The best all-inclusive hotels in the Canary Islands for a fuss-free fly and flop holiday

A short walk from Playa del Inglés, one of Gran Canaria’s most delicious south-coast beaches, sits this lively, retro-feel retreat with a Moorish-inspired touch (decorative tiling, sandy tones, horseshoe arches). Well-equipped rooms are strung around a circular turquoise pool refreshed by a volcanic-rock waterfall, surrounded by candy-striped sunbeds and whispering subtropical gardens. All-inclusive stays mean excellent, thematic local-produce buffet meals under the palms, with tennis classes, mountain-bike tours and a full spa (try a hot-stone massage) to round things off. There’s plenty for little travellers, too – kids’ pools, dedicated menus, a seasonal mini-club. Naturist-friendly spaces include the resort’s upper terraces and Maspalomas’ nearby nudist beach.

Read the full review: Seaside Sandy Beach

• The best Canary Islands hotels

A calming, whitewashed Canarian hideaway meets a cutting-edge thalassotherapy hub at this four-star, water-washed wellness temple. The showstopper spa, designed by Gran Canarian architect Luis López, is dedicated to sprawling sea-water circuits beneath a transparent dome, as well as revitalising treatments such as seaweed wraps. Thanks to the hotel’s half-moon design, most of the smart, bright rooms look out on the glittering Atlantic; a few have views of the cascading pools and tropical-vibe gardens. It’s a 15-minute stroll from dark-gold Playa de San Agustín, and showcooking buffets are set up on the terrace.

Read the full review: Gloria Palace San Agustín Thalasso & Hotel

• The best family-friendly hotels in Gran Canaria

This sprawling, 639-room all-inclusive by on-the-ball Spanish chain Riu is idyllically placed in glitzy Meloneras in the south of the island, with the Maspalomas sand dunes and lighthouse within easy reach. Families are thoughtfully catered to with an activity-packed kids’ club, dedicated rooms, a water-slide pool, self-serve drink stands and other touches. For more secluded escapes, there are romantic swim-up suites and an adults-only, ocean-view infinity pool. Live-cooking stations fuel the refreshingly varied buffets, which you can enjoy at alfresco tables, or savour classic Canarian specialities at poolside Atlántico. 

Read the full review: Hotel Riu Gran Canaria

• The best family-friendly hotels in the Canary Islands

A taste of 1970s Miami infuses the fabulous, retro-glam Palm Beach, a curving, colour-popping, five-star beauty in Maspalomas, thoughtfully refurbished by the late Paris-based designer Alberto Pinto. Washed in deep blues, coral pinks, sun yellows and punchy lavenders, rooms channel the bold, contrasting tones of the Canary Islands’s volcanic landscapes. On the gastronomic side, don’t miss La Bodega, where chef Steffen Schenk oversees a delightful gourmet-tapas menu rooted in the freshest Canarian produce. All-inclusive plans involve refined buffets on a palm-studded terrace, with barbecue, Spanish, Italian and Mexican nights. There are also five pools, tennis courts, yoga classes and a free-access spa.

Read the full review: Seaside Palm Beach

• The best hotels in Gran Canaria

Hidden away in a countryside-fringed setting near Maspalomas and designed to blend into the arid landscape, the five-star ochre-hued Salobre is the place for a luxe, full-board break away from Gran Canaria’s bustle. It’s one of the best all-inclusive hotels in the Canary Islands; the desert-chic styling in the wonderfully cosy rooms brings in sandy tones, wood-walled bathrooms and views across two golf courses. Local aloe vera is the star in the Be Aloe spa, which has a Finnish sauna, oxygen cabins, an open-air pool and yoga. Elegant, thematic buffets use fresh island produce in the main Sens Kitchen Patio Garden, or dine à la carte at market-fired Sidecar. 

