Royal Tenerife Country Club by Diamond Resorts

The Royal Tenerife Country Club attracts golfers with its setting surrounded by a golf course. Apartments are housed in low-lying whitewashed buildings with clay roof and charmingly tiled steps atop red-paved roads. Views of palm trees, fairways, mountains, and the distant sea are lovely. Inside, like most of the apartments, the lobby has a mix of contemporary and dated furnishings, like textured pleather peach sofas, sleek brown tile and wood furniture, and a nifty touchscreen mounted on the wall that allows guests to look up weather forecasts, flight times, and recommendations of activities in the area. The hotel is centered around a narrow pool that encircles a pool bar -- accessible by bridges and offering a shaded seating area under a pergola. This is a good pick for golf-minded travelers, but those seeking a beach vacation should look elsewhere.

The Royal Tenerife Country Club is ideally located for visitors looking to spend a vacation on the fairway. The hotel is in the middle of the 18-hole San Andres Golf del Sur course, which abuts the Marina San Miguel course. That said, guests who aren’t into golf are unlikely to find much joy nearby, and will need to hire a car or make use of cabs. The resort town of Oasis del Sur, which has a small shopping strip, is a 20-minute walk away, or three minutes by car. For a more lively scene, travelers can drive seven minutes into Los Abrigos. The nearest beach is Playa San Blas, a small stretch of sand a four-minute drive or 33-minute walkaway. Tenerife South Airport is a 12-minute drive away.

The hotel has 77 one- and two-bedroom apartments with either a queen-sized bed or two singles. Decor is a mix of contemporary and outdated -- think terra-cotta tiling, simple wood furniture, old-fashioned linens and couch upholstery, and modern artwork -- though some are more fresh looking than others. The apartments are sizable, featuring separate, well-equipped kitchens with ovens, four-burner stoves, full-size fridges, dishwashers, coffee machines, toasters, and microwaves, as well as all the usual crockery and cookware. 

Also on the plus side, all have large, furnished balconies or terraces with loungers and outdoor dining tables, and some of them have views over the golf course toward the Atlantic. Bathrooms are more modern, with wet room-style showers and adjacent bathtubs, bidets, hairdryers, and toiletries. Standard amenities include flat-screen TVs and air-conditioning, but the safes and Wi-Fi require fees.

The Royal Tenerife Country Club offers a range of features for a comfortable stay, but not all of them particularly upmarket. The crowning features are a large swimming pool and an adjacent narrow pool that encircles a pool bar. The terrace is lined with loungers and thatched umbrellas. Drinks and light meals are served at the pool bar throughout the day, but the food gets mixed reviews. An a la carte Mediterranean restaurant is also available, or a small market on-site allows guests to pick up groceries (and other essentials) to cook in their rooms. A wellness area has a hot tub, sauna, steam room, and small but decently equipped gym, but guests have to pay to access these facilities. Tennis courts and a play area for kids are also available. Wi-Fi comes at a cost.