Landmar Playa La Arena
Hotel Landmar Playa La Arena is a four-star all-inclusive on the quiet west coast of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. It sits above Puerto de Santiago, under the Los Gigantes cliffs, away from the busy south. Families come for a black volcanic-sand beach a short walk downhill, four pools heated all year, a free daily kids' club and a calmer setting than the island's main resort strip.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who it suits, who it doesn't, and the facts to skim before the detail.
Landmar Playa La Arena is a four-star all-inclusive on a quieter, less crowded part of Tenerife than the south-coast strip. The draw is a black volcanic-sand beach a short walk downhill, four pools heated to 27°C all year, a buffet that guests rate for its food, and a calm setting under the Los Gigantes cliffs. Reviews consistently praise the food, the cleanliness and plenty of sunbeds, which sets it apart from busier resorts where loungers run short by mid-morning.
The main limitation for the youngest is water. There's nowhere shallow for a small child: both main pools are a uniform 140cm with no shallow end, there's no separate children's or paddling pool, and the cove shelves steeply with a strong undercurrent. Add no lift for the upper floors and no baby club or babysitting on site, and this suits families happy to supervise closely more than those after toddler water play. If that's your priority, the family-first sister hotel, Costa Los Gigantes, is a short walk away and covers it better.
Best for
You want a quieter corner of Tenerife, a black-sand beach a short walk away, pools heated all year and reliable buffet food.
Maybe not for
You need shallow water a toddler can stand in, a lift to your room, or a baby club and babysitting on site.
Best ages
Babies and young children, as long as you're happy supervising closely in the water, since neither the pools nor the sea has a shallow area.
What stands out
A beach a short walk downhill, four pools heated to 27°C year-round and a calm atmosphere guests single out.
What to check
Whether an upper-floor room means stairs with a heavy pushchair, and that the sea can be rough on the day.
Where is it?
Puerto de Santiago on Tenerife's west coast, under the Los Gigantes cliffs, about 40 minutes from Tenerife South airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where it sits, how it's laid out over the hillside, and the practical things worth knowing before you book.
The hotel is in Puerto de Santiago, on Tenerife's west coast in the Santiago del Teide municipality, under the Los Gigantes cliffs. This isn't the south of the island around Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos, and it isn't the wetter, cloudier north around Puerto de la Cruz. It's a quieter west-coast pocket, which guests pick precisely because it's calmer. Puerto de Santiago itself is hilly, though the immediate strip of hotel, beach and seafront promenade is flat and paved.
It's a single low-rise building of 432 rooms, spread up the hillside in the way local buildings tend to be. Guests describe the architecture, gardens and fountains as well kept, and the resort as fairly small but with plenty of places to eat. There's no lift, so upper-floor rooms are reached by stairs, which is worth weighing with a heavy pushchair (there's more on this under Good to know). Free WiFi runs at 200Mbit/s for up to four devices, covering the rooms and the pool area but not the beach.
Running across the whole site is an adults-only Platinum tier, for guests aged 16 and over. It has its own infinity pool, a snack bar and lounge, reserved buffet seating and a VIP lounge. Families will see and walk past these areas, but they aren't open to anyone travelling with children, so it's part of the layout to understand rather than something you can use. The hotel used to trade as Be Live Experience Playa La Arena, so some booking sites still carry the old name; it's the same building under the Landmar brand now, which also lists itself under a "midscale" segment label alongside its four-star rating, an industry classification rather than a comment on quality.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the à la carte restaurants, the bars, and the two dinner venues that don't take children.
The all-inclusive covers the food, and the buffet is the family default. Two of the à la carte restaurants don't accept children at all, so it's worth knowing which venues suit an evening meal with a young child before you arrive.
Lava is the main buffet, Mediterranean with a grill and show-cooking, open every day all year for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner runs from roughly 6:30 or 7pm to about 9:30 or 10pm depending on the season. It has high chairs, no dress code and no need to reserve, which makes it the practical room for a young family: broad choice, and you eat whenever a toddler's hungry. It's the main family restaurant, and the one families most often single out for its food and desserts.
