REVIEW: Ritz-Carlton Abama hotel, Tenerife (with BA Holidays) with Michelin star dining

Booking

I booked the Ritz-Carlton Abama as part of a BA Holidays double tier point deal. I thought it was good value as the hotel had 25% off and was cheaper than most of the other 5 star hotels with this deal. British Airways currently has a sale on holidays with up to an extra £300 off holidays. I flew from Belfast to get extra tier points, which got me a total of 480 tier points for the holiday with the double tier points offer. I did 4 nights at the Ritz Carlton and 1 night at the Gatwick Hilton to make up the 5 nights required. Note this must be within the flights dates so would not work for a night before the first flight. 

I can currently see 4 nights at the Ritz Carlton with BA Club Europe flights from £800pp based on two sharing in March. 

If you want to book the hotel separately, our partners GTC can offer the following benefits along with your usual Marriott points earning and benefits:

• Hotel credit value at $100 USD
• Complimentary or continental breakfast daily, for 2
• Early check in/late check out, based on availability
• Priority complimentary room upgrade, based on availability

Rates start from £271 per night or 54,000 Bonvoy points. 

I paid for the flights and accommodation, but Ritz Carlton Abama gave me a chance to try two of their restaurants and their spa free of charge. 

Location

The Ritz Carlton is designed as a self-contained location with everything you would need on-site if you don’t want to venture out. It is situated about 25 minutes from Tenerife South Airport. If you want to venture out, the town of San Juan has plenty of restaurants to choose from and is around 7 minutes drive away. There are usually taxis waiting at the hotel, but you can also get Uber in parts of Tenerife, although it was a long wait here to get one. I just used taxis instead, which were reasonably priced. The airport was around €30. 

Check-in

I arrived quite late at around 8pm at the resort, and there was a slight wait for someone at the desk to be free. Once I was seen, the person serving me was very friendly and helpful, as I would expect at a Ritz Carlton. Once the check-in formalities were done, they explained the layout of the resort and how to get around. The resort is on a large area, but it does not feel like a huge resort with lots of people as everything is very spread out, and despite the hotel being very busy, the only place you could tell was breakfast. I was given a map and told about the app that you can also use to find information.

The room

I had initially booked a Garden view room but was upgraded to a sea view room. The rooms are being refurbished with the majority now complete. The room felt large with a modern relaxed beachy feel but still luxurious.

There was a large sitting area with table, a padded bench at the foot of the bed, which was handy for unpacking and a table with two chairs, which would have been suitable for working. There was also a console table, which you could have maybe used as a desk as well. Above this was a large TV with the ability to connect your own device which was useful. 

At the entrance to the room was a  large wardrobe area with plenty of hanging space and drawers. There was a separate cupboard with a fridge, kettle, minibar and safe. There was also a Nespresso machine on the console table. Multiple bottles of mineral water were provided every day. I also had a large balcony with plenty of cover if you wanted to sit in the shade.

Plush bathrobes and slippers were also provided. My favourite part of the room was probably the bathroom which was large, bright and well equipped. I liked the natural stone tiles, which seemed to reflect the Tenerife landscape. 

As well as a bath big enough for a decent soak, there was also a walk-in shower. This had a large rainhead shower and full-size pump dispenser toiletries by Diptyque. 

The storage around the twin sinks gave oodles of room for your own bits and bobs, even for the most serious beauty addict.

I liked the turquoise glasses which gave a pop of colour too. The toiletries were from the Philosykos fragrance range from Diptyque, which has Fig leaves, Fig tree sap, Fig tree wood and Black pepper notes. 

Other room types

If you wanted more of a Club experience, the Villas offer club access and more. They are more of a hacienda style than a villa.

The Villas Club access includes exclusive added benefits:

I visited the Club to try tapas lunch and loved the view of the pool and the relaxed atmosphere. Drinks were free flowing, with a good selection of wines.

The main buildings are all a deep pink colour and set over the hillside. 

Food and drink

The resort has a large selection of restaurants to choose from, including two Michelin-star restaurants. You could easily stay a week and not need to leave the resort to eat out. Between this and a previous visit in 2022, I have now tried nearly all the restaurants. They were extremely high quality, but it was nice to see a few restaurants which were a little more casual like the Italian restaurant. I would recommend advance booking before you arrive if you want to dine at a specific time as they were heavily booked when I was there.

Breakfast

This was busy when I stayed if you came in the last 45 minutes, like most hotels. However, I tried to arrive around 8.30-8.45 after the first day and found it blissfully quiet at that time. Staff were very attentive and introduced themselves as well as calling you by name. The restaurant staff also recognized me when I came back the second day. I enjoyed sitting outside, but the inside was also well laid out, with plenty of space between the tables. 

Tea and coffee were brought to your table including speciality coffees like cappuccino. As you can see from the photos, there was a wide selection of choices for breakfast, from the makings of a DIY pan con tomate to cooked-to-order omelettes. Everything felt fresh and good quality. I would have liked a slightly more exotic fruit selection but I enjoyed the freshly squeezed orange juice machine that you could make your own juice with. There was a wide selection of other juices as well that changed every day. 

Verde Mar

This is their newest restaurant, which treats vegetables as the main dish and meat or fish as the side dish. 

I enjoyed trying some of the local wines by the glass with my meal. I sat inside, but there is also a terrace. This felt like one of the more casual restaurants although the food was presented in a more fine dining manner. I started with the beetroot and carrot which was sweet but fresh tasting and was beautifully balanced with the creamy labneh.

