The short version: Stay. The Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque is one of a small handful of resorts on Tenerife that genuinely earns its “best on the island” reputation. The grounds feel like a small village, the villa we stayed in was extraordinary, the pools are sculpted into the landscape rather than dropped onto it, the beach is a few steps from your sun lounger, and the food offering runs from a Michelin-starred restaurant to a buffet that quietly makes most other five-star buffets look thin. It’s expensive, the site is a maze, and not every minute of entertainment lands. Two nights here as a family, 7 to 9 August 2025, in one of the villas.
Quick facts
| Location | Avenida de Bruselas, s/n, 38660 Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain |
| Resort tier | Five-star luxury resort, member of The Leading Hotels of the World |
| Best for | Couples and families willing to spend at the top of the market for a luxury Tenerife stay with serious food, beautiful grounds and direct beach access |
| Pools | Five outdoor pools: a villa-only freeform pool, two freshwater pools (one unheated, one heated), and two saltwater pools at the lower end of the resort closer to the beach. Plus a small dedicated kids’ pool |
| Beach | Direct gated access to Playa del Duque, one of the best beaches in Costa Adeje. A short walk from the resort’s lower end |
| Restaurants | 10 restaurants. Nub (Michelin-starred, Latin American and European fusion, above Las Villas Clubhouse), Kensei (Japanese, by the Lake Garden), La Brasserie by Pierre Résimont (French, central courtyard), Upalupa Moments & Tastes (Mediterranean, beachside, opened summer 2025), Beach Club (Mediterranean, within the resort walls), Alisios Market Food (Spanish, paired with Spanish wine), La Trattoria (Italian, overlooks Central Plaza), Sua (Basque, dinner only and seasonal), Gastro Lounge (Las Villas Clubhouse), El Bernegal (main buffet) |
| Spa | Bahía Wellness Retreat. Outdoor pool with jets and water features, sauna, steam room, indoor treatments. Open to non-residents. Extra charge. Adults only (16+) |
| Sports and leisure | 9-hole pitch-and-putt, squash court (free of charge), table tennis, circuit training classes, full-service gym, tennis courts |
| Kids’ club | Yes. Activities include perfume-making and pool inflatables. Daniela runs the on-site observatory which is also a kids’ draw |
| Headline feature | The on-site astronomical observatory with telescopes and a resident astronomer — extremely rare in a beach resort |
| Visit dates | 7 to 9 August 2025 (two nights) |
First impressions
You come in through a security gate, drive down past the porters, and walk into an atrium that does most of the resort’s selling for it. Plants everywhere, wrought-iron features running up the walls, a high domed roof, spiral staircases on either side of a piano bar, and a welcome-drink bar to one side. It’s deliberately theatrical without feeling like a film set. The building references nineteenth-century Canarian architecture and the interior leans hard into that without tipping into pastiche.
The resort splits into three connected sections: the main hotel, a separate wellness retreat with its own spa, and Las Villas, which is essentially a private mini-resort of forty villas within the wider grounds with its own pool and clubhouse. All three share the same beach. The whole site sits in around six hectares of tropical gardens with palm trees, dragon trees, flame trees and laurels. Once you start walking around you realise it’s much bigger than it first looks.
The villa
We’d booked a junior suite and Raquel, the reception manager, asked at check-in whether we’d like to see a villa before deciding. We did, and we upgraded on the spot, and I’m glad we did. The villa is genuinely a different kind of stay.
You walk in through your own front door into a corridor. Off it is a lounge with a long couch curve, a large TV, two extra beds set up for the children, and skylights pulling natural light into a recessed nook with plants. The fresh fruit, the lemon cakes for the kids, and the bottle of champagne on arrival weren’t Cava or Prosecco standing in for it — it was the real thing, Taittinger. Champagne details are the kind of thing five-stars often half-do; this one didn’t.
The tea and coffee setup is a proper espresso machine plus a kettle, branded china, a real range of tea, and a kitchenette tucked into what looks like a cupboard. The mini-bar replenishes daily with soft drinks and water, free of charge, even if you’re on a room-only or bed-and-breakfast rate as we were.
