Best Luxury Hotels in Costa Adeje

With its unique architectural style and its almost 237,000 square feet of manicured gardens, El Mirador is unlike any other hotel in Costa Adeje. The property is quiet and luxurious, with top-notch services such as free drinks by the pool, valets, and butlers, and even linen menus, a rarity in the Canary Islands. Several pale pink Moorish Revival-style buildings house 120 rooms -- with large canopy beds, modern amenities, and natural stone baths -- which makes the property intimate by Tenerife standards. Around the serene,10,800-square-foot pool is a separate building in neo-Roman style, with a wealth of arches and columns, and an airy restaurant with billowy curtains and a round veranda overlooking the pool and the ocean. 

One of Costa Adeje’s largest resorts, the luxurious Bahía del Duque has 351 rooms and villas on sprawling lush grounds. There are many enticing features here, but one of the most impressive is the immense spa, housed in a separate building with an outdoor hammam, cabanas, and 20 treatment rooms. But the hammam is just the beginning when it comes to the resort's water features, which includes four free-form pools that undulate around gazebos, footbridges, loads of tropical plants, loungers, and multiple bars. Rooms are decorated in a soft palette of ocean neutrals -- taupe, seagrass green -- with touches of beach-y wicker (all rooms include a furnished balcony or terrace). Villas are a notch above standard Double Rooms and feature more upscale furnishings, large terraces, and private pools. The resort also has eight restaurants, including Spanish, Italian, Thai, and French cuisines.

Despite the large size of the Art Deco Jardines de Nivaria, the grounds are mostly serene and lush, with a variety of tropical plants, small artificial waterfalls, bridges and winding paths. Charming wrought-iron and stone gazebos dot the gardens, adding to the romantic, intimate feel. The hotel’s 271 rooms are housed in five separate buildings, which means longer walks from the farthest buildings to some of the restaurants, the pools, and the lobby. For a slightly cheaper, even quieter vacation, couples may want to compare features and rates at sister property Colon Guanahani, located across the street.

Smaller in size than many of its neighboring hotels, La Plantación del Sur is a serene, luxurious hotel located a few blocks from one of the nicest beaches in Costa Adeje. Elegant Canarian colonial decor, solid amenities -- such as flat-screen TVs, pillow menus, and minibars -- and upscale bathrooms make rooms appealing and romantic. And all units have furnished balconies or terraces, some with outdoor hot tubs. With four beautiful pools, two solid restaurants, a great spa set in a volcanic cave, kid-friendly amenities, and a well-equipped fitness center with group classes, this hotel is a great pick for leisure travelers. Neighboring Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque offers many more on-site features, but it is also more expensive and busier. 

Meliá Jardines del Teide is an upscale all-inclusive property a 15-minute walk from Playa del Duque, one of the best beaches in Costa Adeje. Its 300 rooms are large (all have enough space for a sofa bed) and feature solid amenities, including flat-screen TVs, minibars, a wide array of toiletries, and furnished balconies. They're not as stylish or modern as some may expect for the price, but many have great ocean views. With two pools, a buffet restaurant, daily entertainment, and plenty of kid-friendly amenities, the property offers similar features to most other four-pearl hotels in town -- but there is no full spa here, and Wi-Fi comes at an extra charge. This is probably the area's best all-inclusive; those looking for a slightly cheaper all-inclusive option may want to consider the Dream Hotel Villa Tagoro.

On a sandy beach near the heart of the action sits this glossy high-rise, a 365-room luxury hotel with a quiet, adults-only atmosphere. Decor is contemporary throughout, with espresso-colored furniture, chrome details, white walls and marble floors in the common spaces, and light wood-laminate floors, white bed linens, dove-gray bed runners, and dark brown tables and chairs in the guestrooms. The result is tasteful, if a little generic. Wi-Fi is only available in common areas -- unexpected for an upscale resort at this level.