The question comes up in every group chat: do we book a hotel or rent a villa? For a couple, a hotel wins on convenience. From about eight people upwards, the maths and the experience both tip the other way. Here is how it works out for a group of twelve to seventeen in south Tenerife.
The money
A reasonable four-star hotel in Costa Adeje in the shoulder season is somewhere around €150 to €250 a night per double room, more in high season and at Christmas. Twelve people need six rooms: €900 to €1,500 a night before breakfast, drinks or anything else.
A villa sleeping twelve to seventeen costs a single nightly price for the whole house, typically €600 to €1,500 a night depending on the villa, the date and how far ahead you book, plus a one-off cleaning fee. Split sixteen ways, a €1,200 night is €75 a head. Add the supermarket shop and you are eating and drinking for the week for what a hotel charges for breakfast.
Some booking platforms add a guest service fee at checkout, depending on the platform. Booking direct with the owners has no platform fee, and the quote shows every line before you pay.
What you get that a hotel cannot give
- One table. Sixteen people eating together every night instead of split across hotel tables and time slots.
- The pool to yourselves. No towels on loungers at 7am, no children's hour, no closing time.
- The evenings. A fire pit, a sauna, a pool table, a barbecue, and nobody telling you the bar is closing.
- Bedrooms that fit the group. Couples, families and singles in rooms that suit them, all under one roof.
- A person, not a reception. Our manager Alejandro meets you at the door and is a message away all week.
What you give up
- Daily housekeeping. Villas are cleaned between stays; a mid-week clean can be arranged but is not the default.
- Breakfast made for you. Unless you add a private chef, which is one of the extras on our booking page.
- A lift and a concierge desk. Villas have stairs; ours are not suitable for wheelchair users.
- Flexibility on numbers. A villa is licensed for a fixed maximum and it is enforced.
Which villa for which group
The Surf Villa sleeps seventeen in seven ensuite bedrooms; Surf Villa 3 sleeps fifteen; Surf Villa 2 sleeps twelve; Villa Black sleeps eight. All four are in Costa Adeje and Las Américas, fifteen minutes from the airport, with live prices on the calendar and no platform fee. See large villas in Tenerife for 8 to 17 guests, how to choose a big villa, or send us the group and the dates and we will tell you honestly which one fits.