Next, I went for the aubergine with a side dish of coquelet, which is a young chicken. I enjoyed the satay sauce and spicing of the aubergines. 

The dessert was actually vegan, but you would not have known it. This was the perfect dessert for me: light, tangy and refreshing.

Verona

This is probably the most casual of the evening restaurants being Italian, although there was a mix of more formal dishes as well as pizza and pasta. I started with a play on veal tonnato and then had a delicious spicy pizza with beautiful creamy buffalo mozzarella and a side salad of tomatoes.

MB

This is the fanciest restaurant on the complex and has two Michelin stars. I ate their in 2022 and had a great experience. There is an a la carte, the Classics menu which runs through all their standout dishes over the years and the FGreat Tasting Menu. I had the classics menu. The food is international and beautifully presented. The bread with all the varying accompaniments, was one of the standouts of the meal.

There was also a seafood dish that was as pretty as a picture and was beautifully fresh as well. This was the Lukewarm Vegetables and Shellfish salad, Cream of farmhouse Lettuce and iodized juice.

 The main course was also a standout with perfectly cooked tender beef. 

Kabuki – Japanese Michelin star

This is situated across the road from the main buildings of the hotel, at the Golf Club. The hotel will drive you over there and pick you up if you don’t want to walk up the hill. It feels distinctly Japanese the minute you walk in.

I started with a delicious cocktail with Asian flavours. There is a choice of the a la carte or the tasting menu. I would definitely recommend the tasting menu.

I went with the tasting menu, which was presented beautifully and felt authentically Japanese with a modern touch.

My favourite course was the Nigiri with the Fried quail egg with caviar and “Wagyu” beef hamburger with onion and tomato. I also loved the main course lamb saddle with umeboshi sauce, and celeriac puree with the cutest mini vegetables. 

El Mirador

This restaurant would also be a must-do in my book because of the setting.

The food is typically Spanish, but the view is exceptionally beautiful and probably the best spot on the resort. I definitely advise trying the Canarian-style new potatoes which are baked in salt and then served with two different slightly piquant mojo sauces. Delicious!

It is open at night but I would recommend coming when it is still light to enjoy the views. There is also a beach club restaurant. 

I did not visit Txoko, but it is situated between the pools with a large outdoor terrace and offers contemporary dining inspired by traditional Basque cuisine. 

If you fancy a drink, the lobby bar is large and has a lovely terrace overlooking the koi pond, perfect for enjoying a glass of cava with the sunset. 

Facilities

The resort is large, but there is a train that goes around at regular intervals. If you miss it, one of the staff will run you where you need to go when they are free. To get down to the beach there is a funicular. 

Pools

There are two pools at the main building. The Cascade pool is not specifically adults only, but it may as well be as it is the “Quiet” pool. I never saw any children here, and it was indeed peaceful.

The lounger was made up with plush towels by the attendants, and they regularly came around with extras such as ice pops, frozen fruit and popcorn. Plenty of umbrellas were available, and the attendants would move one for you to get the right level of shade. There are also a number of other pools around the resort, some exclusively for the villas, and there is a small adults only roof top pool. 

There was service by the pool and plenty of cocktails and food to choose from. The servers were friendly but they could have come round more regularly, I feel. You had to try and catch them rather than them deliberately walking around the loungers asking if you wanted anything except at the start. I would like to see an order-by-app system which would make less work for the staff but make it easier for people to order. The food I had here was good and not too overpriced for a 5* hotel.

The other pool was perfect for families as it is shallow enough for children, but it was a bit busy for me. It is a very attractive-looking pool, though with the boulders. 

Spa

If you get a bad weather day (it was 27c and sunny when I was there in November), then the spa is perfect to relax for the day. I was impressed with the facilities which included a hydrotherapy pool circuit, Turkish-style herbal steam bath, Kneipp circuit which stimulates the feet, experience showers and a sauna.

I tried the signature Earth Wind and Fire treatment, which includes fine lava sand exfoliation and heated volcanic stones in the massage. I certainly had very soft skin afterwards!

Gym

The 24-hour on-site Fitness Center offers an array of state-of-the-art cardiovascular exercise machines, with spinning bikes on the outdoor terrace (at selected times, reservation is required). There are also jogging and hiking trails through botanical gardens. 

Kids

For families, there is an extensive kids club plus the outdoor playground, Ritz Kids garden, and Planetarium room are available for families and babysitters. At certain times of the day, it is also possible to leave children aged 4 to 12 under the supervision of the Ritz Kids attendants. Specially designed children’s menus are also available in the resort’s restaurants.

Golf

Guests have access to Abama Golf, 18-hole championship golf course, designed by Ryder Cup player Dave Thomas, with challenging and varied terrain, which is located just 1,1 km away from the Resort. There are a number of other local golf courses. 

Tennis is also available at the resort.

Conclusion

The resort is beautifully designed amongst tropical gardens and the modernised rooms are luxurious and comfortable. This hotel us perfect for those that just want to relax with everything on your doorstep and attentive service. The food here is exceptional, and for a foodie to stay at a resort with not one but two Michelin-star restaurants, it is a real treat. Despite being in a quiet location, it is not far from the airport, and it is easy to po[p out for a meal in a taxi or by driving with plenty of restaurants within a 10-minute drive.

You can find more information on the hotel here or check rates direct with Marriott here.