Hovima Club Atlantis

From most outside vantage points, Atlantis looks like a low-profile ocean liner, with blue-and-white awnings running the length of its curving, balconied building. The hotel is entered through sliding glass doors on the back side, which faces a hilly side street. The lobby introduces earth tones to the exterior's nautical color scheme: Winding white benches are topped with tan cushions, the marble floor alternates stripes of white and brown, and cacti and ferns (at least one of which was certifiably fake; it still had the price tag around its stem) are settled in rock beds by the stairs. The inside of the hotel feels nearly as light and breezy as its outside looks. Across the wide, airy space, a few vented room doors are visible, their heavy carved-wood contrasting with the white stucco walls, and a wide overhead opening showers the room with natural light. 

The central staircase descends to a large and pleasant lounge furnished with bamboo-framed chairs and cafeteria-style tables. Here, floor-to-ceiling windows look out on the pool area, which contains three circular pools separated by a bridge and a fake rock formation. The adjacent pool bar serves as Atlantis' lone restaurant. Most rooms are accessed by exterior hallways, which have views of Teide and Roque del Conde, Tenerife's famous flat-top mountain. This resort attracts older couples and low-key families, largely from the U.K. and Scandinavia, but also from Russia, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Summer stays are typically a week and a half, and in winter, that average stretches to three weeks or more. Atlantis is a community property (many of its room units are privately owned and occupied by full-time residents or extended-stay guests), so while it's not at all modern, it's very well-kept and completely free of the sort of noisy activities that can overtake many area hotels.

Atlantis is about a four-minute uphill walk from the beach promenade, with bars, restaurants, supermarkets, and pharmacies all within walking distance (the San Eugenio Commercial Center is a three-minute walk behind the hotel). The hotel is just inland from the marina, where water-sports outlets, sailing charters, and ocean excursion companies are in particular abundance. (Windsurfing and whale- and dolphin-spotting catamaran cruises are especially popular here.) Just north of the marina, an eight-minute walk from the hotel, is La Pinta beach. Siam Park and Siam Mall can both be reached in under five minutes by car, and Tenerife South Airport can be reached in under 15.

The first thing you need to know about the rooms at Atlantis is that the majority of them are privately owned, so are not manned by hotel staff. Owners often rent out their units, and their guests get full use of Atlantis' common features. Units booked through and managed by HOVIMA come in two types, Studios and Apartments, both with white marble floors, kitchens, and private balconies or terraces with blue-and-white-striped awnings. 

The kitchens in the Apartments are larger than those in Studios, but all come with self-catering essentials: stovetops, mini-fridges, microwaves, electric kettles, toasters, and espresso makers. The kitchens are separated from the rest of the room by slatted wood doors and wood breakfast bars (ones in the Apartments have two bamboo stools). Cubby-like breakfast nooks with wood tables and padded benches are built into the walls. Studios feature two twin beds, separated from the living area by a half wall, while Apartments have separate bedrooms with two twin beds pushed together (typical in Tenerife) and a small desk wedged in the corner. Apartments have closets behind wood-slatted doors, while Studios have freestanding plastic armoires.

The hotel dates itself with its old-fashioned decor. The faded orange bedding, dark crimson curtains, and cheesy printed sofas and chairs point to the fact that Atlantis is due for an interior-design freshening. But despite their patent lack of polish, furnishings are in good condition. All rooms come with air-conditioning and Samsung flat-screen TVs with satellite channels. Bathrooms are entirely white, save some strips of blue decorative trim by the floors and ceilings. All have shower/tub combos, bidets, and a decent amount of counter space. Balconies and patios come with tables and two caned chairs. Use of the in-room safes incurs a fee and housekeeping comes daily. Note that there is no Wi-Fi in the rooms, even for a fee.

Compared to its many amenities-stuffed neighbors, the hotel's offerings are rather straightforward. Atlantis meets the Playa de las Americas' multiple-pool criterion: there are three good-sized, circular pools lined up in a row. At one end is a dolphin-mosaic kiddy pool, which is separated from the central pool by a little bridge. A partition of fake rocks runs between the two main pools, and there is a hot tub nearby. Around the pools are grassy patches of lawn landscaped with palm trees, trimmed hedges, yucca, and flowering plants. Near the kiddy pool is the pool bar, Atlantis' single food and drink outlet. The open-air space has a wood-domed ceiling and traditional ceramics hanging on the yellow stucco walls. Its menu features pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, rice dishes, burgers, gazpacho, fish, crepes, and desserts. The bar is open for breakfast and lunch and features a full bar of liquor, but it closes in the early evening. Atlantis guests could opt to do half-board at Hovima Panorama, right next door.

Inside the hotel is a spacious living room looking out on the pool. Here are cafeteria tables, newspapers, and shelves of books left by former guests. Bamboo chairs with tropical-flower-print cushions are huddled together, including two in a little gazebo. There are two enclosed meeting areas, each with a wood table and four caned chairs, for semi-private conferences. A small hair salon (run by an outside company) is across the hall. Upstairs, on the lobby level, a utility room next to the main entrance features three laundry machines, a vending machine, and two computers (fee).