Read the full review: Salobre Hotel Resort & Serenity

• The Canary Islands explained (pick which one is right for you)

Inspired by traditional Canarian village architecture, this tranquil, family-focused five-star favourite revolves around a trio of shimmering cerulean pools beside Playa Fanabé, in upmarket Costa Adeje. Wander through palms to the seafront promenade, which zips over to Playa del Duque in 10 minutes. Calming pastel-toned rooms have terraces gazing out on the Atlantic or subtropical gardens, and there are five restaurants, including Zeus for superb buffets with showcooking stations and chef José Miguel Barrera’s imaginative Poseidón, fuelled by exclusively local ingredients. Popular Spanish hotel group Iberostar is working towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and has eliminated all single-use plastics.

Read the full review: Iberostar Anthelia

• The best five-star hotels in Tenerife

Almost every room is flooded with sparkling ocean panoramas from an intimate terrace at the five-star, family-oriented Roca Nivaría, which trickles through Canarian gardens to the seafront in tiny Playa Paraíso. Kids will love the ‘multi-adventure’ area (with an in-pool pirate ship), while tennis classes, a fitness centre, an open-air hot tub and two lagoon infinity pools (one heated with salt water) keep everyone else busy. Hit the luxurious spa for a hydromassage circuit, Turkish baths, a floatarium and bliss-inducing treatments. All-inclusive thematic buffet meals happen on a view-drenched terrace, and you can swap in à la carte dinners at classic-Spanish Burgos or Italian Verona.

Read the full review: Roca Nivaría Gran Hotel

• The best beach hotels in the Canary Islands

Terrific-value all-inclusive stays are key to the lure of the warmly welcoming, tropical-feel Gran Costa Adeje, one of southeast Tenerife’s most beloved five-stars. Wooden bridges criss-cross four seductive pools surrounded by rustling palms and sprawling sun decks. Fine-dining restaurant La Laja specialises in Canarian-rooted dishes such as salt-baked sea bass and smoked-cheese salads, though the main buffet restaurant, La Finca, is a varied delight too. Mediterranean-coloured rooms (all with balconies) have a classic look, and volcanic Playa del Duque is just a few minutes’ wander away. There’s also a packed activities calendar – SUP yoga, live music, wine-pairing dinners.

Read the full review: Costa Adeje Gran Hotel

• The best all-inclusive Gran Canaria hotels

It’s all about bold-and-bright design, vibey beats and a fun, family-friendly feel at Tenerife’s Hard Rock outpost, whose two luminous towers loom over Playa Paraíso, near Adeje on the sun-washed southeast coast. Tech-forward rooms are styled in moody lilac, grey and black, the best with whirlpool tubs. If you can drag yourself away from the three heated lagoon pools – with DJ deck, live-music stage and swim-up bar – the Rock Spa has yoga-meets-music wellness sessions and a hydrotherapy circuit. The resort goes big on gastronomy, too, whether you fancy a superb steak at Montauk or homemade pasta at Capolavoro. 

Read the full review: Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife

• The best adults-only hotels in Tenerife

Soul-stirring views of snow-dusted El Teide and the rolling Atlantic engulf the five-star Gran Meliá on Tenerife’s west coast, near Alcalá. On-site temptations wander from a sparkling, 400m-long salt-water infinity pool (Europe’s largest) to a luxe Clarins spa with treatments in thatched-roof waterside cabins. Classically smart rooms have garden or ocean views; private beachfront villas come with heated pools, Canarian gardens and Bali beds. Gastronomic delights include Km0 dinners at the Atlantic restaurant and Canarian chef Jorge Peñate’s La Terrasse, where creative seafood plates are served with La Gomera on the horizon. Also here is the adults-only RedLevel resort-within-a-resort.

Read the full review: Gran Meliá Palacio Isora

• The best hotels in Costa Adeje

Beloved Spanish brand Barceló is behind this crisply contemporary retreat in Caleta de Fuste, which takes in the former fishing town’s 18th-century castle. Endless dining opportunities swing from punchy Mexican tacos to seasonal Italian pastas. Tennis, basketball, water sports, an open-air spa and two Atlantic-view pools cater to grown-ups, while the kids’ club keeps little ones happy with cooking classes, its own pool and more. There are 301 Canaries-inspired bungalows and studios styled with volcanic rock, whitewashed walls and subtropical gardens. It’s part of the sprawling Barceló Fuerteventura Beach Resort complex offering a raft of all-inclusive stays. 