Muelle Grill is à la carte, lunch only, roughly 1pm to 3:30pm, cooked in a charcoal oven. It's the Platinum tier's lunch venue but open to other guests too. Restaurant Arena is à la carte for dinner, about 7pm to 9:30pm, but it only opens on Mondays and Sundays and needs a reservation. Children aren't accepted here and it carries no baby or kids' equipment. Macaronesia, a food truck set in front of the Lava terrace with sunset views towards La Gomera, is also à la carte for dinner around 7pm to 9:30pm, open Tuesday to Saturday and by reservation, with the same policy: no children and no kids' equipment.
Arena Pool & Snack Bar is the poolside venue and the second family-friendly option. It serves snacks through the day, from about 10am to 6pm, and à la carte dinner from about 7pm to 10pm, and it's wheelchair accessible. There's also The View, a Platinum-only self-service café by the infinity pool, which families won't use.
How restaurant booking works
Lava, Restaurant Arena and Macaronesia take reservations by email to [email protected], with the venue, date, time, party size and your booking reference. There's no online table-booking system, so it's an email rather than an app. Lava is the exception where you can simply walk in.
On drinks, the Arena Pool & Snack Bar is the one bar where smoking is allowed, and it serves food. The Hello!Bar is the cocktail bar, with live music at night, a sea-view terrace and late snacks running into the early hours. De Show is the evening show and nightclub venue, open roughly 8:30pm to 11pm, and it's the one bar with no age restriction, since it's the entertainment room rather than a drinking bar. The Platinum lounges are for adult Platinum guests only. Most bars carry a "minimum age 18" note, which reflects Spain's legal drinking age rather than a ban on children being there; at the poolside bar, under-18s just need to be with an adult. The kitchens also cater for a long list of dietary needs at all times, among them gluten-free, dairy-free, lactose-free, nut-free, seafood-free, soy-free, vegan, vegetarian and low-carb, with an Allergen Guide available if you want the full detail. Halal, kosher and Mehadrin Kosher are available on request if you flag it at check-in.
Rooms and suites
Every room type with its official size, the four pools, and the beach a short walk below.
There are five room categories. Three are family rooms and two sit in the adults-only Platinum tier. Four of the five are the same 30m²; only the Platinum Suite is larger. The table has the official sizes and views; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Room | Size | Sleeps | View | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 30 m² | 3 | City view | A double or two singles plus a sofa bed. The hotel's own family room for three |
| Superior | 30 m² | 3 | Pool view | Same beds and sofa bed. Pool view; a partial sea view is sometimes advertised but isn't guaranteed |
| Deluxe | 30 m² | 3 | Pool view | Same layout again. Pool view; a sea view is sometimes advertised but isn't guaranteed |
| Platinum | 30 m² | 2 | Pool view | Part of the adults-only Platinum tier, from age 16. A double or two twin beds |
| Platinum Suite | 55 m² | 4 | Sea view | Adults only, from age 16, with a separate living area. The one category both sources agree has a sea view |
The Standard, Superior and Deluxe rooms are the family ones, each 30m², sleeping three on a double or two singles plus a sofa bed, and children are welcome and priced separately in all three. They differ mainly on view: the Standard looks over the town, while the Superior and Deluxe are pool view. A sea view is sometimes advertised for the Superior and Deluxe, so don't count on one; only the Platinum Suite reliably has a sea view. The two Platinum categories are adults only, from age 16, so they aren't an option with children; the Platinum Suite at 55m² is the one category with a confirmed sea view.
A few practical points. None of the rooms have a balcony; each has a private terrace instead. There's no formal connecting-room category, though adjoining rooms can be requested when you book. Twin beds are advertised across the categories but aren't guaranteed, so if you need them, request and confirm them at booking rather than assuming. Any request for a floor, a twin configuration or an extra bed goes through the booking comment field or an email to the hotel with your reservation number; none of it is automatic.
