I'm not normally one for resort holidays or just lying on a beach for a week, but there's a time and a place for it and over my birthday in May, that's exactly what we did for five days. We stayed at the Hotel Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora, a luxury five star on the south side of Tenerife, which has been voted the best resort hotel in Spain in the 2012 and 2014 Condé Nast Traveler Awards. I'm not very knowledgeable about resorts, but I'd be inclined to agree...
The property is vast with rooms, suites and villas dotted around the lawns and palm trees, with a few restaurants and more relaxed lunch places, several bars, a spa and gym, and of course huge swimming pools - 7,500 square metres of them; four for adults, two for children - in which we spent the majority of the trip.
We hired road bikes from Bike Point Tenerife (they were so cheap), where I chose a fully carbon BMC bike better than my own BMC at home (bit gutting!) and hit the majestic Mount Teide volcano, which is the highest point in Spain, and whose 3,718 metre summit reaches the clouds and beyond. Hard climbing, but thoroughly enjoyable. It's nice to really earn your sundowner...
When autumn properly arrives, I'll fondly remember drinks at sunset overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and volcanic black sand beaches, with warm skin, wearing a little summer dress. It was beautiful.
The rooms were massive and elegantly furnished, the food and drink was good with plenty on offer - there are five restaurants; we loved the sushi and teppanyaki at Nami a Japanese and the Iberian food at Dúo - the stay was slightly let down by the service on a couple of instances, where one got the impression that the staff resented guests (they had those poolside buzzers for drinks orders and the wait time seemed to be about twenty minutes before a slightly sulky waiter would turn up). Overall though, I'd recommend it for a luxurious getaway.
Hotel Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora, Calle La Costa, s/n, 38686 Alcala Guia de Isora, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Hotel Gran Meliá Palacio de Isora, Calle La Costa, s/n, 38686 Alcala Guia de Isora, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
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