Spring Hotel Bitácora
Spring Hotel Bitácora is a four-star hotel in the middle of Playa de las Américas, the busy resort town on the south coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, run by the local group Spring Hotels. It's a single high-rise in subtropical gardens, with a pool complex and water slides, a shallow children's pool, a sheltered beach about 350 metres away and an adults-only rooftop with an infinity pool. You can book it room-only, half board or all-inclusive.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who Bitácora suits, who it doesn't and the facts to skim before the detail.
Families consistently praise three things here: the food, the cleanliness and the central location. The hotel sits directly opposite the shops, restaurants and bars of Playa de las Américas, a couple of minutes from everything and about 350 metres from a sheltered beach. Guests also rate the entertainment and the children's Mini Club, and the water slides go down well with older children. The trade-offs are the other side of that lively setting. All meals happen at one buffet restaurant, with no separate à la carte room to slip away to, and the busy location and evening entertainment make noise a recurring complaint. In peak season sunbeds go early and the pools are crowded by mid-morning. The rooftop UP! terrace, with its infinity pool and jacuzzi, is the one that catches families out, because access is a paid extra on every board and you pay a daily rate per person to go up. The water slides have a minimum height of 1.20m, which rules out most under-fives, and there's no childcare for children under four, who need a parent alongside throughout.
Best for
You want a central town base with the shops and a sheltered beach on the doorstep, a big pool complex with slides for older children, and the flexibility to book room-only, half board or all-inclusive.
Maybe not for
You want a choice of restaurants, quiet evenings, or rooftop pool access without paying extra for it.
Best ages
It works across the ages, but the water slides need a height of 1.20m, and with no childcare for under-fours the youngest need a parent alongside throughout.
What stands out
The central location opposite the resort strip, and a pool complex with a shallow children's pool, a family pool and water slides.
What to check
That the UP! rooftop isn't included on your board, and whether your room has a kettle: only the Ocean Terrace and UP rooms do.
Where is it?
In the centre of Playa de las Américas on the south coast of Tenerife, about 16 to 20 minutes from Tenerife South airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where the hotel sits, how it's built and what its central location means day to day.
Spring Hotel Bitácora is one building rather than a spread of blocks: a single high-rise of at least eight floors, standing in subtropical gardens. The Ocean Terrace rooms run between the third and eighth floors, which gives a sense of the height. The hotel was substantially renovated and rebranded under Spring Hotels, which brought in the current room categories and the rooftop UP! concept, and the 314 rooms have been refurbished since. The rooms read as modern rather than dated.
Reception is staffed 24 hours. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out by 12:00, and you'll need photo ID and a credit card at check-in. Room service runs from 07:30 to midnight for a supplement, so it isn't part of any board. Pets aren't allowed. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are available in the restaurant.
The location is the thing to picture. The hotel stands in the commercial heart of Playa de las Américas, directly opposite a strip of shops, restaurants, bars and casinos that guests have nicknamed the Golden Mile, so you step out of the gardens into the busiest part of one of Tenerife's largest resort towns. That's the draw and the drawback: everything is on the doorstep, and it stays lively into the evening. Los Cristianos, a calmer neighbouring town with a flatter beach, is about 4 km (2.5 miles) away for a quieter afternoon.
Every restaurant and bar
The single restaurant, the poolside and rooftop bars, and how the board works.
Bitácora has one restaurant, the Buffet Alegría, and a handful of poolside and rooftop bars. There's no separate à la carte or themed dinner venue, so every family eats mainly at the buffet. For young children that format tends to work well: it's self-service, so you can eat when a toddler's appetite arrives rather than book a fixed table, there's no reservation system to plan around, and vegetarian and vegan dishes are available. Food is the hotel's most praised feature across the review sites.
Buffet Alegría serves breakfast 07:30 to 10:00, lunch 13:00 to 15:00 and dinner 18:30 to 21:30. High chairs are commonly reported as available, so ask for one when you book if you'll need it. If you're on all-inclusive, note that the programme ends at 15:00 on your departure day, so a late checkout won't include lunch after that.