Every room has both a shower and a bathtub, plus a hairdryer, toiletries and a magnifying mirror. Bathroom towels are free and changed daily, but beach and pool towels each need a €10 refundable deposit. There's no kitchen, and the minibar is empty for your own use beyond a free bottle of water. You get a free ironing service, an in-room safe at extra cost, and a Smart TV with Netflix and YouTube in several languages, though no chargers, USB points or adapters, so bring a European adapter for UK plugs. Air conditioning is fitted in every room and controlled by you, all year. The beds use a latex mattress and a synthetic pillow.
Pools and water features
There are four pools, and the single most important fact for parents of a non-swimming toddler is that none of them is shallow. Both main pools are a uniform 140cm deep with no shallow end, so there's nowhere a small child can stand. There's no children's pool, no baby or paddling pool, no splash pad and no slide. Several tour-operator and third-party listings still describe a kids' pool, a playground or a waterslide here, but those describe the hotel's earlier Be Live era and are out of date; the current pools are the four below.
| Pool | Size | Depth | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming pool 1 | 31m × 18m | 140cm | Heated to 27°C all year and fed with seawater. The livelier activity pool, with inflatables allowed, though it has no wheelchair ramp and, like every pool here, no children's life jackets are provided |
| Swimming pool 2 | 29m × 30m | 140cm | The largest pool, heated to 27°C, chlorinated and quieter, with a wheelchair ramp |
| Infinity pool | 27m × 7m | 140cm | Adults-only Platinum guests, from age 16. Heated and chlorine-free, with a ramp |
| Thalasso spa pool | 16m × 9m | 80cm | A heated wellness pool from age 16, with hydromassage jets. Not a children's feature |
The hotel doesn't provide children's life jackets, so bring your own if you'd use them. Free swimming lessons, aquagym and aquabike sessions run year-round, the pools open from mid-morning to early evening, and parasols are free to hire.
The beach
Playa de la Arena is a small semi-circular cove of black volcanic sand, roughly 120m by 50m. The hotel's own wording is that it's 50 metres from the beach, with beachfront rooms, and that holds up as the straight-line distance to the nearest edge of the cove. The walk down to usable sand from the hotel entrance is about 5 to 10 minutes, roughly 500 to 600 metres on a paved, slightly downhill route, since the hotel sits a little above the beach on the hillside. Worth planning for with a buggy or a toddler on foot: it's downhill on the way to the beach and uphill on the way back. So it's very close, a short walk down rather than a step off the lobby.
The sea needs care with young children. The cove is sheltered by rock outcrops on both sides, but it shelves steeply and has a strong undercurrent, and reviews report rough days that bring the lifeguard into action. Treat it as a beach for a supervised paddle rather than free swimming or a flat, toddler-safe bay. The black sand also gets very hot in summer, so beach shoes help both with the heat and with rocks at the water's edge. The beach lost its Blue Flag in 2020, after 32 years, on European wastewater-directive compliance grounds rather than any water-quality failure; the local council says the water quality stayed very good, and the beach never had a closure order. It has free public access, a high-season lifeguard, nine toilets, twenty showers, a first-aid post, sun loungers, umbrellas, a bar and a restaurant, and it's wheelchair accessible on gentle paths from the promenade.
The seafront promenade is flat, paved and pram-friendly, running to the neighbouring resort of Alcalá and on to San Juan. Along it you'll pass rock pools, a public toilet and bars and restaurants at the far end, with views back to the Los Gigantes cliffs.
Babies and toddlers
The kids' club, the baby kit that comes as standard, and where the resort falls short for the very youngest.
