Which hotels to stay in style in Tenerife, one in the north, the other in the south:

Tenerife is an ideal destination for those seeking warmer climes, and this year-round. So, when my husband and I had such a need end of March, we gave this largest Canary Island a try. To be honest, I was a bit sceptical about going because of the protests of the local population against the overtourism here. Yet, I had read that our chosen time is ideal because of fewer crowds. Thus, I had a little hope that it would not be too busy. But, it was not fulfilled. If you should be interested in how overtouristed Tenerife is, my previous post went into it. Here, it should be about which hotels to choose on the island  of Tenerife if you love to stay in luxury. You should opt for two of them. Find out why in the next section.

Tenerife’s north and south

Tenerife’s two sides

Tenerife has two different sides, the north and the south. While the latter is almost completely in the hands of tourists, this is less so in the former. As to the south, it is all about beaches. Here it is consistently warm (or hot in summer) all year round. In terms of vegetation, you mostly find dry grass only. And there are hot winds in some areas.

The island’s north in contrast is (always) a bit cooler, more humid and more verdant. While some parts are touristy too, others are less so. But all the tourist hotspots – which are mostly in the north – were (over)crowded on our stay. For details refer to my last post about Tenerife’s overtourism. Unfortunately, many of the beach vacationers in the south make the one or other visit to the popular sitghts too. Thus, travelers in the north have the island’s attractions not for their exclusive use.

Is one hotel in Tenerife’s south the preferred choice?

If you want to have a full experience of Tenerife, it is advisable to opt for two hotels. One should be in the north, the other in the south. In the case of my husband and me, we booked our Tenerife stay at short notice. And so all the boutique hotels in the north that seemed appealing to us were already fully booked. Thus, we went for a larger one, Hotel Hacienda del Conde Meliá Collection Golf & Spa in Buenavista del Norte.

As to the south, we were able to secure one of the last rooms in the lodging of our choice, Hotel Royal Hideaway Corales Beach – Adults Only in Caleta, part of Costa Adeje.

If you want to know more about where to stay in Tenerife’s south in general, my last post went into it.

In the following, I will give some more information about the two hotels we had in Tenerife. Quite the opposite to my usual reporting, I want to keep it short. After all, I am a bit uncomfortable about promoting an already overtouristed place.

2 of the best hotels in Tenerife if you look for luxury getaways

I start with the accommodation in the north – exactly northwest – before coming to the one in the south. In both cases, I begin with a few key points, then continue with what I liked and what I did not like so much.

1. Hotel Hacienda del Conde Meliá Collection Golf & Spa in Buenavista del Norte

I mentioned it, Hotel Hacienda del Conde Meliá Collection Golf & Spa was our choice of lodging for our stay in Tenerife’s north. It is located in the outskirts of Buenavista del Norte in the island’s northwest.

It was opened in 2010. Since 2016, it has been part of the Meliá hotel group (before Vincci Hotel). Hotel Hacienda del Conde has 117 rooms, all of them are at least 40 sqm in size. And it is for adults only.

What I liked at one of the best luxury hotels in Tenerife

a) Location

I was fond of the lodging’s location, nestled between the Teno Rural Park and the sea, only interrupted by the Buenavista golf course.

You are in walking distance not only from the ocean, but also from the pretty town of Buenavista del Norte. And there are quite some attractions nearby, be it Garachico, one of the most beautiful villages in Tenerife, or the lovely mountain hamlet of Masca.

b) Style/Layout

Hotel Hacienda del Conde’s premises are quite a sight. It is all about a luxurious homage to the colonial style, which you often find in Tenerife. Think of a traditional hacienda with lots of wooden elements, colonnades and courtyards.

Also, the accommodation boasts beautiful terraced gardens with secluded spots offering much personal space.

Two swimming pools complement the offer.

c) Fine dining: Restaurant Salazar

While my husband and I did not try neither the buffet restaurant Buena Vista nor Il Rosmarino (Italian cuisine), we went to their fine-dining place. It is about Restaurant Salazar where chef Aser Martin prepares excellent local cuisine, modernly interpreted. On our evening, the dining spot was not busy, most hotel guests seem to dine at the buffet spot.

What I did not like so much at the hotel

a) Golf course

Whereas I was in favour of the hotel’s setting, I could have done without the golf course (as you may have guessed, I do not golf). We had booked a sea view room, but the vista was hindered by a net that prevents the balls go astray.

And I mean no disrespect, but golfers might feel somewhat awkward to non-golfers. Yet of course we had known what to expect here, and it was a minor issue.

b) No updated guest rooms (in particular bathrooms)

I assumed at the time of booking our room that it had not been updated recently. While the bedroom was kept up quite well,

the bathroom looked a bit dated. It was clean, but it could use a little touch up in the decor. The good thing was that it was spacious enough.

