The Canary Islands sit off the coast of Africa at the latitude of the Sahara, but the trade winds and the cold Atlantic current keep them from ever getting truly hot or truly cold. The result is the most stable climate in Europe, and the south of Tenerife is the warmest, driest corner of it.
The numbers
- Daytime: 20 to 23 degrees in December, January and February, usually under a clear sky. Sunny days outnumber cloudy ones by a wide margin.
- Evenings: 15 to 17 degrees after dark. Warm enough to eat outside with a jumper; cool enough that a fire pit gets used every night.
- Sea: around 19 to 20 degrees. Cold for the Mediterranean-trained, normal for anyone from the Atlantic coast, and warmer than anywhere else in Europe in January.
- Rain: a handful of days per winter, usually short. The north of the island is greener because it gets the cloud; the south gets the sun.
Why January is our favourite month
The island empties after the New Year rush. Restaurants take walk-ins, the coastal path is quiet, and taxis are instant. Prices for villas drop after the first week of January and stay lower until Easter, with shorter minimum stays than in summer.
What changes in a villa in winter
The pool. An unheated pool is 17 or 18 degrees in January, which is a dare rather than a swim. Ours are heated, which is why the winter weeks are as popular as the summer ones: The Surf Villa's 32ft pool is warmed by a solar cover, Villa Black's by a heater, and Surf Villa 3 has a large heated jacuzzi beside its pool. More on that in why a heated pool matters.
The evenings. A villa with a fire pit, an indoor fireplace and a sauna turns a 16-degree night into the best part of the day. The Surf Villa has all three.
What to pack
Summer clothes for the day, a jumper and long trousers for the evening, one waterproof layer you will probably not use, and proper shoes if you plan to walk up Teide, where it can be below zero with snow in January while the coast is in shirt sleeves.
Winter dates are on the calendar now, with live prices per night. Check dates or ask us about a longer winter stay, which we price separately.