La Isla y el Mar Hotel Boutique

La Isla y el Mar is an adults-only hotel of 81 suites on the slope above Puerto del Carmen, rated five stars. It began in the 1970s as the Balcón del Mar apartments, and in 2015 the architect José María Pérez Sánchez wrapped the old buildings in volcanic stone and added new ones, so it no longer looks like the resort blocks along the seafront below. Low buildings of stone-block walls step down the hill between palms, volcanic boulders and beds of black picón, and the rebuild was planned around bioclimatic design, with geothermal heating and cooling.

Every room is a suite of at least 50 m², with a sitting area, a king-size bed and a terrace or balcony. Six categories climb from the Classic Suite and the Classic Suite Superior, both with a terrace, through the Junior Suite Pool over the pool, to the Suite Excellence Atlantic, whose balcony looks straight out over the sea to Fuerteventura. Above them sit the two with a hot tub on the terrace: the Premium Suite, a 74 m² loft with a dining area and a separate bath and shower, and the Suite Deluxe, 64 m² with two bedrooms and a sea view, for up to four.

What makes it the adults' choice is how the day runs. The heated pool, open all year, has a waterfall and hydromassage jets, with a pool bar from half past ten to six. The wellness centre has a sauna, a hot tub and a list of massages and treatments, with yoga on Tuesday mornings. Breakfast pairs a buffet with dishes cooked to order until half past ten. In the evening there is the main restaurant, or Kentia Gourmet Club, the hotel's à la carte restaurant with tasting menus, built on island produce with an optional pairing of Canary Island wines and open to outside guests too. A June night for two with breakfast starts at about €260, the sea-facing Excellence Atlantic at about €340 and the Premium Suite at about €410.

The trade is the hill. The hotel stands about 40 metres above the seafront, so Playa Chica is ten minutes down on foot and the walk back is uphill all the way, while the long sands of Playa Grande are about 15 minutes away. In the 50 m² suites the bedroom has no door and opens onto the sitting room, and only two categories have a hot tub on the terrace, so book early if that is the point. For a couple who want space, quiet and a good dinner without leaving the hotel, with the town a short walk away, it is an easy choice.