The bathroom is one of the genuinely standout features. Dual vanity, big mirror, high-end toiletries, a bath that’s almost ridiculously large, a separate rainfall shower big enough for a family, and an order-in bath menu — a romantic one with champagne and bubbles, a kid one with lights and toys. Two robes per person in waffle and flannel, slippers, a yoga mat, an umbrella, a key-operated safe, kitty packs for the children with their own toiletries and rubber ducks. The kids even got their own dressing gowns and slippers, which I appreciated. Some resorts forget your kids; this one doesn’t.
The bedroom is comfortable, well-positioned, with a desk that has power sockets underneath, a four-poster-style bed without the posts, and another TV opposite. Step outside through the patio doors and you have a private pool, a daybed, two loungers, more towels than any reasonable family could use, and the sound of your children playing two metres away while you work or read. One of the things I’ll remember from this stay is exactly that: working at the desk, hearing the kids in our pool just outside the door. That’s what you’re paying for.
The pools
There are five pools in total, plus the small dedicated kids’ pool, plus the private pool that comes with a villa. They’re all freeform — sculpted into the landscape with real rocks within them, columns and bridges over them, gazebos and grottos cut into the rocks at the sides. It’s the kind of pool design that costs serious money but looks like it grew there.
The two freshwater pools sit higher in the resort. One is unheated, one is heated. Counter-intuitively, the heated one is sometimes less popular on a hot day because guests are looking to cool down. Both are beautiful, with a Venetian-style bridge over one, a turret in the background, and a grotto under the bridge that descends to 2.5 metres deep. The lifeguards are attentive and friendly — that combination matters.
The two saltwater pools sit lower, closer to the beach. The first has a waterfall and three connected sections you can swim under bridges to reach. My five-year-old declared the swim-through “magical”, and I’m with him on that. These pools are deep throughout — 1.85 metres in places, so taller than me with my head included — which makes them unsuitable for the youngest swimmers but excellent for everyone else. The lower saltwater pool has decking, a swim-through grotto, and adult-only seating on one side alongside general loungers.
The villa-only pool is the quietest of all of them, with a clubhouse behind, decking that extends over the water, palm-shaded loungers, and a couple of daybeds tucked onto a small lawn. If you’re paying villa rates this is part of what you’re paying for: a pool that never gets crowded, with only a handful of guests sharing it at any time.
The beach
At the lowest point of the resort there’s a gate. Tap out with the button, and you’re on Playa del Duque, one of the better beaches on Tenerife — fine sand, safe swimming, lifeguarded, with views across to La Gomera. It’s a public beach and it gets busy in August, but the access from the resort is as easy as any beach resort I’ve been to. Borrow a towel from the hotel, walk down, swim, walk back. Or, when you don’t fancy the climb back up, there’s a phone at the beach end of the resort that calls a buggy to come and collect you. Small touch, real value when the kids are tired and the sun is high.
The food
This is one of the things you’ll enjoy most about staying here. The resort has ten restaurants and they’ve put serious effort into making them all distinct. You couldn’t eat in the same place twice in a week if you tried.
Nub sits above the Las Villas Clubhouse and holds a Michelin star plus two Soles Repsol. The cuisine is a Latin American and European fusion built around Canarian produce, and it’s the headline gastronomic experience on site. Children under twelve aren’t permitted in Nub, so it’s a date-night option for parents rather than a family dinner.
Kensei is the Japanese restaurant, sat by the Lake Garden. La Brasserie by Pierre Résimont is in the main central courtyard — Pierre Résimont holds two Michelin stars at his Belgian restaurant L’Eau Vive, and his name backs the menu here. Upalupa Moments & Tastes is the newest opening; it launched in summer 2025 right next to Playa del Duque, with Haute Mediterranean cuisine, signature cocktails, an extensive wine list and chill-out DJ sets. Beach Club is the more relaxed Mediterranean option within the resort walls. Alisios Market Food serves daily creations paired with Spanish wines. La Trattoria is the Italian, overlooking the Central Plaza — book a later table and you’ll get the evening entertainment from the balcony as a bonus, which is exactly what we did. Sua is the Basque restaurant, dinner only and seasonal. The Gastro Lounge sits below Nub at the Las Villas Clubhouse and offers breakfast plus other dayparts. And El Bernegal is the main buffet.