Around the pools, the Papayas Snack Bar is open 10:30 to 17:30 for snacks, tapas, ice creams and drinks, and the Pink Bar runs 12:00 to 16:00. The Fun Bar opens 16:00 to 01:00 and is the venue for the live shows and evening entertainment, with the all-inclusive drinks service running until midnight.
Up on the rooftop, the UP! zone has its own bar, open 10:00 to 18:00 with the terrace staying open until 20:00 in summer and closing at 18:00 in winter, plus a lounge open 10:00 to midnight, a snack bar and a cocktail service brought to your sunbed. The whole rooftop is a paid extra rather than part of any board, covered below. Booking a UP room for seven nights or more adds a complimentary seven-course tasting dinner on Mondays and use of the thermal spa circuit, which otherwise cost extra.
How the board and booking work
You can book room-only or breakfast, half board or all-inclusive, and the buffet is the dinner venue on every board, with no à la carte restaurant to reserve. A current promotional offer for direct bookings has the first child aged 2 to 6 staying free on all-inclusive and children aged 2 to 12 at half price, but it's a promotion that can change, so check what's running when you book. Laundry, room service and spa treatments sit outside all-inclusive.
Rooms and suites
Every room category with its official size, the paid rooftop, the pool complex and the beach below.
The table below lists every room category with its size; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler, and why.
| Room | Sleeps | Size | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh (Standard Double) | Up to 4 | 38 m² | Balcony, empty minibar, pool towels on deposit, a paid safe, no kettle |
| Fresh Pool View | Up to 4 | 38 m² | Pool-view balcony, free safe, bathrobes and slippers, no kettle |
| Ocean Terrace | Up to 4 | Not published | Floors 3 to 8, a 15 to 30 m² terrace with a sun lounger, and a kettle and coffee machine on request |
| UP Room | Up to 3 adults | 38 m² | Adults only (18+), a kettle and coffee, and exclusive UP! rooftop access |
| Adapted Room | Not stated | Not published | Eight rooms adapted for accessibility; request directly |
The hotel has 314 rooms in total, across five categories. Most are the Standard Fresh and Fresh Pool View rooms; there are 51 adults-only UP rooms and 8 adapted rooms for guests with accessibility needs. The Standard, Pool View and UP rooms are 38 m², a size the group gives in its own agent information rather than on its consumer site, and every room has an empty minibar, useful for keeping formula or milk cool.
A standard room sleeps up to four, either two adults and two children up to 12, or three adults and one child, and a baby under two counts within that maximum. The booking system splits guests into adults (13 and over), children (2 to 12) and babies (0 to 2), so a baby is recognised as its own category when you book. There are 20 interconnecting rooms if you want two rooms with a door between.
The one detail worth checking before you book is the kettle. Only the Ocean Terrace and UP rooms have a kettle and coffee machine; the Standard Fresh and Fresh Pool View rooms don't. If you want to make up a bottle or a hot drink in the room rather than rely on the restaurant, the Ocean Terrace is the cheapest tier that includes one. The safe is another small difference: it's a paid extra in the Fresh rooms and free from the Fresh Pool View up.
For families, the Fresh Pool View adds a pool-facing balcony, a free safe and bathrobes over the entry-level Fresh. The Ocean Terrace, on floors three to eight, comes with a large terrace of 15 to 30 m² and a sun lounger, plus that kettle. The UP room is adults-only and sleeps up to three adults, so a family with children can't book it; a family who want the rooftop use the separate UP! for families package instead. Adapted rooms exist but aren't detailed online, so request one directly.
The UP! rooftop, and what it costs
UP! is the adults-only rooftop terrace: an infinity pool, a jacuzzi, a bar, a lounge and cocktails brought to your sunbed, with sea views over the resort. It's the part of the hotel families most often overlook when they budget, because it isn't included on any board, not even all-inclusive, and the marketing photos often feature it. To use it you either book a UP room, which is adults-only and can't be booked with children, or you pay a daily rate for rooftop access. Guests report a day rate of around €35 per person (guest-reported, last checked July 2026), so treat it as a rough steer and check the current price when you book. A UP room booked for seven nights or more includes the Monday tasting dinner and the thermal spa circuit; otherwise those are paid extras.
