The Tenerife stag do lowdown
A Tenerife stag do is the answer when it’s February, everyone’s grey and the stag wants a tan for the wedding photos. The Canaries stay warm when the rest of Europe doesn’t, so you can book this one for most of the year. Most groups base themselves in the south, around Playa de las Américas, where the bars, beaches and boat trips sit close together.
Think of it as a holiday more than a city break. Pool, beach, boat, big night, repeat. If your group wants museums, I’d point them somewhere else. If they want a sunbed and a scoreboard, you’re in the right place.
Where the nights go
The Veronicas strip in Playa de las Américas is the main event, a run of bars and clubs where the night starts late and finishes later. The Starco commercial centre nearby is full of British-style bars with big screens, handy for a warm-up or the match. There are more bars around the area known as the Patch.
Los Cristianos, next door, is calmer and better for a group dinner before the chaos. The local lager is Dorada. The morning-after coffee is a barraquito, a layered Canarian coffee that often comes with a splash of liqueur, which some will call hair of the dog and others will call breakfast.
Daytime damage
Siam Park in Costa Adeje is a water park with slides steep enough to make grown men scream, which is exactly the content you want for the wedding speech. Boat trips from the south coast go out looking for whales and dolphins, or you can book a private boat party and leave the dolphins in peace.
Inland, quad biking and buggy safaris head up into the volcanic hills, and there’s go karting on the island if the group needs a champion. For a change of scene, take the cable car up Mount Teide, Spain’s highest mountain. It’s spectacular, and the thin air keeps the stag quiet for once. It’s colder at the top, and the cable car can close in bad weather, so check before you go.
Things I'd check first
- Fly south. Tenerife has two airports. Tenerife South is the one for Playa de las Américas, so check the airport code before you pay.
- Drinking in the street. Local rules across the Canaries generally ban drinking in the street outside licensed terraces. Keep the cans for the balcony and check the latest before you go.
- Fancy dress. The strip is used to it. Keep it decent, and grab stag do costumes that will survive the heat.
- Suncream. The sun is strong all year. A lobster-red stag is funny for about an hour, then he’s just grumpy.
- Getting around. Taxis are easy to find around the resorts. Pre-book a minibus transfer from the airport for a big group.
Make a weekend of it
It’s a longer flight than a mainland city break, so I’d make it three or four nights. That gives you a water park day, a boat day and at least one day where nobody moves further than the pool bar. A Tenerife stag weekend lives or dies on that pool day.
If you want sun closer to home, Albufeira and Malaga both work well. Check the packages below as they land, and book flights early for the winter months.
Where to stay on a Tenerife stag do
This one’s simple. Most groups base themselves in the south, and I’d do the same, in Playa de las Américas. That puts you on the doorstep of the Veronicas strip, the Starco commercial centre and the bars around the Patch, so the whole night out is right there and nobody has to organise a ride home.
If part of the group wants a bit more sleep, Los Cristianos is next door and calmer. It’s better for a group dinner, and it’s close enough that the lads staying there can still join the chaos and slope off when they’ve had enough.
My practical tip: Tenerife has two airports, and Tenerife South is the one for Playa de las Américas. Fly into that one, and pre-book a minibus transfer from the airport for a big group so you’re not hunting for taxis with a load of bags.
A Tenerife stag weekend: my sample itinerary
Friday Land at Tenerife South, jump on the pre-booked minibus and check in. I’d keep the first evening easy with a group dinner in Los Cristianos, then a warm-up in the British-style bars at the Starco commercial centre, big screens and all. Get a few Doradas in, but remember the big night is tomorrow.
Saturday Daytime is a straight choice. Siam Park in Costa Adeje for the water slides and the screaming, or a boat trip from the south coast looking for whales and dolphins (or a boat party if you’d rather not disturb them). Anyone who prefers wheels can do a quad or buggy safari up into the volcanic hills. Plaster everyone in suncream, because the sun is strong all year. Then it’s the Veronicas strip in Playa de las Américas, where the night starts late and finishes later, with a detour round the Patch. Keep the fancy dress decent, and keep the drinking on licensed terraces rather than in the street.
Sunday Breakfast is a barraquito, the layered Canarian coffee that often comes with a splash of liqueur. I’d call that medicine. If anyone’s up for it, take the cable car up Mount Teide, Spain’s highest mountain, but check it’s open first, because it can close. Everyone else, sunbeds.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time for a Tenerife stag do?
Pretty much any time, as the Canaries stay warm when the rest of Europe doesn’t. Winter is a great shout, just book flights early for those months and pack suncream, because the sun is strong all year.
Can you drink in the street in Tenerife?
Generally not. Local rules across the Canaries ban drinking in the street outside licensed terraces, so keep the cans for the balcony and check the latest before you go.
Where should we stay for a Tenerife stag do?
Base yourselves in the south around Playa de las Américas, where the bars, beaches and boat trips sit close together. The Veronicas strip is the main event at night, and Los Cristianos next door is calmer for a group dinner.
How do you get to Tenerife for a stag do?
Fly into Tenerife South, the airport for Playa de las Américas, and check the airport code before you pay because the island has two. Pre-book a minibus transfer from the airport for a big group.
