The five star Ritz-Carlton Abama spa and golf resort. We’ve been here before, and liked it, but on this occasion we decided to look at it from a family perspective. Nick Price packed his 4-year old and headed to Tenerife’s finest…
I’ve seen many resort reviews with couples in mind, but, since having a family, those have become mere vicarious candy from a bygone era. I have since been on a quest to find high-end hotels, fitting for the Arb, that mean one doesn’t have to forego solitude and sanctity for couples when catering for children. It’s a tough ask, but I have to say that the Ritz-Carlton Abama may have just pulled it off.
The first two things that struck me as advantageous as we approached the hotel was, firstly, that it was a good distance from Los Americas which, for anyone unfamiliar with it, is a wall-to-wall festival of lobster-red Brits packed into a metropolis of enormous resorts.
The Abama stands apart, sitting proudly and quite alone on a hillside dominating the surrounding area like some medieval fortress. That’s the second thing, and it’s pink. The Moroccan style architecture is not what I would describe as attractive, but it is striking. My young princess should love it.
As you’d expect the entrance is suitably grand and airy, but when you dig deeper you discover it is really a resort of two halves. The children-friendly part where we stayed for the first part of the holiday in the main body of the hotel; and the villas – our home for the second part – which extend neatly down the hill in rows, each line of which has its semi-private swimming pool shared between a score of rooms.
Once settled, we swiftly learned that there are two things one doesn’t want for at Abama; food and pools.
Dining options are plentiful with several restaurants, from Italian to tapas to Michelin-starred Japanese and, naturally, a buffet. Frenetic during school holidays and canteen-like in character, most expect crowds and cater for them, with the exception of the adults-only fish restaurant, El Mirador. Of all of them the latter has the nicest ambience – perched on a clifftop over looking the sea and the island of La Gomera beyond (which, for the historically-minded, was the last stop for Columbus before he mistook the West Indies for India in 1494).
Crowds aside, one doesn’t lack for fine food at any of Abama’s offerings. At the Argentinian steakhouse, La Pampa, the fillet was sublime washed down with a local Rioja. It’s worth mentioning at this point my daughter’s meal. Aged 4, dry-hung Argentinian fillet steak doesn’t quite do it for her. This is where the hotel really begins to excel for families as every child can eat from a children’s buffet (free for under fives) which are set out around the hotel. It may not sound like much, but it is so much less stressful than a more expensive kids’ menu approach. Rather, they put on a large spread of all of the favourites, but cleverly make sure it is as healthy as possible. So while there are chips and nuggets, there are also carrot twists, brown rice and wholewheat pasta.
The plethora of dining options aside, never one to stay put in a resort for long we soon discovered a small town, St Juan, a mere 5-minute drive away, with a seafront of surprisingly good restaurants to be had. I say ‘surprisingly’ as from the outside they look little more than pavement-front cafes, but try their food and you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Here, nights out embraced both Tenerife culture with Flamenco dancing at Jamon Jamon, and what transpired to be the finest pizza I think I’ve ever had, at a non-descript Italian in a basement, called Casa Amedo – just the most relaxed spot imaginable, and who can complain when the best pizza this side of Rome only costs 8 Euros? Ahem, at the hotel that would barely buy you a soft drink.
Spoilt for choice for dining, the resort is equally spoilt in its choice of pools.
In total the hotel offers seven very nicely appointed pools – three of these are exclusive to the villas; one is a kids’ pool; two are open to everyone, and arguably the best is saved for adults only. The kids’ at the top is a little hectic, but simply ideal for what its intended – particularly if you’re based in main hotel. The semi-private ones are long and snaking and strike the right balance between children and grown ups, and the 40m adults-only infinity pool, at the bottom of the hill, is by far the nicest in terms of aspect, poolside food and relaxation potential. The latter is the one to head for if you seek tranquillity, and you need never hear the squeal, shout or splash of a few hundred children happily playing in the sun.
Also, at the very bottom of the hill, accessible by cable car, is a private beach with beach club. Unlike the rest of the island the beach here is white sand (imported from the Sahara, no less) and is well sheltered. It’s a real asset to the hotel above and beyond their wealth of swimming pools, as for the most part Tenerife, for all of its blessings climate wise, has crowded, coarse black sand beaches. The Abama really does stand apart.
For me, however, the defining aspect of the resort was its superb kids’ club. Many hotels offer them, but you worry about either the level of care or the facilities on hand. The Abama have built a safe and welcoming environment, which at 5 euros a day, is the steal of the century. Our daughter is not always a fan of crèches, but in this case she could hardly wait to get into it every day. We would drop our daughter off to the Kids club and head down to the adults-only pool for 3 hours. As a result we spent our mornings being adults on holiday together, and our afternoons as parents either exploring the island or playing in the family pool at the top of the resort.
The Abama, then, is a hotel of two halves – relaxed luxury and kid-friendly comfort – seamlessly conjoined in one destination. Deploy Ritz Kids and you can find that elusive elixir; parental R&R and a contented, delighted child.
For more information about the Ritz-Carlton Abama, Tenerife, including details of family holiday offers, visit www.ritzcarlton.com.
