Is it possible to have a luxury holiday in Tenerife?
You bet.
Luxury holidays and Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, are words you do not usually find together in a single sentence. The island caters more for mass market tourism, undoubtedly, but if you are looking for luxury holiday options, read on, as I found one.
We recently found ourselves boarding a plane from London to Tenerife, for 2 reasons:
- On the week that we travelled (early May), it was the only place near Europe that offered temperatures above 25c
- Being a British Airways mid-haul destination, we would get 160 Tier Points (and in this case, 320).
I will explain everything in a minute, bear with me.
When is the best time to go to Tenerife?
Spring and Autumn seem to guarantee temperatures above 25c, so from April to June and from October to November, you should be guaranteed excellent weather. Humidity kicks in from June and during the Summer months (and much higher temperatures, of course).
Many visitors love the Winter months where it is hard to get below 20c (but personally I have established that 25c is my minimum temperature for sunbathing, and to guarantee use of my beach bag, espadrilles and flat sandals.
What is the best luxury hotel in Tenerife?
We stayed (and truly enjoyed) at the Ritz Carlton Abama, located around 40 minutes from Tenerife South Airport.
It is not a small hotel (400 rooms), but if you travel outside the travel months and key bank holidays, it can be a breeze. We travelled in early May (immediately after the May 1st bank holiday, which is celebrated throughout Europe) and the hotel was at 60% occupancy, which was pretty perfect.
The hotel is 10 years old plus and it shows in some areas – but lots of renovations are taking place. Rooms have been refreshed (and look nice), but bathrooms may need an extra update (although things like taps and shower heads have been updated). Toiletries are Asprey, a Ritz-Carlton staple.
Our booking was very last minute and I read some online reviews to kind of gauge what to expect. When we went, there were only 2 room types available besides suites and villas (which we did not need to as we were travelling sans bebe, and all those endless toddler travel essentials), and we paid extra of course to have a sea view room.
The other advantage is that you do not overlook the citadell courtyard (where some external events are held), so you are not disturbed by any noise. When we visited, it seemed that most villas were being renovated.
One thing that we were not expecting: the service to be excellent. And it truly was. Everyone was very kind and when things weren’t right, everyone was empowered to make things right there and then. It was refreshing not to hear Covid being used as an excuse for anything.
The experience at the Ritz-Carlton Abama, in Tenerife
The hotel is isolated (Abama is a newish area) – there are a couple of villages nearby, and overall you are 20 minutes away from Adeje, La Caleta and Bahia del Duque (which offer a completely different and certainly less luxurious experience).
We normally don’t eat at hotels (unless it is something extraordinary) and on this occasion (we booked 5 days before we arrived) we decided we didn’t want to go out as the dining options looked pretty good.
We actually purchased the full board package which was excellent value at 75 Euros per person per day – Ritz Carlton, despite being part of Bonvoy does not honour free breakfast for Elites, so we did the math quickly.
The hotel offers 6 options for dinner, of which I would highlight the 2 fine dining restaurants – Kabuki (Japanese – Spanish fusion with 1 star) and MB by Martín Berasategui, one of Spain’s best known chefs. This restaurant has 2 Michelin Stars (children not allowed, and rightly so) and there is also Txoko, which carries Martin’s direction and offers good Spanish cuisine. When we visited, Mirador was closed and the vegetarian option was also closed and we did not go all the way to Tenerife to eat Italian food. But there is something for everyone.
With the full board package (first time we have ever done it), they offer 65 Euros credit at the fine dining options (which help towards the total bill). I would say 100 Euros/head is about right per person if you are careful (or want to be). Tasting menus are around 150/175 Euros per person, which is outstanding value compared to other locations in the world. But you are in Tenerife.
Note: prebook the restaurants before you arrive so it is one less thing to worry about. We emailed the concierge ([email protected]) and they were very quick to respond and sort everything.
A minus – how they give you supplements on the other restaurants for no reason. I of course understand that not everything costs the same, and understand a 5, 10, 20, 50 Euro supplement on a variety of courses – but the menu at Txoko (which offers poolside lunch and dinner) was plagued with 1 and 2 Euro supplements. It was a bit silly.
The beach club had a whole separate menu for full board – which was pretty poor. I mean if you fancy chicken or a Caesar salad or a burger (like as if you went to the USA), it is all there. But we did not go to Tenerife to eat chicken. This is where we had the best service recovery from the restaurant manager: we were told to choose anything from the menu (the prices were pretty similar) and on certain days during our stay, they even got us fish from the market to be grilled. It was perfect.
Drinks is clearly where they make their money – at lunch you’d get away with a glass of wine for 10-15 Euros but at dinner, everything started at 20 Euros. A bit much for Spain (namely when we recognised half the wines). You could dig deeper and find some well priced bottles but prices were higher than Finca Cortesin almost.
The hotel had a semi private beach with white sand and clear water (a lovely surprise as I thought everything would be volcanic) – but you had to take a train every half hour from the resort reception (a bit of a faff as there is a funicular which for some reason was not working, and would have meant a nice walk – but not up and down the steps).