There's also an UP! for families package, which lets the adults use the rooftop while children over four have lunch at Springly World and access to the Dónde Duermen los Dragos play space. It doesn't change the rule that children under four must be with an adult, so it doesn't work as childcare for a baby or toddler.
Pools and water features
The pool complex is one of the hotel's strengths. The main family pool, Fun For Every One, is 1.30m deep. Beside it is a children's pool just 0.30m deep, shallow enough for babies and toddlers to stand and paddle, which is worth knowing with a small child. The water slides sit in their own pool, 1.00m deep, but the slides need a minimum height of 1.20m, so they're for older children rather than under-fives. There's an adults-only pool, Medusa, at 1.30m, and, as part of the Family Spa, an outdoor spa pool at 1.20m and an indoor thermal pool. On the rooftop, the adults-only UP! infinity pool is 0.93m deep, alongside a jacuzzi.
All the pools are open year-round and heated in winter, and pool hours are 10:00 to 18:00. Lifeguards are reported by guests as always on duty. Pool towels need a refundable €10 cash deposit, except for UP! guests (last checked July 2026). There's no splash pad or water-play feature here: the water for young children is the shallow children's pool and, once they're tall enough, the slides.
The beach
The nearest beach is Playa del Camisón, about 350 metres away. It's an artificial bay held between breakwaters, so the water is calm, sheltered and shallow, which suits young children well, with fine pale sand. For setting up with a toddler, visitors report the right-hand side as the sandier, calmer spot, with some rocks in the water towards the left.
Playa del Camisón held a Blue Flag in the past but lost it for the 2026 season, when Playa de las Vistas became the only Blue Flag beach in Arona, the municipality Playa de las Américas belongs to. Losing the flag doesn't mean the beach is unsafe: it reflects a specific set of award criteria that can change year to year, and the sheltered, breakwater-protected water is still a real advantage for a family with a toddler. Playa de las Vistas, the larger Blue Flag beach, is about 15 minutes on foot if the certification matters to you.
Getting to the sand means walking through the resort town rather than stepping onto a beachfront, so expect at least one road crossing with a buggy.
Babies and toddlers
The clubs and the strict under-four rule, the play spaces, and what fills a family day here and nearby.
The clubs and the under-four rule are the key things to get straight before booking. The hotel's own sources don't agree on how the children's clubs are organised. One describes a Mini Club for children aged 4 to 7 and a Maxi Club for 8 to 14, both running daily from 10:00 to 15:00; another lists a single club for children aged 4 to 12, split into a morning session from 10:30 to 13:00 and an afternoon session from 14:00 to 17:00, with no separate Maxi Club at all. The club area has a secure fenced perimeter with doors that lock during sessions. Because the age bands and hours differ between the hotel's sources, confirm how the clubs run when you book rather than relying on a single figure.
The rule that shapes a trip with a baby or toddler is that there's no crèche, baby club or paid childcare of any kind for children under four. An under-four must be with an adult at all times, with no exception and no drop-in option, and the UP! for families package doesn't change that.
Beyond the clubs there are several indoor and outdoor spaces for children. Dónde Duermen los Dragos, which means Where the Dragons Sleep, is a creative play space, described by the tourism board as a children's playroom open from 7am to 11pm. Springly World is an outdoor adventure play area with climbing frames and slides, and it has a shaded section, useful for keeping a small child out of the sun between pool sessions. The Box is an indoor teen and games space with billiards, consoles and DJs. Mini Disco runs nightly from 20:30 to 21:00 at the Meeting Point.
For the youngest, cots and high chairs are commonly reported as available but aren't guaranteed, so ask the hotel to confirm them and anything else you'll need when you book. The empty minibar in every room is handy for keeping milk or formula cool.