The baby kit is a real strength. A cot, bottle warmer, steriliser and high chair all come as standard, and the cot goes into the room automatically for an under-1 included on the booking, or on request for a child aged 2 or over. High chairs are confirmed at the Lava buffet. A pushchair is available to hire; confirm the price when you book.
The kids' club is free, runs every day all year and splits into two sessions, late morning from 11am to about 1:45pm and mid-afternoon from 3pm to about 4:45pm, with a gap over the middle of the day. It's a club rather than an all-day fun zone. There's no published age range, so if the age matters for your child, ask on arrival.
Two gaps are worth planning around. There's no babysitting service, so an adults-only evening out isn't on offer, and under-18s must always be with family or a guardian. There's also no baby club or crèche at Playa La Arena; the nearest one is at the sister hotel, Costa Los Gigantes, for ages six months to three and a half years, at extra cost. A direct booking gives you free cross-access to use it, but that means a roughly 15-minute walk each way with a baby, so it's a planned trip rather than a quick drop-off. On children's pricing, under-1s are free, ages 2 to 12 pay half the adult rate and from 13 it's the full adult rate; the hotel can run a price simulation for your dates. For an evening meal, remember that Restaurant Arena and Macaronesia don't take children, so Lava and the pool snack bar are your family choices.
Things to do
The BodyUp gym is on the ground floor, open daily and free for residents, though the minimum age is 18 and under-18s need an adult with them; it isn't open to outside visitors, and there's no need to reserve. A Multisport Zone adds a clay tennis court at €15 an hour (last checked July 2026, adult rackets only, no coaching and not open to non-guests), a mini-golf course, a petanca area and an archery and shooting gallery with a bow or an air carbine. Keen cyclists get a secure, monitored bike room with tools, lockers and a washing machine, and the hotel points to a local partner for bike hire.
The on-site wellness offering is the outdoor Thalasso Spa, from age 16, with hydromassage jets, massage under a palapa and Balinese daybeds. The full indoor spa, the Mind Up Spa with treatments, a sauna and a jacuzzi, is over at the sister hotel Costa Los Gigantes, from age 4, on a paid day pass of around €20 an hour (last checked July 2026) that needs booking in advance. A fair bit isn't offered here, worth knowing so you're not caught out: no watersports, no yoga on site (though the hotel points guests to a local yoga centre instead), no dive centre, no golf beyond mini-golf, no casino, no rooftop terrace, no coworking space, no on-site shop and no room service. Laundry is a staffed, paid service rather than self-service, with same-day return if you hand it in before noon.
Daytime entertainment covers sport games and the kids' club, and the evenings bring shows, live music and bars for all ages, with the De Show venue running its evening slot; nothing needs booking ahead. Guests describe the evening entertainment as modest rather than lively, which fits the resort's quieter positioning. The front desk also sells excursions and tourist passes, among them Puerto de la Cruz, Santa Cruz and La Laguna, a Teide, Icod, Garachico and Masca tour, Teide National Park, Loro Parque, Siam Park and a La Gomera ferry day.
The area and days out
The Los Gigantes cliffs rise around 600m straight from the water, and the marina at Los Gigantes is about 1.5 miles (2.6 to 3 km) away, a taxi of around €10 and about 5 minutes, with boat trips and whale and dolphin watching leaving from there. The seafront promenade to Alcalá and San Juan makes an easy, flat walk with a pushchair. The sister hotel, Costa Los Gigantes, is a day out in its own right, about a 15-minute walk with free cross-access on a direct booking, and it's the family-first hotel of the pair, with the shallow water and baby club Playa La Arena doesn't have (there's more under How it compares). Further afield, Tenerife's headline family attractions, Loro Parque, Siam Park and Teide National Park, are a proper drive rather than a walk, and sell as excursions from the front desk. Our Tenerife guide has the wider picture of the island, its beaches and getting around.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what frustrated them, how it compares with its sister hotel, the journey in and the weather by month.
What families love
- The food at the Lava buffet, rated for its quality and variety, with the desserts a standout.
