No. There's no staffed crèche for under-3s, and the Kids Club takes them only if a parent stays alongside. If a supervised baby drop-off is what you want, Roca Nivaria and GF Victoria run baby clubs from 10 months, and the Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife from 6 months for an extra charge.
How do the à la carte restaurants work?
You get two à la carte dinners in a seven-night stay, so you're picking two of Il Paradiso, Nemuru and Ladón rather than eating at all three. Book both on the Bahia Principe app before you travel, since swapping a slot once you're there is possible but the free tables go quickly. The buffet and the pool snack bar cover the other nights with no booking.
Can we walk to a beach?
Yes, on foot. The coastal walk of about 2km reaches San Blas, a small dark-volcanic beach rather than sand, fine for a paddle and a look. For a day on golden sand you're taxiing to Costa Adeje or Los Cristianos, so most families treat the pools and water park as the daily water and save the sandy beaches for a day trip.
Are the pools warm enough in winter?
The two children's pools stay heated through the winter, so a baby or toddler can swim off-season. The bigger pools can feel cold from October to March, though, so an older child who wants to swim about may want warm swimwear for those months, or you can travel June to September when the water comes up.
Will there be a cot in the room?
Cots come on request in every family room, though not in the adults-only Junior Suite Swim Up. Ask through your travel agent when you book, or email the hotel. The Superior room lists no cot, so if you want that category with a baby, check availability before you book.
How do we get from the airport?
Either book a hotel transfer by email before you travel or take a taxi from the airport rank, where they wait in numbers. Nothing is laid on automatically, so arrange one of the two ahead rather than landing and hoping. It's a short drive, so a tired toddler isn't in the car for long at either end.
What time are check-in and check-out?
Rooms are ready from 3pm and you check out by noon. With young children on an evening flight home, paying for a late check-out can be worth it to keep a base for the afternoon, subject to a room being free, so ask reception the day before.
Is there medical help on-site?
Yes, a doctor can be called to the resort at any hour, though it's a paid third-party service billed as you use it, so travel with your insurance details to hand. Day to day, the Lobby Shop sells everyday medicines, nappies and baby basics, and the nearest pharmacy and hospital are about 14km away towards Costa Adeje.
See more Bahia Principe Fantasia photos
Open the Bahia Principe Fantasia photo gallery →Useful links
- Bahia Principe Explore Fantasia: the resort's own site for rooms, the all-inclusive and the children's clubs.
- GOV.UK Spain travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Tenerife with little ones: our guide to the wider island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 12 July 2026.
