Hotel Botanico, a member of The Leading Hotels of The World, is one of the most prestigious hotels on the Canary Islands. Opulent with Thai accents, there is a timeless grace and tranquil ambience throughout the hotel.

The hotel is located at the foot of La Orotava Valley in the residential area of La Paz in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife with fabulous views overlooking the valley all the way to Mount Teide, opposite to the famous Botanical Gardens.

Our Arrival at Hotel Botanico

We drove up to the main entrance and were greeted by two hotel staff members who quickly assisted us with our luggage.  The lobby area is very grand with a fabulous flower centerpiece that captures the attention of any guest that enters.  During our wait at the reception desk, we were offered a tropical drink.

The Oriental flavor reflects the strong links of the owner with Thailand, and the hotel has many oriental treasures fitting effectively into the decor.

Accommodations

With over 252 deluxe rooms and suites distributed on 5 floors, you have quite a selection to choose from with spectacular views of either the Atlantic Ocean, Puerto de La Cruz and even Mount Teide.

The hotel has two One Bedroom Penthouse Suites both located on the corners on the main wing of the hotel’s fifth floor with private access. Each penthouse includes a whirlpool on the terrace.  One of the suites is called the Michael Jackson Suite (yes, that’s right). He stayed there. The other Penthouse Suite which we stayed in was called the Reina Sirikit de Tailandia Suite.  The Adeje Suite features two spacious bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Occupying its own wing on the penthouse floor with exclusive access is the Presidential Suite called The Bill Clinton Suite (named after our former president) who also stayed here.  The suite has up to three bedrooms and three bathrooms, an indoor whirlpool, a private kitchen, reception area and a dining room.

To get to our suite, we had to access a private door with our key.  It lead us to a long hallway with beautiful views overlooking Puerto de La Cruz.  Our Penthouse Suite was located at the very end of the corridor.

When we walked in, we noticed to our immediate right that there was a living room sitting area with a TV, and a dining room table. The dining room table had a nice assortment of fresh fruit and a bottle of the hotel’s complimentary wine.  The rooms are decorated with Thai silk and feature unique pieces of art and antiques.

Our Penthouse Suite at Hotel Botanico 

Our bedroom was a large room with two separate twin beds to accommodate my friend, Jill, and myself. It had a desk,  a pants press, and a TV.  Next to our room we had a walk-in closet.

Our Penthouse Suite had a glorious terrace with spectacular views of the Orotava Valley and Mount Teide, which was also accessible from our bedroom.  Additionally, the outdoor terrace included a dining area and two lounge chairs to soak up the sun.

Our bathroom was very spacious with a tub in one corner under a sky light, which you could close if you so desired by remote control.  It had a double sink vanity which was perfect for two people as well as a toilet and bidet with a glass pocket door for privacy and a glass steam shower.  In the bathroom, we found two bathrobes and slippers for our use.

We thought that the outdoor terrace would be perfect for hosting a small dinner party.  So, we held a farewell dinner where we invited a few of my family members to dine with us in our suite. The hotel helped arrange everything and catered a fantastic dinner.  They even provided us with a server throughout the evening.

Dining Options at Hotel Botanico

The hotel has four restaurants including La Parrilla, serving traditional Spanish and Canarian dishes, II Pappagallo (Italian cuisine), The Oriental, specializing in Asian cuisine and Palmera Real, where you can have breakfast outside near the pool area or lunch which is served up to 5pm.

The Oriental Restaurant

The Oriental restaurant offers Asian style fine-dining, including a wide range of authentic Oriental dishes. The menu varies on a regular basis and offers Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

La Parilla

La Parilla offers traditional Spanish dishes in an informal atmosphere.  The Andalucian design of this restaurant really makes you feel like you’re in Spain. It is a great place to go for a romantic meal or a great dinner with friends.

 Il Pappagallo

Il Pappagallo serves classic Italian/ Mediterranean cuisine; you can choose the indoor restaurant or the open-air terrace area with stunning views of Puerto de la Cruz and the Atlantic.

La Palmera Real

La Palmera Real is located outside near the main swimming-pool. You can enjoy some shade under the palm trees and sit back and have the buffet breakfast outside or order a light bite for lunch.  They serve tapas, salads, fresh grilled meat and fish.

 Bar Hall

The Bar Hall is a great place to grab a coffee, tea, and refreshments throughout the day.  In the evening they provide live entertainment, and serve exotic cocktails.

 Breakfast at Hotel Botanico

The breakfast buffet is quite possibly the best in Tenerife and includes a good selection aimed at those who have special dietary requirements and the weight-conscious.  They even have a chef ready to make made-to-order omelettes.

Activities

The hotel has two outdoor tennis courts, a golf putting green, and a state of the art fitness center with a separate room which provides Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi classes.   If that’s not enough, you can play pool or relax with a good book from the many choices available in the library.

Shopping

You don’t even have to leave the premises to go shopping.  They have a an ESCADA store in the lobby area.  I found the cutest ESCADA flat shoes to bring home.

 Hotel Botanico Gardens

One of our favorite things about the hotel was the subtropical gardens.  We enjoyed strolling through the gardens over the wooden bridges and admiring the black swans and multitude of Japanese Koi fish in the water.  The gardens have a variety of different types of plants and trees, giving you a sense of peace and tranquility as you walk along.

Part of the garden is the herb section for the Chef, where they grow all types of herbs that are used in the hotel’s meal preparation.

Pool

The hotel has two pools surrounded by large tropical garden areas, the main pool has lounge chairs and even sun beds to relax on.  The other pool is located in the Oriental Garden Spa area where no one under the age of 16 is allowed, however, children are allowed in the main pool area. Both of the pools are heated.

Spa

The Spa is incredible and has its own ground floor area and separate gardens, along with relaxation pools and a cave Jacuzzi. If the weather’s bad, then hop inside to the indoor pool which is heated to around 39 degrees. There are 5 separate steam rooms, along with aromatherapy rooms, a sauna, and turkish baths. The spa puts on free activities ranging from Tai Chi, Yoga to Latin style dance workouts on a daily basis, which were great to try as well as the usual type of spa massages and therapies.  We did try several of the treatments and really enjoyed laying by the pool afterwords.  The spa was an absolute gem, styled on an oriental theme.

Once in a while you find somewhere that is extra special and the Hotel Botanico & The Oriental Spa Garden was certainly that. For us, the hotel was a gem and we can’t wait to go back.

Hotel Botanico & The Oriental Spa Garden
Avenida Richard J Yeoward 1, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain 

We stayed as guests of the Hotel Botanico at a reduced rate, all opinions here are my own.