- Plenty of sunbeds and free parasols, with no scramble for a lounger.
- Staff named individually in reviews, among them Sandra from the pool team and Stefano on the front desk, plus animation team members Enzo, Raphael and Mario, remembered warmly across several years of reviews.
- Cleanliness throughout, and the well-kept gardens and fountains.
- The quiet, relaxed atmosphere of Puerto de Santiago.
- Value for a four-star all-inclusive this close to the beach, and a shaded seating area guests found helpful with a baby.
Common gripes
- Food that some find repetitive over a longer stay, and a limited snack bar.
- The hilly terrain around the hotel, and no lift between floors.
- A sea that can be rough, with a steep shelf and an undertow.
- No children's pool, slide or playground.
- Modest evening entertainment.
- Two restaurants that don't take children, and a full adult rate from age 13.
Across the review sites the hotel rates consistently well. As a rough steer from mid-2026, it sits around 4.3 out of 5 on TripAdvisor from about 8,000 to 8,600 reviews, 8.6 out of 10 on Booking.com from about 1,500, 8.4 on Expedia and 8.8 on Trivago. Treat those as a broad picture rather than a precise ranking, and read recent reviews close to your own dates.
Against the family-first sister hotelHow it compares
The sharpest comparison is the sister hotel a short walk away, Landmar Costa Los Gigantes. It's the family-first property of the pair: two shallow baby paddling pools, a slide pool, a baby club and a kids' club with a stated age from four, plus bigger family suites of 60 to 70m² and a better deal for a mixed-age family, with the first child free rather than the flat 50% for 2 to 12 you pay here. Playa La Arena is the quieter, more adult-leaning of the two. If your priority is toddler-safe water play and a baby club, look at Costa Los Gigantes first. If you want the calmer hotel and don't mind supervising closely in the pool, Playa La Arena works, and a direct booking gives you free cross-access to borrow Costa Los Gigantes' baby pools when you want them. The two are about a 15-minute walk apart, with no shuttle between them.
Getting there and the best monthsGetting there and when to go
Tenerife South (TFS) is the airport, about 26 miles (42 km) away and around a 40-minute drive; Tenerife North is 68 miles (109 km) and not a practical option. The hotel runs its own shuttle at €12 per person each way (last checked July 2026), hourly and around 40 minutes, which you reserve in advance through its Experiences Department, though the coaches aren't wheelchair-adapted. A taxi is roughly €80 (last checked July 2026) and about 45 minutes, bookable through reception at any hour. A package coach transfer takes longer, allow 60 to 90 minutes for the usual multi-drop run. The budget option is the public bus, taking lines 111 then 473 with a change at Costa Adeje, roughly an hour and a half to two hours all in, so check a live journey planner before you rely on it. The hotel is open every day, all year, with no seasonal closure, and the pools are heated to 27°C year-round, so winter sun works here in a way it doesn't at resorts that close or leave the pools cold. For young children, late spring and autumn avoid the peak-summer heat, while the sea is coolest in February and March and warmest from August to October.
Month by monthWeather
Puerto de Santiago sits on the dry, sunny lee side of Mount Teide, sharing the south coast's climate rather than the wetter north's, so the figures below follow the island's south and west. The one genuine local difference is exposure, not temperature: Playa de la Arena faces the open Atlantic, so it sees more swell and more rough-sea days than the enclosed bays further south, which is a beach-safety point rather than a reason for different temperatures. Summer sun is strong, with the UV index commonly 9 to 12 and peaking around 12 in July and August, so take shade, a hat and sunscreen for a baby.
| 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. The hotel is open all year, every day.
Good to know
Access, parking, medical care and the practical details that are easy to miss.
The accessibility headline is the lack of a lift, which means upper-floor rooms are reached by stairs, a real consideration with a heavy pushchair or travel system. Two of the pools, swimming pool 2 and the infinity pool, have wheelchair ramps, and there are wheelchair-accessible rooms with roll-in showers.
