WINTER SUN IN TENERIFE

When the temperatures hit minus 5 back home, we knew we’d made the right decision to head to for some pre-xmas winter Sun! We flew with Jet2 and booked via our usual travel agents at Wonderling Travel.

We like exploring new places, but this hotel is one that doesn’t disappoint since we first visited 22 years ago! And this was now our 3rd visit!

We find that 4 hours away, Tenerife provides all year-round sunshine, and offers enough to cater for all the family.

So we landed beginning of December and took the short 15 minute airport shuttle transfer to Dreams Jardin Tropical Hotel, in Costa Adeje.

This is a luxury 4* hotel and spa located in Adeje’s Coast, offering spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and La Gomera. The hotel stands out aesthetically on the coast due to its unique Arabic-style and beautiful white moorish architecture, it is designed by the renowned architect Melin Villaroel.

The corridors are lit up with beautiful lanterns and in the evenings, candles light up indoor and outdoor areas, creating a magical atmosphere.

The hotel boasts no less than 6 restaurants serving international cuisine.

We stayed bed and breakfast as we like to explore in the evenings but could have happily dined at the numerous hotel restaurants for the duration of our stay.

Breakfast buffet is very rich. You can find various types of cheese, jams, vegetables, desserts and hot food or even have a glass of fizz! Which, let’s face it, are you even on holiday if you don’t start the day with Prosecco?

The hotel is conveniently located between Costa Adeje and Las Americas so its location makes it a prime location for young and older guests.

Other amenities at the hotel include 24-hour reception, Kids Explorers’ Club and Core Zone (note: there weren’t many children here during our stay), an open-air gym with daily classes which are listed on the hotel app.

Also listed are evening entertainment, spa offers, bike hire and more.

I attended yoga or spinning every morning at 8am followed by breakfast. I loved this routine as I love being outside in the morning and the gym has views over the ocean towards La Gomera.

We also did aqua aerobics at 12 a couple of days so there is a full activity list available at the hotel. If you like a workout, it’s worth bringing your gym gear.

We were joined by our 20-year-old twin daughters so we had a broad wish-list to suit all our needs. We booked a standard twin and double room which were both elegantly decorated.

Both rooms were on the same floor and had a balcony with outdoor furniture, flat-screen TV with satellite channels, minibar, and safe. The private bathroom included a large power shower and hairdryer. Free WiFi is available throughout.

The nearest beach is 400m from Dreams Jardin Tropical Resort Spa. Siam Park is a 3-minute drive from the property. We had planned to visit, however each day of our holiday was overcast and cloudy at some point and we felt we wanted it to be blue skies in order for us to be in the water all day. Having said that we enjoyed temperatures in the 70s daily.

Dreams Jardín Tropical Resort & Spa offers guests an elevated level of service, premium room locations and the option of VIP perks through the Preferred Club. Preferred Club Lounge offers a selection of snacks and drinks during the day. They also have an additional private area for guests among other special advantages.

We didn’t use the preferred club as we were more than happy with the overall hotel facilities.

One of our favourite experiences was the sunset bar in the hotel. We would go up to watch amazing sunsets, have a cocktail or glass of wine and play cards whilst listening to live music most nights.

From there we would venture out to look for something to eat.

A top tip to find places to eat or things to do is to use TikTok as a search engine, this was brought to my attention by my 20-year-olds!

This is how we found the fabulous Bianco Italiano Ristorante & Cocktails dinner and entertainment experience. Booking is essential for this 3-hour dinner experience. Described as the most anticipated event of the week – happening every Saturday. We had a fantastic time from start to finish. Entrance includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival. Entertainment included a live DJ set, opera singer, dancers, rock music and amazing food. These sensational components made Bianco’s Dinner Show Party nights one of our favourite nights out in Tenerife.

https://youtu.be/Bq1iP-GXmVg?si=aQyxpCnBpH87ZfXl

On our last visit to the island, we hired a boat, this included drinks, snacks, whale watching and swimming. It was a 3-hour experience and a must on a sunny day.

There are many boat trips situated in Puerto Colon which is a 10-minute walk from the hotel. There is a wide variety of trips to choose, from tranquil sunset cruises to exciting whale and dolphin watching adventures, booze cruise and more.

Other things I enjoyed was a pedicure and foot massage as there are numerous parlours scattered on the coast and we did quite a bit of walking after breakfast, so this was a welcome treat.

We visited Safari & Oasis shopping park which has numerous shops, bars & restaurants. Located in Safari Shopping Centre is the wonderful Light & Music Fountain which was lovely, and the best view is from Harry’s Bar. Shops here include Zara, Stradivarius, designer outlets. As mentioned, we can recommend Bianco and Empire Steakhouse which are also situated here.

Regular markets are also held every Thursday and Saturday morning opposite the Centro Commercial El Duque in the Torviscas district of the resort. We visited on Tuesday then had a relaxing drink at the shopping centre. It’s a nice size and not too big.

My holiday read was Billy Connolly’s autobiography, Windswept and Interesting, which was a humorous honest account of his life and sometimes dark! Have since found myself going through YouTube clips of his comedy shows, a time where comedy wasn’t censored or cancelled. Let’s just say it was pre-PC material!

We loved having family time in Tenerife and Jardin Tropical is the perfect place to chill out and recharge your batteries.