A Relaxing Retreat In The Canary Islands

We flew from London Gatwick to Tenerife and transferred to Los Cristianos, a journey that takes 20 minutes by road, where we stopped off for lunch. We then took the Fred. Olsen ferry over to San Sebastian, La Gomera. The crossing takes 50 minutes and, if you are lucky, you may be able to spot some whales or dolphins along the way. We then took the final 45-minute transfer to the Hotel Jardín Tecina by car.

The hotel is set on a cliff-top, surrounded by lovely gardens and views out to sea. On a clear day, you can see Mount Teide on Tenerife. The hotel comprises of the main building and rooms that are set around the complex in Canarian style bungalows. There are two levels - one room on the lower floor with a terrace and a separate room on the second floor with a balcony. Depending on where your room is located, there could be steps or slopes to get to the main building and other facilities such as the swimming pool.

The hotel has several bars and restaurants, including Club Laurel which has its own pool and is accessed by a lift built into the cliff. There is a good selection of food available from the main restaurant - buffet style catering - or you can book a reservation at one of the a la carte restaurants. If you are staying on a half-board or full-board basis, you can sample the a la carte taster menus for free. All other dishes may require a small supplement to be paid locally.

There are many activities on offer, including swimming in one of the four pools, tennis, scuba diving, walking and much more.

When I stayed at the hotel, they were in the final stages of completing the refurbishment of the main restaurant and the new adult-only Spa Ahemon.

We stayed in a Superior room with sea views. The rooms are decorated to a high standard and this category and above offer free tea and coffee making facilities. We looked at some of the other room types, including the Duplex Suites which have now been changed to adult-only with a minimum age of 16 years. These are split over two levels. On the ground floor, there is one bedroom and a large bathroom, and another bedroom with a smaller bathroom can be found on the second floor. The rooms are accessed by an internal door and both have their own front door. Plus, you have a roof-top solarium with a chill-out bed overlooking an independent swimming pool.

We were shown around the hotel’s own Eco Finca, an organic garden which currently produces 20% of the hotel’s fruit and vegetables. In the future, they are hoping to increase this number. If you are interested, you can visit the gardens - just ask at reception.

For the golf enthusiast, the hotel has its own 18-hole golf course overlooking the sea and set in beautiful grounds. You can pre-book the green fees or book them locally, whilst you can also hire golf clubs and buggies from the hotel.

While staying in La Gomera, we visited Mirador de Abrante. Set high in the mountains with amazing views and a glass floor viewpoint, it’s not really something for anyone who is afraid of heights. But, you never know, it could cure your fear. We stayed for lunch and tried some of the local tapas dishes while enjoying the magnificent views.

If you want a lovely relaxing holiday, I can highly recommend the Hotel Jardín Tecina for its peaceful setting and tranquillity. Since my return, all the refurbishments have been completed, which means I will just have to go back to see them.