We travelled to the Hotel Botanico from South Tenerife, and drove all through the incredible Teide region to get there. The hotel is located in Puerto de la Cruz, a little way up the hill from the main beaches, but close enough to town. We had read that the hotel is one of the “leading hotels of the world” group, so we had high expectations.
First Impressions
You drive up a tree lined avenue to the hotel entrance, and staff are waiting there to take your luggage and whisk your car away. The entrance lobby is pretty grand, and the staff uniforms are elaborate. Check-in was a breeze, and the very friendly receptionist covered everything with us while we enjoyed a very nice fruit cocktail.
Our cases were brought to the room by a porter moments after we arrived, and he spent time explaining how the air conditioning and television worked, and he also pointed out that the hotel has a range of pillows that we could order to replace the standard ones.
It’s a modern hotel, built on two sides of the garden and pool area. Public spaces are huge, light and airy with a clean, unfussy decor.
The Hotel
We had booked a Teide view room at the Hotel Botanico, although on our first day, the mountain was shrouded in cloud! Rooms in the “side” block get the morning sun, but ours looked straight back to Teide and gave us glimpses of the setting sun. We looked over the main swimming pool, and could see the huge exotic bird aviary, which was partly in the restaurant. The room was just big enough, spotlessly clean and very comfortable. We didn’t try the pillow change service – the standard ones were fine, although the bed was too firm for me. A large Loewe television was on the wall, but as usual, there weren’t many English language channels.
Our balcony was furnished with two very comfortable chairs and a table on it. The bathroom was a marble palace, with an excellent walk in power shower, as well as a bath and there was a huge basket of high quality lotions and potions. We had a well stocked, but frighteningly expensive mini-bar, and a key coded safe. The air conditioning was OK, but it took a long time to cool the room.
All guests get free WiFi, as they should, but it was hit and miss. Sometimes it was superb, but then occasionally, things would get very slow. Jules resorted to using her phone as a hotspot, and there’s an excellent 4G signal in the area, so that worked well for her.
Spa
Use of the spa is free for guests, and so our first task was to head down there. There are two pools, one indoor and one outdoor, several different types of steam and sauna rooms, and showers with high pressure jets to massage different parts of the body. There was a big jacuzzi inside and another in a cave outside. A first for us was the “Ice room” which was chilled to almost freezing and had crushed ice in a bowl – very refreshing after cooking in a sauna!
There were comfortable sun loungers around the outdoor pool, and mint tea in a large urn to help stay hydrated. We loved the spa area – it was clean, quiet, well equipped and we could have spent several hours there!
As the name suggests, the hotel also has some fabulous botanical gardens, which are simply stunning and well worth walking down to enjoy during your stay.
Food and Drink
We didn’t try the pool bar, but we did enjoy a personality booster in the main bar before dinner. The hotel has a choice of very special Gins and Tonic, which caught Julie’s attention. At €15 a pop, she spent some time making her decision and chose a Brockman’s Gin with a Q tonic and red berries. She loved it, while I enjoyed a more modest JD and Coke. Three small plates of snacks were served with our drinks.
The hotel Botanico has four restaurants, with snacks also available in the bar. The choice was the open air Palmera Real, an Italian called Il Pappagallo, La Parilla which specializes in Spanish and regional food, and The Oriental, which we opted for. The restaurant serves a Thai fusion cuisine, with everything cooked in a display kitchen in the centre. The service was just amazing, with so many staff on hand, and the food was absolutely delicious – I had a Thai chicken curry, Jules opted for duck with ginger and we shared some fried noodles (amazing!) and a fragrant rice. The combination of the quality of the food, and the standard of service made this my meal of our trip to Tenerife.
Breakfast was served in the main restaurant, and we opted for an inside table, although many people were heading to the terrace. The buffet was sumptuous, with a huge choice of breads, pastries, cheeses, meats, and a hot section where a chef was preparing eggs, pancakes and omelettes to order. The coffee was reasonable and there was a big choice of teas. Top marks for an excellent breakfast – don’t hesitate to book it as part of your stay, as it will set you up for the day.
Travel and the area
Puerto de la Cruz is the original resort on the island, and was busy with Spanish tourist as far back as the 1950’s. It offers easy access to the north of Tenerife, as well as to the fabulous Teide National park. From TFS airport the transfer is at least an hour to drive approx 90km. From TFN airport the transfer time is under 30 minutes and a distance of 26km.
How to book
Inspired to stay at one of the world’s leading hotels? We’d love to help you book a stay at the Hotel Botanico & The Oriental Spa Garden in Puerto de la Cruz.
Camel Travel are an independent UK travel agency based in the Canary Islands, run by Julie & Mike who have lived on the islands for more than two decades and are supported by a fantastic admin team based in the UK.
ABTA member P6938.
Freephone: 0800 810 8404 or contact us via your preferred platform.
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