Hotel Stella Paradise

Built in 2004, the Villas Dunas Paradise is a member of the Canarian Hotel Group 'Dunas Hotels & Resorts'. It is made up of 178 rooms distributed throughout 44 buildings with 2 storeys, painted in light shades of yellow, green, mauve, and blue, which blend in perfectly with the thick greenery surrounding the hotel. Nature reigns supreme in this resort, where fragrant flowers and singing birds abound in omnipresent tropical vegetation, in which animal statues can be found here and there (the real ones are in the neighbouring zoo) and a few peacocks can be seen wandering about.
If you are looking to cool down, you will have a choice of 4 swimming pools in addition to Jandia beach: two 1.5 metre-deep swimming pools (heated in winter) and two children's pools. You will find activities and a snack-bar at the main swimming pool, decorated with cactuses, while the other, quieter pool is to be found further up on the hill. Children can enjoy the small, round 20-inch deep pool reserved for them. They are surrounded by a large solarium terrace with deckchairs, parasols, and showers. Towels are available at the reception for a £13 deposit. Thanks to the hotel's cliffside location, you will enjoy magnificent views of the sea and lighthouse of Jandia, especially from the panoramic solarium terrace.

Fitted with tile flooring, the Villas Dunas Paradise are well equipped: satellite television (15 channels), a key-operated safe (about £2 a day), direct international telephone line, individual air conditioning, a fridge, a double bed, and a large balcony with a view of the sea or the garden and equipped with a round green plastic table, 2 armchairs, and a clothes line. Best of all though, they have a kitchen with 2 electric hot plates, cutlery, and dishes. You will need to walk down 3 little steps to get to the lounge, where there is a wooden coffee table, a sofa, and a round wooden table, together with 2 armchairs. The atmosphere is brightened up by pretty, colourful curtains. The bathroom includes a bathtub fitted with a handle and a flexible showerhead, a toilet, and 2 bars of soap, but there are no welcome toiletries: remember to take shower gel and shampoo with you.

The Villas Dunas Paradise only has one buffet restaurant and features show cooking. The huge dining room has a capacity of almost 550 guests, and even 650 if you include the terrace where smokers like to sit. If you would like to try the famous Canarian 'papas arrugadas' (wrinkled potatoes) served with the equally renowned 'mojo sauce', you will need to wait for the Canarian theme day, which alternates once a week with Italian and Asian cuisine. Breakfast is served from 8:00am to 10:30am, lunch from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, and dinner from 6:00pm to 9:30pm. If possible, do try and sit out on the terrace so as to enjoy the beautiful panoramic view of the ocean's turquoise water and the lighthouse of Jandia. In addition, the pool bar serves various hot and cold snacks from 11:00am to 2:30pm. You will also be able to try a great variety of cocktails at the lounge bar from 6:00pm to 11:00pm.

The vast, fine-sand Jandia beach, with its crystal clear water and dominating majestic lighthouse, is accessed by crossing the main road. Alternatively, the resort's small train provides a free shuttle service. You have to walk a little way to reach the water and the slope is quite steep, but what a reward! Showers, deckchairs, and parasols are provided. Keep in mind that the beach is windy, and that there are waves and a bit of a current, but it is monitored, and a flag indicates how safe it is to swim.