On siteThings to do
On site there's a gym, with guests describing an astro-turf multi-sport pitch and poolside activities like water polo, darts and ping-pong tournaments through the day. The hotel leans into the local surf: it has a Locker Surf storage space and promotes the south Tenerife surf spots a short walk away. Evening entertainment covers live shows, singers and themed performances through the week.
The Family Spa Bitácora is open 10:00 to 18:00, Tuesday to Sunday, and closed Mondays, with massages, treatments and a thermal circuit of a hydromassage pool, sauna and Turkish bath. The thermal circuit and treatments are paid extras. There's also a coworking space, a hairdresser and an on-site shop.
Off siteThe area and days out
Right outside the hotel is the shopping and dining strip, with guests reporting a supermarket across the road for nappies, formula and snacks. The nearest hospital is Hospiten Sur, a private hospital with a 24-hour emergency department and two paediatric emergency rooms a short distance away; because it's private, UK travel insurance rather than a GHIC alone is the cover to have.
Spring Hotels runs two other Tenerife hotels: Hotel Vulcano, another family hotel in Playa de las Américas with its own rooftop UP! terrace, and the adults-only Arona Gran Hotel in Los Cristianos, which is where a couple in the group wanting a child-free stay nearby would look instead.
The bigger attractions are day trips rather than anything the hotel sells: Siam Park, Europe's largest water park, is nearby in Costa Adeje, and Mount Teide and Loro Parque are both doable from the south coast. We cover these on our Tenerife destination guide.
Loves and gripes
What guests rate and what they flag, the review scores behind it, how it compares, the journey in and the weather by month.
Across Booking.com, Trivago, HolidayCheck and the other review sites, the pattern is consistent: families love the food, the cleanliness, the entertainment and the location, and the sharpest gripe is the paid rooftop. One reviewer travelling as a family with young children put the positive side simply: "Perfect for kids, mine loved their stay."
What families love
- The food, the most praised feature across every site.
- Cleanliness of the rooms and pool areas.
- The entertainment and the children's Mini Club.
- The central location, the highest-scoring category on Booking.com.
- The pools and water slides for children.
Common gripes
- The UP! rooftop, not included on any board and with a cost that isn't obvious until you arrive, the most repeated complaint.
- Noise, from the evening entertainment and the busy central location.
- Sunbed competition, with towels down early and pools crowded by mid-morning in peak season.
- In-room niggles: no kettle in the Standard rooms, two single beds rather than a double in some rooms, towels not always changed daily.
- Value, which splits opinion: some find it pricey once UP! extras are added, others good value off-peak.
- Occasional queues at the bar for a drink.
Ratings and reviews
The numeric scores line up with the sentiment. As of mid-2026 the hotel sits around 8.6 out of 10 on Booking.com and Trivago and 5.1 out of 6 on HolidayCheck, with around 4 out of 5 on TripAdvisor, 8 out of 10 on Expedia and 4.4 out of 5 on Google. On Booking.com's own breakdown, location is the standout at 9.3, with staff and cleanliness close behind, and the lowest score is the WiFi at 7.9, worth knowing if you plan to video-call home. Treat all of these as a rough steer that moves over time rather than a fixed mark.
Against other south Tenerife hotelsHow it compares
Against other south Tenerife family hotels, Bitácora's real difference is its central, walkable town location and its one-buffet food format rather than a self-contained resort with several restaurants. Families who want a choice of named restaurants across a week should note there's only the one; families who value being a short walk from a town centre, the shops and a sheltered beach, and who don't mind a livelier setting, get something a more secluded resort can't offer. Within Spring Hotels, Hotel Vulcano is a like-for-like family alternative in the same area if Bitácora's dates or price don't work, while the Arona Gran Hotel in Los Cristianos is adults-only.
The journey in, and the seasonGetting there and when to go
Tenerife South airport is about 11 miles (17 km) away, roughly 16 to 20 minutes by taxi. On public transport the TITSA 111 is the faster, more frequent airport express, while the 40 is a more local service running about every 30 to 40 minutes from around 07:00 to 22:00 and taking 30 to 35 minutes to Playa de las Américas; either is a few euros. Booking seven nights or more direct on the hotel's website currently includes a complimentary return airport transfer, though that's a promotional offer that can change.
