An Insider's View On The Ritz-Carlton Abama In Tenerife

"I was fortunate enough to visit Abama a few years ago, and I'm still craving to go back" he enthused. My wife and I drove to the resort after spending a few days at a nearby 3 star aparthotel – which was lovely, but nothing could really prepare us for the gulf in standards when we arrived at Abama. From the adults only pool with huge beds for sun lounging to the array of great restaurants and top class facilities, the hotel really did blow us away."

The first thing you notice is the salmon pink coloured facade of the hotel, visible from some distance, and fronted by its own golf course with the ocean behind it. It's a large hotel with breezy open spaces and has a real 'island' feel to it. Strangely it felt like we could be anywhere in the world, and somehow it felt more like the Indian Ocean than Tenerife."

"Abama is located in a very 'green' area surrounded by banana plantations and feels like a tropical paradise. The valet parked our car for us and we were warmly greeted at reception. We then checked in to be shown to our Deluxe Room. We were given one on a high floor which featured a distant ocean view, the room was immaculate".

"Upon arrival into our room, we discovered a gorgeous tray of baked goodies with a special hand written welcome from the hotel. Each day the tray was replenished, and we enjoyed the excitement of returning to our room after an afternoon of sunbathing to see what delights were awaiting us. Additional special touches at the hotel included his and hers bathrobes and luxury branded bathroom amenities - we were even fortunate enough to benefit from being wrongly delivered a bottle of fine (but very expensive) red wine, and when we spoke to the concierge to inform them of their mistake, they were very apologetic and even let us keep the bottle. That's service for you.On day one we were shown some of the other rooms in resort including the Junior Suite and amazing Presidential Villa. Since my visit the Tagor Villas have been introduced and these have their own shared pool and are meant to be hugely impressive. I was impressed enough with what I saw, and I think it helped that the hotel didn't seem overcrowded".

What's for younger guests?

"There's a superb kids club which is free for those aged 4-12. It really is impressive and this must be a big pull for families. I'm waiting until my daughter turns 4 before we go again!A walk down the hill towards 'Ciudadela' and the funicular gives access to a semi private beach. It isn't the best beach in the World but when we visited it was quiet, although you couldn't swim in the choppy waters. The beachside restaurant served good quality lunches at a cost of around £15-£20 per head."

"By night we ate once at Kabuki (the Japanese restaurant, carrying our half board credit across) but Pampa/Verona were closed due to low season, so the Mirador was designated for customers on HB - we used it several times - it was lovely although the service was a little hit and miss".

Tips for customers

"We were delighted we chose the Half Board option as prices in resort were expensive and the HB was actually very good value for money especially given the quality of the food. The cheese ice-cream in the Mirador restaurant was a source of wine induced amusement between my wife and I - but it was in fact some of the nicest ice cream I've ever had! Therefore I would strongly recommend that anyone staying here utilises the Half Board option owing to remote location of the hotel and the fact that it's such good value."

"I must also mention the hydrotherapy circuit which was fantastic. Featuring hydrotherapy pool, Kneipp walk, sauna, steam room, ice cold plunge pool, relaxation beds and snow room – calling by here was inexpensive and a superb way to spend a couple of hours before we got ready for our evening meal".

"All in all Abama is a very fine place to stay, brilliant for winter sun and absolutely luxurious in every sense of the word".