Two ways to have Tenerife to yourself, one a 160-hectare estate, the other a hillside of 28 villas. The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama, from about €285, if you want everything inside the gates: M.B's two Michelin stars, golf, a kids' club and a sand cove reached by funicular; Royal Garden Villas & Spa, from about €300, if you would rather have a villa with its own heated pool, a kitchen and a walled garden inside the Golf Costa Adeje course, and take a taxi to the beach.
The complete resortA self-contained citadel on the west coast, with the island's best hotel food and its own beach.
€€€€From about €285 a night
Choose The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama if
The catch
Enormous; expect buggies, long walks and a busy main pool in peak weeks
The romantic oneTwenty-eight villas, each with its own heated pool, for couples who want to be left alone.
€€€From about €300 a night
Choose Royal Garden Villas & Spa if
The catch
Ornate, dark décor that not everyone loves; check photos
| Best for | The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama | Royal Garden Villas & Spa |
|---|---|---|
| Best beach hotels in Tenerife | On the list | On the list |
| Best family hotels in Tenerife | On the list | Not on the list |
| Best spa hotels in Tenerife | On the list | Not on the list |
| Best quiet hotels in Tenerife | Not on the list | On the list |
| Best hotels for food and drink in Tenerife | On the list | Not on the list |
The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, AbamaRoyal Garden Villas & Spa
The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama
Royal Garden Villas & Spa
The verdict
Two ways to have Tenerife to yourself, one a 160-hectare estate, the other a hillside of 28 villas. The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama, from about €285, if you want everything inside the gates: M.B's two Michelin stars, golf, a kids' club and a sand cove reached by funicular; Royal Garden Villas & Spa, from about €300, if you would rather have a villa with its own heated pool, a kitchen and a walled garden inside the Golf Costa Adeje course, and take a taxi to the beach.
Hand-picked: only the best, one version of each, researched so you don’t have to.
Questions people ask
Two ways to have Tenerife to yourself, one a 160-hectare estate, the other a hillside of 28 villas. The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama, from about €285, if you want everything inside the gates: M.B's two Michelin stars, golf, a kids' club and a sand cove reached by funicular; Royal Garden Villas & Spa, from about €300, if you would rather have a villa with its own heated pool, a kitchen and a walled garden inside the Golf Costa Adeje course, and take a taxi to the beach.
If money is not the first question and you want the island's most complete resort, Abama is it. Check availability for the Retreat Deluxe Room Ocean View. The complete resort: hand over the car keys and stay put for a week of pools, golf, the resort's own cove and the island's best restaurants. It is vast, isolated on the west coast and charges for all of it.
It has an outdoor pool. It has its own beach club.
The most intimate stay in the south, if the look suits you. Check availability for an upper sea-view villa. Twenty-eight villas, twenty-eight private pools and almost nobody else around, in a rich, ornate style you will either love or find heavy. The most intimate stay in the south, and the least like a resort.
It has an outdoor pool. There is no beach; the nearest is a drive away.
