An outstanding hotel, a hotel which lives its aims; the warmest welcome you'll ever receive

A foreign holiday? Despite being keen to get away, we were in two minds about travelling again after such a long absence. How safe would our transit and stay be? How many hoops would we need to jump through to get some sun? Well, the good news is that it was safe - the taxis, the airline and the hotel were scrupulous in their precautionary measures, and since our return we have tested clear of Covid and its derivatives. As to the hoops to jump through, not as bad as we thought, as most if not all of the “paperwork” was done on-line. So we are encouraged to get back to our usual frequent foreign trips. We flew to Tenerife and stayed in the north at our by far and away favourite hotel - The Hotel Botanico in Puerto de la Cruz, which is wonderful! It is so nice and welcoming, a real 5 star hotel (we’d give it eight stars if that were possible) and all that that implies; we see it jointly as a superb hotel and almost as a second home, too. The staff are genuinely pleased to see you - and that’s all the staff, including the ones that you meet in the corridors or at the pool or working in the beautiful, extensive gardens. They are unfailingly courteous and ever ready to help - there’s no plastic smiles here, just a genuine pleasure in warmly greeting you. Lots of them have been at the hotel for decades and have made the hotel their life’s work. Toni on the Reception desk and one of the many gardeners, Mila, have worked there for some 47 years, which is quite astonishing; Antonio, the smiling doorman, has spent most of his working life at the Botanico and lives to serve, giving the warmest and most efficient of welcomes; Susana on Guest Relations is ever present, and ever helpful, aware and kind; that’s what gives this hotel the edge, apart from its spacious public areas, beautifully appointed bedrooms and facilities - the quality of the staff and their dedication to the guests. During lockdown, my dear Toni phoned me from the closed hotel on my birthday to wish me a happy day - beat that! We’ve journeyed there some nine times over the years, but other guests we’ve met easily eclipse that, with one couple on their nineteenth visit! So the hotel is demonstrably getting it right. Others were on their first visit, absolutely loving the service, the choice of pools, the rooms, the views, the beautiful gardens, the tennis courts, the tranquillity of this hotel in its oasis, the fabulous Spa and all its treatments as well as the location, too. There is a proper town [Puerto de La Cruz] to explore; you are not a prisoner in a resort “bubble” which mistakenly believes it offers everything to everyone all of the time. To help you get out and enjoy the delightful local town with its traditional fishing harbour and beautiful old town areas, the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service which takes you down into / from the centre of the town. As for things to do locally, there are many and varied opportunities to be savoured, ranging from the Botanical Gardens, the orchid centre [with Agatha Christie connections!], the hotel’s beautiful putting green, Loro Parque which is a gigantic theme park, whale watching, touring Spain’s highest mountain Mount Teide, its vast National Park and the Masca valley, visiting the historic little town of La Orotava and many, many more activities. Places to eat in town abound, with the hotel itself having several themed restaurants. What’s not to like? We recently celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary. How? By spending a week at the Hotel Botanico and celebrating this momentous occasion there, in the sunshine, and being congratulated by every member of staff whom we encountered that day. We had a special day, and the Hotel Botanico is a special place: it is outstanding and quite exceptional.