Our editor, Joy Joses, reviews on a recent visit to Hard Rock Hotel, Tenerife, on the south coast of Costa Adeje in the Canary Islands.

I’ve always believed in the rule that you can make up your mind about something or someone at first sight. This impression is hard to shake off and so it is with trepidation that I walked through the shiny glass doors and into the lobby of the newish Hard Rock Hotel, Tenerife, where hubby and I were on a much-needed five-day break.

I needn’t have worried though, a quick scan of the sprawling, high ceilinged space showed lots of seating areas, masses of natural light streaming through, soft lounge music being played on a grand piano in the centre of the room, and six-foot mannequin wearing a classic Elton John ensemble, complete with turquoise feathers and a turban! I whispered to myself, “this is going to be good!”

Entrance
Entrance

We were checked in by friendly staff and asked to wear special wristbands, which we were asked to leave on throughout our stay as they were essentially our currency and room key. The hotel is situated across two towers – Oasis and Nirvana, where the top floor of one served as the location of The 16th, but more about that later.

The friendly porter showed us to our room on the fifth floor, via a fast lift made out of glass, quite unnerving, but worth it for the amazing views of the scenery and sea beyond. We’d opted for the deluxe gold room, which was dominated by a massive bed (very comfy) and tasteful décor. It did take a minute to get used to having the sink in the middle of the room; the toilet and shower, thankfully, were not. Another mark of a good hotel, in my opinion, is how powerful the showers are. There’s nothing worse than a shower that emits a weak trickle after a hot and long flight. I’m pleased to report that the shower passed the test. A strong, powerful pulse from one of those cool, rain-style shower heads. It was a yes from me!

Other great features of the room were the flat screen TV (not much to watch in the way of English channels though). Sorted out by hubby who hooked up the Airplay Mirroring from our IPads so that we could watch our saved films and programmes. The free wifi, which came with the room, was a little slow to stream Netflix. Bit for everything else, it was fast enough. Room service was unobtrusive and thorough every day.

The hotel really benefits from its beachfront location (glorious vistas) and its three swimming pools are extremely popular during the searing heat of the June climate. We spent many hours by the adult-only pool, sipping delicious cocktails, and catching up on reading, and yes, work!

Other amenities included a kid’s club, Rock Shop (to buy all your branded Hard Rock products), Rock Spa, where we indulged in luxurious massages (from 100 Euro each), (and a pedicure for me – 80 Euro). Customers who had treatments could also use the rest of the facilities for free for the rest of the day. Hubby had only good things to say about the sauna, Jacuzzi and freezing thermal area. Right next to the spa was the hotel gym, which was well-equipped and free for all hotel guests, although I only managed to drag myself down there once, but hey, I was on holiday!

It was cool to see the many references to the hotel’s music theme everywhere, from Michael Jackson’s bathrobe, Elvis’s outfits, to handwritten notes by Madonna instructing her accountant on a property sale! A cool touch was seeing the musical hero of each hotel staff’s, alongside their own name on their name badge.

The hotel had an impressive number of restaurants and places to enjoy a snack. We tried out the following:

Sessions

A free breakfast comes with all bookings to the hotel, but half-board diners could also choose to eat dinner at this, their most popular restaurant, too. The breakfasts, as you’d expect from a five-star establishment (although in my experience, not always guaranteed) was varied and well-prepared. Offering full English as well as more continental options, its standing as the most important meal of the day was well observed by the hordes of guests. We really enjoyed the fresh squeezed juices (mango, orange and apple) every morning. Coffee lovers will adore the wide range on offer; my favourite was their Café Macchiato.

In the evenings, there was a good assortment of dishes and cuisine from all over the world, always tasty and swiftly replenished every time the pans ran low. There is always the propensity to over eat while on holiday, and when the food is this good, it’s hard to resist. The desserts deserve a special mention, from apple crumble on one night to the most delicious cheesecake on another.

Montauk

If you’re a steak lover then this is the place for you, an opportunity to get dressed up and enjoy some fine dining. The service at Montauk was fast and friendly, and the décor was all about soft lighting and intimate chat at each table. I ordered lamb chops and hubby a man-sized looking steak. We asked for medium to well-done and braced ourselves to send it back, as a lot of these types of establishments prefer to serve rare. No offense, but I prefer not to see my dinner seeping blood, so we were pleased when our meal arrived and was beautifully prepared.

One small thing, my starter, a prawn caesar salad, which looked amazing with the biggest prawns arranged across it, was sandy! After a couple of mouthfuls, it was evident that it wasn’t a one off. After explaining this to our waiter, who apologised profusely, I was offered the chicken caesar salad instead, which more than made up for the previous starter. You could taste the freshness of the ingredients. Dessert was wonderful too.

3rd Half

This restaurant is fashioned after your typical American sports bar. With many flat screen TVs suspended in mid-air at vantage points, within view from all areas of the diner style seating. In spite of the fact that it was virtually empty, our waiter appeared flustered and extremely run off his feet. However, this did not affect his customer service and he was polite, helpful and friendly as he took our orders. Our half board status allowed us to eat for free from a set menu – starter, a main and dessert. Special mention to their prawn Cesar salad, which was to die for (yes, I have a thing for prawn caesar salad!) It was also huge, and so by the time our mains came, cheeseburgers with all the trimmings, I was already halfway to full.

The 16th

We didn’t actually eat a meal at this venue, but it was available if we wanted it. No, we came here for the cocktails. This was one of my favourite places in the hotel. As mentioned before, once you got over the stomach sinking feeling of flying 16 stories through the air in what can only be described as a glass box, you were rewarded with spectacular views of the mountainous region and the Atlantic Ocean, beyond.

This was a space for people to just relax and chill. The cool seating areas, ranging from arty-looking contraptions, to full-on double beds for people to really let go, or snore!

It also had a bit of a party atmosphere with a DJ pumping out cool music.

The hotel, while a little out of the way of the main town, taxis are readily available to take you to all the action, for reasonable cost (13 Euros to get into town). We took advantage of a number of excursions, trips and other restaurants, easily booked at reception.

I make no apologies for being quite exacting when it comes to hotels, after all, when you pay a premium for staying at a five-star establishment, you want the best. It was a real pleasure staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, Tenerife. We will definitely be back, this time with the kids as it is also very child-friendly. Children stay and eat for free when you book your family holiday through their website.

Thank you for a wonderful break!

Visit Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife

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