Adults-Only Hotels Tenerife - Insider Tips for Romantic Days

For a romantic break in Tenerife, first decide how much of your holiday you want to spend enjoying the hotel itself: are you looking for a private retreat centred on villas and pools, or a traditional hotel where sea views and an elegant atmosphere take centre stage? In Costa Adeje, you’ll find both: the Royal River Luxury Hotel and the Guayarmina Princess. Both are adults-only hotels welcoming guests aged 16 and over.

The right choice depends less on which hotel looks more luxurious at first glance and more on how you want to spend your time. This guide helps you work out your priorities, see how the two hotels fit your daily plans and organise your Tenerife break so there’s time for the two of you as well as days out.

What kind of time together are you looking for?

“Romantic” doesn’t describe a fixed set of facilities. For some couples, a lovely day starts with coffee on their own terrace and ends by the pool. Others want to be out exploring during the day and return to a stylish hotel with sea views in the evening. Another couple might mainly look forward to walks together, good food and spontaneous breaks. Start by deciding what matters to both of you.

Each of you can write down three things you’d like independently. Compare your lists and highlight anything they have in common. If one of you prioritises peace and quiet and the other days out, that needn’t be a problem: you can combine a hotel you enjoy spending time in with a few trips around the island. If you both want to spend long days exploring, however, the location should suit your plans, and it’s worth asking how many of the hotel’s facilities you’ll actually use.

Five questions to help narrow your search

• How many hours are you likely to spend at the hotel? If you have plenty of days with no plans, a pool, spa or private space to unwind becomes more important. With an active itinerary, convenient journeys and a pleasant place to return to matter more.
• What does privacy mean to you? A villa with its own pool area offers a different kind of stay from a traditional hotel.
• What are you hoping for from the view? A sea view might be a main reason for your choice or simply a nice extra. Decide before choosing your accommodation category.
• What minimum age are you looking for? Adults-only doesn’t automatically mean 18 and over.
• How much do you want to decide as you go? If you’re planning days out, leave some free days or gaps in your schedule.

If you’re still weighing up whether a stay without children would meet your expectations, our article explains why adults-only works well for some couples. For a more focused starting point, you can also browse our overview of adults-only hotels in Tenerife.

How do the two hotels in Costa Adeje differ?

The Royal River Luxury Hotel and the Guayarmina Princess are both in Costa Adeje, but offer different kinds of stay. At the Royal River, villas and pool areas are the focus. The Guayarmina Princess is a traditional adults-only hotel with an elegant atmosphere and sea views. Both hotels have four or five stars, but stars alone tell you little about which will suit your holiday better.

The Royal River Luxury Hotel is a 5-star adults-only hotel in Costa Adeje. Its facilities include villas, private pools on the grounds, an infinity pool and a spa and massage area. There is also a restaurant and a bar & lounge. This makes it an appealing choice if you want time at the hotel to be a part of the holiday in its own right and intend to make time for the pool or spa.

Tenerife★★★★★ Royal River Luxury Hotel 5-star Adults-Only hotel in Costa Adeje, Tenerife. Experience the exclusivity of the Royal River Luxury Hotel with 50 luxury villas and priv... Learn more →

The Guayarmina Princess is a 4-star adults-only hotel in Costa Adeje. It offers an elegant atmosphere and sea views. It could suit you if you like a traditional hotel as a base to set off from and return to, and don’t need the emphasis on villas or private pools. When booking, check carefully which specific accommodation category offers the view you have in mind.

Tenerife★★★★ Guayarmina Princess 4-star Adults-Only Hotel in Costa Adeje, Tenerife. Enjoy the child-free atmosphere and elegant ambiance at the Guayarmina Princess Hotel. Learn more →

Both hotels have a minimum age of 16. If you’re specifically looking for a hotel for guests aged 18 and over, you can narrow your choice with our overview of adults-only hotels for ages 18 and over. If a minimum age of 16 suits you, you’ll find more options under adults-only hotels for ages 16 and over.

How can you plan time around the island without scheduling every moment?

Tenerife offers a striking contrast between the coast and the island’s interior. Teide and the volcanic landscape feel very different from a stay by the sea. The north and south of the island each have their own landscapes and towns, too. You don’t need to try to fit everything into one trip. Instead, choose one focus for each day out and leave time for breaks.

A simple rhythm for a few days of your holiday might look like this: a free day in Costa Adeje, a trip into the island’s interior, another quiet day and then a visit to a different stretch of coast or the north. This is just a suggestion, not a schedule you need to follow. If you particularly enjoy a day out, you can choose to take things slowly the next morning. Especially as a couple, it helps to have a plan that doesn’t account for every hour.

For a trip to higher ground, pack sturdy shoes, sun protection and a light extra layer. Weather and temperatures can change with altitude, even when conditions on the coast are pleasant. Also, avoid combining several destinations that are far apart just because they look close on the map: winding roads and changes in elevation can make the drive more tiring than the map suggests.

Which travel arrangements suit your plans?