The same is true for the bedroom, however the balcony was rather on the small side.

c) Some aspects of the breakfast

First to the positive points, there was ample choice, and the offerings were good. What bothered me was that the buffet sometimes looked a bit unkempt. Obviously, they did not pay attention to ensuring that the buffet was well maintained at all times. In addition, the tables in the buffet restaurants were packed tightly together, so you did not have much privacy when having breakfast.

d) Some service issues

While the staff was generally friendly and helpful, there were some points that did not suit the standards of a luxury hotel. First, on our stay the bar was only staffed with one employee. This person not only had to wait the tables but also was responsible for preparing the drinks. No wonder the cocktail menu was not overly exciting.

When it comes to servicing our room, we noticed that the bed linen had not been changed in four days. In addition, the bottle of drinking water in our room was not replaced once we had finished it. On the positive side, I have to mention that the hotel offered a small buffet in the lounge with snacks, tea/coffee and water in the afternoon.

To end this list, we found out that the entrance to the spa is not included in the room rate. When my husband wanted to use the indoor pool and the whirlpool on a cooler day, he was told that the fee was 25€ for these services.

2. Hotel Royal Hideaway Corales Beach – Adults Only in Caleta

This hotel in Tenerife’s south had caught my interest long before we seriously thought about booking a stay here. And this because of its distinctive look and its incredible range of gourmet restaurants. Hotel Royal Hideaway Corales Beach resembles an ocean liner from the exterior

and has three Michelin restaurants with four stars in total. As to its location, it is at the very western end of Costa Adeje just above the village of Caleta.

It was opened in 2018, has 121 rooms and occupies the western part of the building (the other is home to its sister hotel where children are allowed). And the rooms are large (55 sqm).

What I liked at the hotel

a) Upscale dining-spots

I have already hinted at it, this is the perfect hotel for fine-dining lovers just as my husband and I. We dined at all Michelin starred restaurants here (two-star El Rincón de Juan Carlos, one-star San Hô and one-star Il Bocconcino) plus at the Starfish Atlantic Grill (Repsol Recommended). And the meals were all great!

b) Hotel design

When it comes to the hotel’s design, I am torn whether to find it beautiful or not. But for sure, the building that has an ocean-liner façade is something special. Its futuristic style architecture designed by MKV Design London is impressive indeed. Having said that, you can consider it as a foreign body in the landscape too, throning above the former fishing village of Caleta.

 c) Location

My opinion is also divided when it comes to the lodging’s location. On the one hand, it towers above everything in the area. Fortunately, it does this without appearing like a high-rise. You are not directly at the beach, however not far from it. Once you leave the property, you cross a street and descend some stairs (or an accessible path) to a dark-grey pebble beach (no hotel services here). What I appreciate about this hotel’s setting is that you are not in the usual hustle and bustle of south Tenerife. This is because the fact that Costa Adeje ends here. If you want to continue along the coast, you need to go by foot.

d) Royal Breakfast

The breakfast here truly merits the label “Royal”, served in the buffet restaurant, Nao Atlantic Food Experience. It is one of the most lavish I have ever seen – and I have seen my part of them. The selection and the quality of foods were exceptional. Everything looked appealing on the buffet, at all times. Plus, you could order quite an assortment of dishes from a menu too. A nice touch was that the servers knew what coffee my husband wanted from day two – they must have noted it down. However, this was not true for my tea order – that was not in their concept.

What I did not like so much at one of best luxury hotels in Tenerife

a) Some room features

Our room was on the fourth floor, which came with the best views here.

Whereas I found it gorgeous from the design and the layout,

there were also some negative points. The most prominent was the open-space bathroom where you had not much privacy in the toilet in particular (a glass door, which did not completeley close). And it was freezing in here in the morning after we had cooled down the room for a good night’s sleep.

It was also troubling that you could not shade the terrace. That was a pity because it was such a great one! But the sun blazed on the terrace all afternoon, making it too hot to stay out for long.

And surprisingly enough, I noticed that the sister hotel, which looks very similar, had shades!

Last, the entrance door was not fitted correctly, resulting in noise from the cars driving by. Plus, one day when it was very windy, an unsettling draft moved through the room.

b) Construction flaws

Although the hotel was only opened in 2018, numerous building defects were obvious. I already mentioned the ill-fitting entrance doors to the guest rooms. Also, the locking system of these very doors did not work properly – we failed to open the door on the first attempt every time we tried. And the elevators were no great engineering achievements either (slow, hot, broken displays ecetera). I stop listing because I do not want to bore you.

c) Outdoor dining in not so good weather

It seems to be the ultimate thing at this hotel to dine outside also in not so good weather. With the exception of Restaurant El Rincón de Juan Carlos, where there is no outdoor area, we were nudged to dine alfresco or semi-alfresco everywhere we went. The negative climax was Restaurant Il Bocconcino, one Michelin star, where we were seated outside despite a chilly breeze. While we endured, annother couple, who arrived with us, did not stay long and asked to dine indoors. I later saw them sitting in the dining-room all alone.

My Tenerife content

I have mentioned it, I had been “ranting” about overtouristed Tenerife in my last post. And this one was about the two hotels we chose for our recent ten-day stay on this Canary Island. Both belong to the best luxury establishments you can find in Tenerife. There is one more blogpost to follow about this popular place. I will briefly go into the fine-dining outlets we went in both spots, around Buenavista del Norte and in Tenerife’s south.

Date of stay: March 2025

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