The Ritz-Carlton, Abama

My daughter and I visited the Ritz during half term— the concierge was great about liaising with the tennis instructors and setting up her lessons as well as making sure that there was always a shuttle to get us to the lesson on time. Breakfast buffet was very nice with several different restaurant options. Lots of pools, though my daughter ended mostly liking the children’s pool with other kids with the exception of the few times we made it to the beach. Even though the beach is man made, there were ample lounge chairs provided for Ritz Carlton guests (be aware there also may be locals at the beach), the sand was soft (not rocky so you can sit on a towel if necessary) and the water was clear. There is also food and drink service on the beach for guests who have a valid room number. While my daughter was in kids club during some of the days, I took advantage of the spa, which was also very nice and I had several treatments there. I also tried the Michelin starred restaurant MB which was delicious, the staff were quite gracious and eager to please. If I were to go back (which is very likely), I would definitely ask to stay in the main hotel versus the villas, as it’s easier with children, less of a walk and less reliance on hotel golf carts to get around. Be aware the property is quite big. Overall an excellent stay and not too far and an easy trip from the UK.

First visit to Tenerife as we wanted something short haul and hot. We opted for the Ritz Carlton due to brand reputation so we had high expectations. Although the property is lovely, it is hugely let down by its service. Pros: The rooms are very clean and spacious, pools all good, spa also decent. The food was good in all of the restaurants. We would highly recommend Abama Kabuki. Cons: if you want a drink by pool be prepared to hunt for someone to take your order and then wait 30 mins for the drink to arrive. You will frequently wait a significant amount of time in most restaurants (kabuki being the exception) for menus, then your order to be taken, then the food to arrive and then the bill. There seems to be too many people trying to serve one table which leads to confusion over who has actually done any of these jobs.