Read the full review: Barceló Fuerteventura Castillo

• The best Canary Islands and where to stay when there

Lively Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote’s favourite holiday playground, is the setting for this elegant, excellent-value honeycomb of a beach resort, which is hugely popular with families (kids’ club included). It opens through a spectacular wooden lobby that resembles a Canarian mansion, beyond which gardens of bougainvillea, cacti and hibiscus weave around two lagoon pools to sugar-cube hacienda-style buildings with rustic-modern rooms. Dining on the poolside terrace is a highlight of any all-inclusive package here, with nightly buffets themed around cuisines from all over the world and fresh produce sourced locally. 

Read the full review: Seaside Los Jameos Playa

• The best all-inclusive Tenerife hotels

Celebrated 20th-century Lanzarote architect César Manrique designed the waterfall-threaded lobby garden and heavenly salt-water lagoon pool at the island’s original five-star, in Costa Teguise. First launched in the 1970s and conceived by Spanish architect Fernando Higueras, it’s now a stylish palm-shaded hideaway for over 16s, basking in Atlantic views. Full-board packages bring in gourmet buffets at the light-flooded Mosaico restaurant, with Canarian, Mediterranean and other themed nights, while the sophisticated white-on-white rooms have a breezy feel and private terraces. Several golden beaches, along with Lanzarote’s wild north, sit right on the doorstep. 

Read the full review: Meliá Salinas

• The best budget hotels in the Canary Islands

For a laid-back, adults-only all-inclusive retreat on volcano-studded Lanzarote, this refreshingly understated four-star from switched-on Spanish brand Barceló is just the ticket. Set on the seafront in the relaxed northeast resort of Costa Teguise, it’s a Canaries-inspired haven in traditional cube-like, white-walled blocks with forest-green trim, volcanic gardens and smartly styled interiors that ooze contemporary flair. You’ll inevitably spend most of your time lounging around the two climatised infinity pools. Most of the 305 sharply designed rooms have their own hot tubs and there’s an intimate spa for volcanic-themed treatments.

Read the full review: Barceló Teguise Beach 

• The best hotels in La Gomera

With its flaming sunsets and spectacular clifftop perch above Playa de Santiago, this lush oasis offers a serene escape on La Gomera’s sunny south coast. Smart whitewashed bungalows with traditional wood-trim balconies are dotted around sprawling subtropical gardens, surrounded by hibiscuses, bougainvillea and banana palms. There are brilliant designs too for children in family rooms (pictured). Homegrown ingredients from the on-site organic finca (where kids can meet the farm animals) fuel the five restaurants, and full-board packages include garden-fresh, Canarian-flavoured buffet dinners overlooking the ocean. There’s a stylish beach club down by the waves, while the soothing adults-only spa, Bali-bed pool and two-person ‘cave restaurant’ keep things romantic. 

Read the full review: Hotel Jardín Tecina

• The best hotels in La Palma

A secluded, four-star jewel just outside Fuencaliente on La Palma’s lunar-like lava-sculpted southeast coast. Skilfully catering to both family holidays and couples’ breaks, this is the island’s top luxury address, designed in typical Canarian style with wooden balconies, volcanic stone and calming pastels. Water-laced subtropical gardens meander around a series of interconnected pools with dazzling Atlantic views, and the thematic dinner buffets have showcooking stands and terrace tables for soaking up the scenery. Guests at next-door adults-only sister hotel Esencia La Palma share the same facilities, from the hydrotherapy spa to the artificial white-sand beach. 

Read the full review: La Palma & Teneguía Princess

Contributions by Matthew Hirtes, Andrea Montgomery, Tristan Rutherford & Joe Cawley

Rates above are guide prices per person per night, please note that all-inclusive packages can differ across hotels. Please check the hotel’s websites for further information on what’s included.