There's no minimum-stay requirement for the hotel; the seven-night UP! threshold is an inclusion perk, not a booking minimum. As for timing, the pools are heated year-round, so swimming works across the seasons, and the main seasonal trade-off is crowds and sunbed competition, which peak in the UK school holidays.
Month by monthWeather
Playa de las Américas sits on Tenerife's dry, sunny south coast, the sheltered leeward side of the island, and shares its climate with the Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos strip. The hotel is open year-round with no closed season, and the pools are heated in winter, so it works for swimming across the year. One thing to plan for with a small child is the sun: the UV index reaches extreme levels, up to 11, from June to August, so shade matters in the middle of the day, and Springly World's play area has a shaded section.
| 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.
Practicalities
Health, entry and supplies, then the questions families ask most and when this guide was last refreshed.
Spain is a standard destination for UK families and there's no Foreign Office advisory against travel; a June 2026 update added a general note about pool and sea swimming safety for children, worth bearing in mind around the resort's own pools and the beach. The currency is the euro. Staff speak Dutch, French, English, German and Spanish, and the hotel's website is multilingual.
For anything medical, the nearest hospital is the private Hospiten Sur, with a 24-hour emergency department and paediatric emergency rooms; because it's private, make sure you have UK travel insurance. Guests report a supermarket across the road for nappies, formula and everyday supplies.
On accessibility, the hotel has eight adapted rooms, confirmed by the group. A specialist accessible-holidays operator, Enable Holidays, reports walk-in showers, grab rails, lifts to all floors, a pool hoist and Roman-style pool steps, while noting some ramps are steep. Confirm your exact needs with the hotel directly before booking.
The questions parents askQuestions
Which room should we book with a baby or toddler?
If you want to make up bottles or hot drinks in the room, book the Ocean Terrace tier or above, as the Standard Fresh and Fresh Pool View rooms have no kettle. For a little more comfort without paying for a terrace, the Fresh Pool View adds a pool view and a free safe. Whichever you choose, ask the hotel to set up a cot when you book.
Is the rooftop pool included if we book all-inclusive?
No. The UP! rooftop, with its infinity pool and jacuzzi, is a paid extra on every board, so budget for a daily rate per person if you want to use it. If only the adults want the rooftop, the UP! for families package is the route, but it isn't childcare for an under-four.
Is there any childcare for a child under four?
No. Supervised care starts with the Mini Club at age four, so with a baby or toddler you'll be taking turns rather than getting club time. There's no drop-in care for a younger one, including within the UP! for families package.
Do cots and high chairs come as standard?
Not as a guaranteed inclusion. Cots and high chairs are commonly reported as available, so email the hotel to confirm both when you book rather than assuming, and pack a travel bottle-warmer if you rely on one.
Can our toddler paddle safely?
Yes. The children's pool is only 0.30m deep, shallow enough to stand in, which is the spot for babies and toddlers. The water slides need a height of 1.20m, so they're for older children, and the beach at Playa del Camisón is sheltered and shallow too.
Does it matter that the beach lost its Blue Flag?
Not for safety. Playa del Camisón lost its Blue Flag for 2026, but the award is about water-quality testing and services rather than danger, and its breakwater-sheltered water is still calm for small children. If the certificate itself matters to you, Playa de las Vistas keeps its Blue Flag and is about 15 minutes' walk.
Is the airport transfer included?
Only on a current promotion: booking seven nights or more direct on the hotel's website includes a complimentary return transfer. It's an offer that can change, so check it's still running when you book, and arrange the transfer ahead rather than assuming one on arrival.
How many people does a standard room sleep?
Up to four: two adults and two children up to 12, or three adults and one child, and a baby under two counts within that four. If you need two rooms with a connecting door, there are 20 interconnecting rooms, so ask for one when you book.
See more Spring Hotel Bitácora photos
Open the Spring Hotel Bitácora photo gallery →Useful links
- Spring Hotel Bitácora: the hotel's own site for rooms, board, the UP! rooftop 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 island, its coasts and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
