Overall: The very best of Tenerife’s boutique hotels, the San Roque combines tradition, comfort and service with consummate style. It’s our favourite.
Where is it?
Hotel San Roque is tucked away behind the sea front in picturesque Garachico, just far enough away from the daytime visitors to retain its tranquillity but in easy strolling distance of the plaza, the rock pools and the town’s restaurants. A good base for walking in the fabulous Teno Mountains, for exploring the north and west coasts or for playing golf at Buenavista del Norte.
What’s the hotel like?
Hotel San Roque has perfected the juxtaposition of traditional with contemporary to a standard that few other Tenerife hotels can even aspire to. Admittedly they began with a beautiful canvas in the form of an 18th century, traditional Canarian mansion, but it’s the attention to detail in the restoration, the use of modern art installations and, most importantly, the impeccable taste and top notch service which make the Hotel San Roque so special.
Polished wooden floors and ochre walls combine beautifully around the large central courtyard lounge space with its contemporary sculpture and comfy armchairs. A stone staircase with an art installation ceiling designed to reflect the role of the lookout tower, leads to a wide, polished wooden balcony bedecked in designer furniture. From here you can walk through to the adjoining balcony above the swimming pool and restaurant and to the rooftop solarium and the lookout tower which now houses the hotel’s master suite. Furnishings are Rennie Mackintosh, Bauhaus and Josef Hoffmann and are teamed with contemporary artwork, convenience and luxury in the form of whirlpool baths, DVD and CD players and hi speed wifi.
The swimming pool is small but elegant with sun loungers scattered at its top end and on the roof you’ll find more sun loungers to accompany views over the red tiled roofs to the lava trail that caused the town’s 18th century destruction in one direction, and over the Atlantic Ocean in the other. Telephones strategically placed around the sun decking areas allow you to ring for your cold beer or your coffee without leaving your lounger.
Hotel San Roque’s greatest assets are undoubtedly its film star looks, its consummate comfort, its luxurious feel and its personal attention. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff in ensuring you get the most from your stay. If you’re a lover of good taste, authentic tradition and small boutique hotels that make you feel special, you’ll come back to the San Roque time and again.
What are the rooms like?
Rooms are every bit as stylish as the rest of the hotel. Located off the two courtyards, each has its own composition and its own distinctive wall colourings but all are faithful to their traditional design, which means small windows. Don’t expect light and airy, celebrate authenticity instead. Furniture in the rooms is Rennie Mackintosh; en suites include a whirlpool bathtub and there are CD and DVD players and flat screen TVs. Duplex rooms have a separate living room area on the ground floor while the bedroom is on the upper level with skylights in the roof; junior suites have a Jacuzzi located within the bedroom for that extra touch of romantic class and the El Torre (The Tower) suite has separate lounge area, portholes for views right across the town to the ocean and a private roof terrace. It also has a narrow, spiral staircase between lounge/bathroom and bedroom so not perhaps for everyone.
How is the food?
Choices at breakfast are nothing like as comprehensive as you’ll find in resort hotels of the south and west but what they lack in quantity they make up for in quality. My freshly cooked scrambled eggs were some of the best I have eaten, including in those five star hotels in Costa Adeje. The Anturium restaurant where breakfast is served morphs into a romantic dinner venue alongside the swimming pool where a small menu of dishes provides excellent taste and quality as well as good value for money. Even with Garachico’s selection of nice restaurants, eating here is a good choice.
Just along the same street from the San Roque is the lively Rugantino Pizzeria where you’ll find some of the best pizza on the island and a two minute walk in the other direction, opposite the back of the lovely Hotel Quinta Roja, is the Mirador de Garachico where you can find creative takes on traditional dishes and very generous portions.
What’s the best thing about the hotel?
The minute you walk through the door you feel special and you know you’re staying in a unique hotel yet it’s also located in the island’s most picturesque town with plenty of good restaurants to choose from. The perfect romantic getaway and the ideal base for exploring the historic north of Tenerife on foot or by car.
How much is it?
Double rooms are €180 (£130) a night in low season and €215 (£156) in peak season; duplex rooms start from €200 (£145) in low season; Junior Suites from €260 (£188) and the Tower suite from €295 (£213). The price includes breakfast but not the local IGIC tax (add 7%).
Who would it suit?
Anyone who wants an authentic Tenerife experience without losing out on the levels of comfort, style and luxury that are on offer in five star hotels in the south of the island. Lovers of excellent boutique hotels; hikers who want to explore the Teno Mountains; romantics; anyone celebrating a special occasion or anniversary.
Hotel San Roque, Esteban de Ponte 32, 38450 Garachico; (+34) 922 13 34 35
Andrea (Andy) Montgomery is a freelance travel writer and co-owner of Buzz Trips and The Real Tenerife series of travel websites. Published in The Telegraph, The Independent, Wexas Traveller, Thomas Cook Travel Magazine, EasyJet Traveller Magazine, you can read her latest content on Google+
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