Sitting at a candle-lit table in a cliff-top restaurant listening to the waves crashing on the beach below, it’s hard to believe that this is the same island I came to just a decade ago.
Last time, on a “lads holiday” in Tenerife, things were a little less civilised. Staying only a few miles down the coast, we enjoyed the packed beaches, bargain beer and lashings of sausages and chips.
But it seems that I’ve got something in common with the Canary Islands, and Tenerife in particular – we’ve both had to grow up a bit over the years.
Now I want something a bit more sophisticated from my holidays and Tenerife has it in spades, as my wife and I discovered on a four-day break without the kids.
There’s a new, rather classier side to this volcanic Spanish island, making it the perfect spot for a relaxing getaway.
We were staying at the Abama resort, a luxury five-star pink-walled Moorish citadel on the south-west coast, just a 25-minute drive from the airport. The Abama, looking like a cross between a Moroccan palace and a Disney theme park, is a riot of turrets, roof-top terraces and open-air corridors. It has all the frills and spills of a Caribbean honeymoon destination – including a champagne welcome and very attentive service from all the staff. Our room was large and luxurious with a welcoming box of chocolates, a private terrace, vast marble bathroom with a walk-in shower, a sunken bath and a huge basket stuffed with expensive-looking toiletries and beauty products.
The breakfast buffet was a feast packed with all kinds of fruit, pastries, pancakes, cereals, cheeses and meats. You could even have champagne and caviar – at no extra cost – for a spot of real indulgence.
The Abama is set in 400 acres of tropical vegetation and gardens, and there’s enough there to keep you busy for a week if you’re feeling too lazy to venture beyond its walls.
We were told it can be sunny at one end of the hotel grounds and raining at the other – and I believe it. Just randomly wandering around the hotel and its gardens is a pleasant way to explore – it seems wherever you go you’ll find another one of the complex’s 10 swimming pools or bump into one of the myriad bars, cafes or sun terraces.
For the sporty there’s an 18-hole golf course meandering its way up the hill, as well as tennis courts and a sea-view gym. But if pampering is more your thing then while away a couple of hours at the Abama spa circuit. This takes you through herbal steam rooms, saunas, icy plunge pools, and even a snow cabin before luxuriating in the hydrotherapy massage pool.
And then there’s the hotel’s private beach, with a funicular to take you down the cliff to a very pretty bay full of golden sand.
Abama’s beach is very different from the crowded strips on other parts of the island. Its rows of wooden sun loungers, piles of fluffy towels and a warm shower to rinse off the salt after a swim are pure beach-bum indulgence. And there’s no need to go back to the hotel for lunch – just amble along to the decked beachside cafe for a seafood salad and cold beer.
We couldn’t help thinking how much our children would have loved the beach, and the Abama is certainly well geared up for children. There’s a daily kids’ club, plenty of high chairs, and the staff think children are a delight.
We spent a couple of nights at the Abama which was to enough to get a real taste of luxury.
But if you don’t want to break the bank – as we didn’t – you can also go down the coast to the Abama’s sister hotel, the Jardin Tropical.
Again the hotel follows a Moorish design, with its towers and turrets and open-air passageways, giving a distinctly up-market feel compared with the more mundane modern architecture nearby.
The hotel is four-star, though admittedly it isn’t quite up to the Abama’s levels of luxury. But you’ll still have a very pleasant room with your own sea-view terrace, a vast champagne buffet breakfast and a choice of five restaurants – including Las Rocas, where you can savour delicious local seafood from a terrace dramatically perched over the cliff top.
The Jardin Tropical is a couple of miles down the coast from the busy Playa de Las Americas and its boozing and crowded beaches. Yes it’s fun to venture out for a taste of the lively nightlife, a day on the beach or a bit of shopping.
But it’s also nice to be able to retreat into the tranquil surroundings of the Jardin Tropical for a quiet drink in the lobby bar which has outside seating in pretty gardens by the pool. A trip to Tenerife isn’t complete without a visit to the hugely impressive Mount Teide – the towering volcano visible from almost everywhere in the island and the highest mountain in Spain.
A hire car is the easiest and best way to get about the island – there are buses, but they’re not that frequent and only go on the major routes.
Driving on Tenerife is relatively easy thanks to a motorway running around the east and south coasts of the island, but getting to Mount Teide can take a couple of hours because of the constant twists and turns in the road as you climb ever higher.
On the smaller roads there’s a never-ending supply of hairpin bends and impossibly steep gradients, which are fun for enthusiastic drivers but might be a bit daunting for those more nervous behind the wheel.
The scenery on the way up is dramatic and the coastal towns soon shrank to toy-size as we drove through the clouds then out the other side to brilliant sunshine. The lush vegetation disappeared as we ascended, turning from shady pine forests into lunar landscape-like black lava fields – the result of an eruption in 1909, and the shooting location for the movie Planet of the Apes.
You can drive to the base of the mountain itself where a cable car takes you the final 1,000 metres to the 12,188ft peak – one of the highest volcanoes in the world. The journey takes eight minutes and it worth every one of the 18 euros it costs. Once at the summit, you can amble to various viewpoints for breathtaking views – on a clear day you can see the other islands in the Canaries.
If you’re really keen, you can apply for a permit to climb to the summit – only 150 people a day are allowed up the eight-metre-wide crater.
The permits are free and available from Icona park administration in Santa Cruz (922 29 01 29) and you’ll need your passport plus a photocopy of your passport.
It takes about 30 minutes to do the climb which, because of the altitude, is not for the unfit.
As well as Mount Teide, Tenerife has enough to keep any active holidaymakers happy for a week or two – there’s plenty of walking, hiking and cycling opportunities.
Kids will love Loro Parque, originally a parrot park but now expanded into a animal and wildlife extravaganza with more than 300 species, including tigers, gorillas and sharks.
For those who just want to sit and watch the world go by while sipping a coffee, Tenerife has a vibrant cafe culture in its many picturesque towns.
Eating and drinking in Tenerife is a real pleasure – and Puerto de la Cruz is a great place for a lazy lunch.
Make the most of the locally-caught fish, and look out for paella.
And do try the papas arrugadas – small salted potatoes served with a mojo chilli sauce.
To wash it all down, there’s a good range of Canarian wines and beers, plus a great local rum.
Tenerife essentials
Climate: Warm and sunny all year round, with an average temperature of 15C (60F) in the winter and 24C (75F) in the summer.
When to visit: High season is from December to February. May to October are quieter.
Language: Spanish, although English is widely spoken.
What’s the deal?
-Abama resort costs from £118pp per night B&B, children under six free. Its sister hotel, the Jardin Tropical, costs from £49pp per night B&B, children under two free, 50 per cent discount for older kids.
-TO book flights, hotels or car hire contact Hallmark Leisure on 0121 321 2425 or visit www.hallmarkleisure.co.uk
-For more information on Tenerife visit www.webtenerife.com or call 020 7431 4045
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