Parking is on-site and secure at €8 a day (last checked July 2026), with a maximum vehicle height of 250cm and limited, non-bookable spaces; valet parking costs the same, and there's no EV charging on site, with the nearest point in Puerto de Santiago. For medical care, there's a pharmacy on the same street, about a minute's walk, and an International Medical Centre for GP-level care in the village. The nearest hospital and A&E is Hospital del Sur, about 18 miles (29 km) and a 28-minute drive, there's a dentist in Santiago del Teide, and the hotel lists a paediatrician contact number.
A few smaller things. Pets aren't accepted, apart from certified service and emotional-support animals, at no charge. Euros and US dollars are both taken, with invoices in euros, and staff speak English, French, German, Polish and Spanish. Under Spanish law, alcohol isn't sold or served to under-18s, and that's enforced across the bars and restaurants. If you're visiting for the day rather than staying, there's an all-inclusive day pass from 11am to 6pm, priced lower on weekdays and higher at weekends and on public holidays, with an optional spa add-on; children 2 to 12 pay half and under-1s are free, booked by phone subject to availability. To sort cots, high chairs or twin beds before you book, you can call the hotel's UK freephone reservations line on +44 330 912 1151.
Questions
Is there a children's or paddling pool?
No, and it's the thing to weigh most carefully here for a non-swimming child. There's no baby pool, paddling pool, splash pad or slide, and the two main pools have no shallow section a toddler can stand in. For shallow water you're looking at the sister hotel Costa Los Gigantes, with its 40cm baby pools about 15 minutes' walk away, or close hands-on supervision in the pools here.
How old does the kids' club take?
The club is free and runs daily in two sessions, late morning and mid-afternoon. There's no published age range, so if the age matters for your child, ask reception on arrival or email before you book.
Is an upper-floor room a problem with a pushchair?
There's no lift, so an upper-floor room means carrying a pushchair up the stairs. If you have a heavy travel system, flag a low or ground-floor room in your booking or by email, though a specific floor is a request rather than a guarantee.
How far is the beach really?
Close, though not right on the sand. The 50 metres in the hotel's wording is the straight-line distance to the edge of the cove; the walk to usable sand runs about 5 to 10 minutes on a paved slope. It's downhill on the way there and a push back up with a buggy, so factor that in.
Can we use the sister hotel's pools and baby club?
Yes. Book Playa La Arena directly and cross-access to Costa Los Gigantes, including its baby pools and baby club, is free. There's no shuttle between the two and it's about a 15-minute walk each way, so with a baby it works best as a planned half-day rather than a quick nip over.
Which restaurants can we take a young child to?
Lava, the buffet, and the Arena Pool & Snack Bar. The two à la carte dinner venues, Restaurant Arena and Macaronesia, don't accept children and don't carry high chairs, so don't plan an evening around either with a little one.
Does the beach have a Blue Flag?
No, and it's worth knowing why. The award ran for 32 years and was dropped in 2020 over EU wastewater-directive paperwork, not a water-quality problem; the council's line is that the water stayed very good and the beach was never closed. A high-season lifeguard and full facilities are still in place.
What will the children cost in a family room?
Under-1s stay free, children from 2 to 12 are charged half the adult rate and from age 13 they pay the full adult rate. Ask the hotel for a price simulation for your dates, and note that a teenager is priced as an adult here.
What baby equipment does the hotel provide?
A cot, bottle warmer, steriliser and high chair all come as standard. The cot is added automatically for an under-1 on the booking, and on request for a child aged 2 or over. A pushchair is available to hire; confirm the price when you book.
See more Landmar Playa La Arena photos
Open the Landmar Playa La Arena photo gallery →Useful links
- Landmar Playa La Arena: the hotel's own site for rooms, board plans and the facilities.
- GOV.UK Spain travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Tenerife with little ones: our guide to the island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 16 July 2026.
