Five-star service but a shame about the restaurants

The Hotel Botanico is situated in the lovely town of Puerto de la Cruz, well away from the busy tourist hotspots. There is a shuttle bus for guests who want to go to the town/harbour area although there are lots of restaurants within a few minutes walk of the hotel and it's very close to the Botanical Gardens (a five minute walk). There were things that impressed us about the hotel and, in our opinion, things that were not so good. Let's start with the good: Everywhere was sparkling clean and housekeeping staff were brilliant. There was a reliable turndown service, lots of towels, the room was well equipped and there was lots of storage space. And for once, plenty of clothes hangers! There's no bath tub in the bathroom but there is a large walk-in shower. Toiletries are from The White Company and are replenished daily. Reception and door staff were friendly and welcoming, ready to have a chat and extremely patient if you fancy trying out your Spanish. There is a super-efficient valet parking service, which was a real treat. The gardens are lovely. They need to be explored as they're not visible in their entirety from the hotel, so don't just sit by the pool - go and wander...it will be worth it! Breakfast was good, if a little manic, with lots of choice and freshly cooked eggs/pancakes, etc. Almost all the waiters were smiley and service was good. You can choose to sit inside or outside by the pool. Our room was quiet, despite the hotel being in a built-up area. Beds were comfy and we slept well. The hotel attracts a mainly older age group. That may be good or bad, depending on your point of view. I point it out because although there were a few children present during our stay, it's certainly not a hotel that's geared to families with young kids. But that does mean it's generally fairly quiet, even when busy. There's a fun 18 hole pitch and putt golf course on site, which is free for guests to use. Equipment is provided. Now for the not-so-good: The biggest down side for us was the hotel's restaurants. We ate in the Spanish restaurant on our first night and in the Mediterranean restaurant on the second night. Both were a real disappointment. The food was no better than mediocre and the service was slow to non-existent. In fact, in the Mediterranean restaurant we gave up on waiting for someone to ask us if we would like more drinks or dessert (or bring us dessert menus) and left. The surroundings in both restaurants are tired and in desperate need of an interior designer (in my opinion). I can't comment on the Thai restaurant as we didn't eat there. After the experience of the first two nights we ate outside the hotel for the remainder of our stay. There is an aviary (it's large with glass enclosed sides and netting on the top) in the breakfast area. I guess many guests enjoy looking at the birds but if you happen to be sensitive about birds in captivity, this won't be a highlight for you. I was a little surprised to see it. We stayed in a superior room with a balcony. The room was light and spacious but we did notice that the standard rooms are pretty small. Despite my quibbles, I'm still giving the hotel a 4-star rating because they do some things extremely well. The service alone (apart from in the restaurants) warrants the hotel's 5-star rating and there are lots of little touches that make you feel welcome and valued - a lovely rose in a vase in the bathroom, chocolates on your bedside tables at night, etc. The decor does seem to be stuck in a time warp but that's a matter of personal preference and I'm sure some of the guests love it. But I so wish they'd work on getting the restaurants up to scratch!