Tenerife has one airport in the south and one in the north. Costa Adeje is in the south of the island. When comparing travel options, look beyond the flight to the transfer to your accommodation. Check which airport you’ll arrive at, how you’ll travel onwards and whether you want a car during your stay. If you mainly plan to relax in Costa Adeje, you can arrange your journeys in advance using transfers or taxis. If you want to take several trips into the island’s interior or to the north, a hire car can give you more flexibility.

There is no single quieter time to travel that suits everyone. If you prefer fewer crowds, compare dates outside the school holidays and public holidays relevant to you. This doesn’t guarantee an empty island or particular weather, but it helps you take your priorities into account when choosing dates. Also consider whether comfortable conditions for days out or as much time as possible by the hotel pool matter more to you.

How do you decide whether you’ll really use the hotel’s facilities?

A longer list of facilities doesn’t automatically make for a better stay. For each feature, ask yourselves when you would use it. At the Royal River, the emphasis on pools can make particular sense if you plan to spend several days relaxing at the hotel. The spa and massages will suit you if you deliberately set aside time for them. If you leave in the morning and return in the evening, these facilities may carry less weight in your decision.

At the Guayarmina Princess, consider whether a sea view would be a daily pleasure or more of a nice extra. If the view is a main reason for your choice, pay attention to the accommodation category you book and its specific description. A general hotel page is no substitute for checking this. The same applies to how you want to spend your evenings: do you plan to use the hotel’s restaurant and bar, or would you rather keep your options open and explore the surrounding area?

To compare options, you can also filter by the features that matter most to you: browse adults-only hotels by lakes and the sea, our overview of adults-only hotels with an infinity pool or our wellness and spa hotels. Start with no more than two features. If you apply too many filters at once, you might overlook a hotel whose overall character suits you better than a long list of facilities.

Which booking mistakes can you easily avoid?

The most common misconception is that “adults-only” means a particular atmosphere. The term primarily tells you that the hotel caters for adult guests; it doesn’t tell you whether you’ll get a villa, sea views, a spa area or a traditional room. Check the minimum age separately from the type of stay the hotel offers.

A second mistake is booking a special feature without considering your daily plans. A spa isn’t an advantage if you don’t make any time for it. A private pool area is of little use if you spend most of the day out. And a sea view is only a deciding factor if the accommodation you book meets that expectation.

A third mistake is filling your holiday with too many excursions. Tenerife looks manageable on a map, but changes in elevation and winding roads need to be part of your planning. Make a rough shortlist in advance and decide what you feel like doing once you’re there. That keeps the trip flexible, without turning every free morning into a drive.

If you haven’t settled on Tenerife, you can compare more adults-only hotels in the Canary Islands or browse our overview of adults-only hotels in Spain. For a trip where privacy is especially important, our collection of hotels with private pools for couples is a useful next step. For another perspective on getting away from it all and what to expect, read our article on what privacy can mean at an adults-only hotel.

What should you check before booking?

Take a few minutes to go through these points together. If you disagree on something, discuss how much it really matters before settling on a hotel.

1. Compare your wishes: Write down three personal priorities each and identify the ones you share.
2. Choose your type of hotel: Decide between a focus on villas and pools or a traditional hotel with sea views.
3. Check the minimum age: Establish whether 16 and over suits you or whether you specifically want 18 and over.
4. Read the accommodation category details: Check pool access, outdoor space or sea views carefully if any of these is a deciding factor.
5. Limit your excursions: Choose just a few main things to do and leave free time between them.
6. Think through your travel arrangements: Compare airports, transfers to your accommodation and whether you’ll need a hire car.
7. Assess the hotel’s facilities realistically: Highlight only the facilities you’re likely to use.

If you’re mainly interested in a 5-star stay, you can also browse our 5-star adults-only hotels. For a trip focused on atmosphere and time together, find more inspiration among our romantic hotels. Use these overviews to support your search: what matters most is whether the specific accommodation suits your plans.

Frequently asked questions

Are both hotels only for guests aged 18 and over?

No. Both the Royal River Luxury Hotel and the Guayarmina Princess welcome guests aged 16 and over. If a minimum age of 18 is essential for your trip, check this explicitly before booking.

Which hotel is better suited to a holiday with plenty of pool time?

The Royal River Luxury Hotel is more likely to suit this plan because villas and pool areas are central to what it offers. Still, consider whether you actually want to make use of the private pools and other facilities during your stay.

Which hotel offers sea views?

The Guayarmina Princess is described as offering sea views and an elegant atmosphere. Check the specific accommodation category when choosing, so your booking matches your expectations of the view.

Is Costa Adeje a good base for days out?

Costa Adeje is in the south of Tenerife and can serve as a base for exploring the island. How well it suits you depends on which areas you want to visit and how you organise your journeys.

Do we need a hire car in Tenerife?

Not necessarily. If you mainly want to stay in Costa Adeje, you can plan transfers and local journeys without a car of your own. For several trips to different parts of the island, a hire car can give you more flexibility.

How many days out should we plan?

Start by choosing a few priorities, such as the coast, the island’s interior and a free day at the hotel or by the coast. Don’t fill every day; that way, you can decide as you go whether to explore more or spend longer relaxing.