I felt the beach area could do with a little upgrade (the wooden platforms had seen better days, the chairs were clearly not cleaned from one day to the other as I even found some magazines I had left behind the day before). But the beach towels were lovely.
Room rates start at 300 Euros per night, which we felt was very good value.
Click here to book with ASW Collection, which will offer you perks such as complimentary breakfast daily, potential upgrades, a 100$ credit per stay and obviously the ability to earn Bonvoy points. They are a Virtuoso agency and you can simply book online, as this is a simple booking.
Is there any shopping to do in Tenerife?
Well, I knew it was good for alcohol and tobacco products as there is no tax or duty, but I wasn’t expecting to see all the beauty brands there and at really significant savings.
I stocked up on Loewe (with 50% savings in both Eau de Toilette and Parfum), Dior Solar range (at around 30% saving). Brands like Sisley, La Prairie and others offered very very good discounts. And it isn’t just on perfumes – all skincare ranges were available.
There are lots of shops namely in the most touristic areas, but we went to Siam Mall, which is 15 minutes from the hotel on the main motorway (and offered other Spanish staples like Massimo Dutti and Sfera for example) with easy parking. There is one beauty shop (Sabina) which sold us everything we wanted and more.
We also went to Plaza Del Duque shopping centre as it was cloudy one morning, but if the sun is shining, I would say don’t bother.
Tenerife offers Double British Airways Tier Points
One thing that made our decision crystal clear was the fact that Tenerife is a mid hail destination and as such, instead of the usual 80 Tier Points return offered in business class, it comes with a bonus: you get 160 tier points (the flight is 4 hours and on a normal short haul plane). This gets you nicely on the way for silver or gold.
However, until the end of 2023, if you book a flight and a car (or hotel) for 5 nights, at the same time (you cannot add it later), it becomes a British Airways Holidays booking and as such, you will get double tier points. In this case, if you book a car and a business class flight, you will earn a nice 320 Tier Points (you need 600 for Silver and 1500 for gold).
Remember that if you book the hotel with BA Holidays you will not get hotel points/night credits if they are important to you.
Click here to book British Airways Flight and Car Hire Bookings (Uk Departures only)
Click here to book British Airways Flights to Tenerife (UK Departures only). Remember to book business class in order to get 160 Tier Points.
Click here to book the Ritz Carlton Abama Hotel separately (you will earn Marriott Bonvoy points and nights will count towards their annual night count for Elite status).
Renting a car in Tenerife
We booked the hotel directly (it offers good redemption options if you have Bonvoy points) so obviously we needed the car (which is always handy to have). We didn’t use it every day, but found it valuable and in our case, almost free, as it worked out.
When you book a car with British Airways, you always book a car with Avis or Budget, which offer nowadays almost always combined operations. And usually, Avis has prime real estate. However, this is not the case at Tenerife South Airport.
If you book a car with Avis, you will need to take a shuttle bus from the airport terminal to its location (not walkable and under 10 minutes from the terminal). The BA Holidays booking mentioned it, but it did not say from where and this is where things got interesting.
Avis does not have a desk at Tenerife South Airport (again, most bizarre) and ‘there may be someone there with a sign’ we heard others say. Well, you will need to go to Bus Stand A6 and hope it does not take 30 minutes for the bus to arrive. It felt a bit low rent – but it is what it is.
Dining outside the hotel in Los Abrigos, Tenerife
When we first arrived, it was past 8pm and with a French air-traffic control related delay (plus the car hire debacle), we were going to arrive to the hotel after 9.30pm which seems to be the cut off time for any dinner bookings – a bit random in Spain, but it is what it is.
After a quick search online, I discovered the little fishing village of Los Abrigos, located under 10 minutes from the airport. We had dinner at Restaurante Los Abrigos on our first night, and went back to the village again for our last lunch.
Our final meal in Tenerife took place at Restaurante El Mirador – and it was stunning. If you are looking for a great lunch near Tenerife South Airport, I would highly recommend it. We had limpets (something I only ever remember eating in Madeira), and a delightful local fish, which was served simply grilled, accompanied of course by the Canary Island’s staple: papas arrugadas served with the 2 mojos: picon y verde (they are new potatoes boiled with salt so they get wrinkly and the sauces are divine).
Did we enjoy our luxury holiday in Tenerife? Would we return?
We really did enjoy our 6 days in Tenerife and I thought that the Ritz Carlton Abama was a true gem. We felt very comfortable and as I said earlier, service was outstanding.
We loved the clear waters and the little beach and overall we ate extremely well. We would undoubtedly return again, but off season.
Xo
Mrs. O
Click here to book British Airways Flight and Car Hire Bookings (Uk Departures only)
Click here to book British Airways Flights to Tenerife (UK Departures only). Remember to book business class in order to get 160 Tier Points.
Click here to book the Ritz Carlton Abama Hotel separately (you will earn Marriott Bonvoy points and nights will count towards their annual night count for Elite status).