The El Tope is housed in a nondescript 1970s block high up above the coast at the top of a steep road. Although the outside is not particularly appealing, the entrance hall is slightly better with an old-fashioned wooden panelled reception to the left and a long spacious seating area to the right. Behind the reception are displayed a plethora of awards, in particular for service, which turned out to be perfectly justified (although none of the awards seem to have been won since the 1990s). If you do choose to stay at El Tope, we hope you like flowers, floral print and paisley patterns as these are everywhere: the carpets, the upholstery and in vases. You'll notice this as you walk around the hotel, which is easy to find your way around thanks to the simple layout, as well as the demoded décor. However, the hotel seems to be playing to a particular type of client and by all accounts they are succeeding. The pool area, which consists of just one pool (there is no kids pool), doesn't have an enormous amount of space and the sun doesn't appear until around 11am which is not ideal if you like to get in a quick sunbathing session before brekkie. We also found it a little noisy with traffic from the road. The views though into the interior of the island are quite pleasant with plants and trees in the foreground and the mighty Teide as the background. Another, rather agreeable, area of the hotel is the garden outside and to the left of the hotel entrance where one can sit and relax with a drink or a book and take in the sea views, although you might have to compete with some noise from the street in order to think. Other amenities in the hotel include a hairdresser, a sauna, limited massage services, a card-playing room, two tennis courts and coin-operated PCs for surfing the internet. While there is no animation team and daily activities, there is live music three times per week in the lobby. Note that there is a 6? deposit for pool and beach towels.
Amy Adejokun
Section editor
