Relaxing, peaceful luxurious hotel

The Hotel Botanico is a fantastic hotel where you can go to relax and enjoy the luxurious surroundings. Rather than write one long review, I've broken my review into different sub-sections so it's hopefully easier to follow! The Spa Guests of the hotel have access to the spa which is open from 8am to 8pm daily. Under-16s are not allowed to ensure that the spa remains quiet. The spa contains a heated pool along with an outdoor jacuzzi, an indoor jacuzzi, steam rooms, an indoor pool and of course there are a range of treatments on offer. The treatments are quite expensive (cheaper treatments half the price are available locally), but that's to be expected. The surroundings of the spa of lovely, with lots of greenery, palm trees and a waterfall with some background music providing complete relaxation. It's truly a place to get away from the toils of life!! Breakfast As other reviews have noted, the breakfast here is quite amazing! There is absolutely nothing that isn't on offer here! Guests with special diets are catered for with gluten free and milk free products available. Your choice of food includes fresh smoothies, crepes, pancakes, omelettes (cooked to order), salmon, salad/vegetables, fruit, cakes, muffins, conserves/jams, cava, freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly baked bread, various pastries.... the list goes on!! We didn't eat dinner here, so can't comment on the evening meals. Bedrooms We had a bedroom facing the main pool which also gave us a view of the beautiful gardens. As you would expect from a 5-star hotel, the room was tastefully decorated and was comfortable. The air conditioning was easy to use and was effective. We had it on at night because of the warm temperatures outside. The TV has a full range of channels including English, Italian, Spanish and Canarian channels. The room has a fully stocked minibar, but unfortunately did not have a kettle, however when we called to reception one was delivered to the room. Room has a safe, the use of which is included in the price. The bedroom was fantastic in every aspect apart from one, the beds! We did not feel that the mattresses were of the quality that you would expect in a 5-star hotel. Ours were too soft and were springy, at best a 5/10 for comfort. A great room should have a great bed to match! Bathroom As you'd expect, the bathroom has twin sinks, a bath and a separate shower (with body jets). Shampoo, soap etc is in the bathroom for your use, however we tend to bring our own soaps to try and cut down on unnecessary waste. A genius idea was there being 2 lights in the bathroom, a bright one for normal use and a dim light in case you need to go to the toilet during the night and do not want to wake up your partner. Gardens/Grounds The hotel as a large Oriental garden to the side of it, which is lovingly maintained by dedicated staff. It adds a sense of tranquillity and is nice to go walking around in the evening. It is one of the main features of this hotel. The hotel pool is fantastic! It's not too cold and is suitably long to allow for some proper swimming. It also has room for kids who want to bring their lilos in and have a splash around. There are plenty of sun loungers available and unlike other resorts you do not see towels left on them at 6 am! The pool area is well maintained and great to spend time relaxing. At weekends it is busier. Location The hotel is just outside the center of Puerto De La Cruz in the La Paz area. Round about there are numerous restaurants, bars and shops. I would not recommend driving into town as parking is quite difficult, however there is a free bus service which takes guests into town from the hotel. The Staff All of the staff are very helpful and will do whatever they can to make your stay as comfortable and as memorable as possible. A special mention goes to Gasper (waiter) and Suzanna (guess relations) who were particularly helpful! Bar/Entertainment As you would expect, drinks are quite expensive! A Fanta costs €3 and a sangria €6. All drinks are served with peanuts and a smile! Entertainment in the hotel is fairly low-key and is not in-your -face, it certainly didn't get in your nerves the same way it does in some places. The entertainment tended to be a keyboard player and a singer doing easy-listening cover versions. The flamenco night was superb and was well attended. The noise from the room did not travel through to the bedrooms. Parking Parking is available, but is quite limited and is on a first-come first-served basis. You can park in one of the nearby side streets. There are 2 disabled bays by the entrance. Internet Wi-Fi is included, however the signal can be hit-or-miss. You can usually get an ok signal around the spa or around the main pool, but surprisingly the signal in the room would cut out from time to time, despite there being a router installed in our room. WiFi does not cost extra and no passwords are needed to connect. Other Guests Most of the guests at the hotel are Spanish people holidaying from the mainland, probably representing 90% of the clientele. The rest are Brits, Germans, French and Italians The hotel is mainly geared towards adults, however there are a few children about (mostly found in in the pool). We noticed that the hotel tended to be busier at weekends, especially the spa. All in all, this is a great hotel, probably the best we have ever stayed in! It is a relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable place to stay and we will come back! Just get new mattresses!!