El Bernegal deserves a paragraph of its own. Most guests will have at least one meal here a day, and it’s not a buffet that feels like one. Welcomed at the door, you walk into a layout that’s been thought through: breads on a stand, a cold meats and salmon section, juices freshly pressed to order on a Zumax machine behind the counter, a wonderful run of fruits including dragon fruit, kiwi and melons, milkshakes, cereals, hot dishes, a leg being carved live, scrambled eggs and two grades of bacon (one is called “well done”, which is a new one on me — I’d call it well-bacon), waffles, pancakes, syrups, churros, Mediterranean vegetables, eggs to order with an eight-minute wait warning posted on the counter, jams, preserves, dried fruit, nuts, pastries, a chocolate fondue station that my kids found within twelve seconds of sitting down, yogurts in cartons, marmalades including fig jam, a serious cheese section including quince paste, and a sidebar of “did I miss this?” extras for guests who don’t want the full lap. There’s even Cava available at breakfast. The terrace seating overlooks the sea and the lower pools and is where most guests choose to sit. No Sugar Puffs for cereal devotees — minor oversight in an otherwise faultless setup.
If you’re staying in the villas, there’s a second breakfast option at the Las Villas Clubhouse, exclusively for villa guests. The continental spread there is more limited than El Bernegal, but the location is more exclusive, with a balcony for villa guests only, à la carte options, and a kiddy corner with kids’ breakfast items. We dined at La Trattoria one evening with the children and had a great time — the food was good and the view of the central plaza, with the entertainment going on below, kept the kids engaged through dinner. If you’re booking, the top tip is to book later in the evening to overlap with the evening show.
The Bahía Wellness Retreat
The spa is a separate building, with its own check-in desk staffed by people like Andra, who welcomed us in and showed us through. The outdoor pool has plenty of water-jet seating, an open-air thalassotherapy circuit, sauna, steam room, very comfortable loungers, and a great view from the sauna onto the pool. It’s open to non-residents, which is unusual for a luxury hotel spa, and an interesting decision because it does mean the space sometimes has external guests in it as well as residents.
One nice operational detail: if you’re a resident of the hotel and you eat at the spa, the food is served not at the spa but up at the Las Villas Clubhouse. If you’re a non-resident day-tripping the spa, you eat on site. It’s a way of keeping the resident experience more layered.
One important note: the spa is adults-only, 16 and over. Children aren’t admitted. That’s a slightly unusual restriction for what’s marketed as a family-friendly resort, so worth knowing if you’d planned a family wellness afternoon.
The observatory
This is the genuinely unusual feature of Bahía del Duque, and one of the reasons you’d pick it over a peer property. The resort has its own astronomical observatory on site. On the night we visited Daniela was running it, with a telescope trained on the moon. The photos I took of the moon through the eyepiece, on my phone, were quietly stunning.
The Canary Islands have some of the best sky-viewing conditions in Europe — clear air, low humidity, dark skies if you head inland — and Tenerife is home to a major professional observatory at Teide. To have a resort sized version on site, included in the experience, is an unusual proposition. Kids love it. Adults love it. It’s worth checking the night-time entertainment programme on arrival to see when it’s open during your stay.
The entertainment, the gardens, and the walkway tour
Two nights, two entertainment evenings, very different outcomes. The first night was a trio of dancers and singers — engaging, charismatic, got the whole crowd on its feet, the kind of resort entertainment that makes you forget you’re at a resort. The second night was a magician. Lots of guests around us looked happy, but I’m being honest: it was some of the weakest hotel entertainment I’ve seen. One bad night out of two is a small sample, but it’s a fair criticism to have the variance.
The gardens cover roughly six hectares (some sources say closer to seven), and the team maintain them properly. Walkways wind past ponds with koi, with the occasional heron paying them an unsubsidised visit. There are smells I couldn’t put a name to — at one point something maple-like hit me out of nowhere. The bell tower in the main building rings on the hour, which is one of those small details I’d miss if it weren’t there.
Raquel arranged for Palmer, the head of engineering, to take me on a private walkway tour up above the atrium — the wrought-iron pathway that runs above the welcome space. From up there you get the architectural drawing made real: the dome, the spiral staircases, the design choices that all read as quirks at ground level and resolve into a unified whole once you can see them in plan. If you’re staying here for a few days and you’re interested, ask reception whether the tour can be arranged. It isn’t on a standard activity list.
Sports and the pitch-and-putt
There’s a squash court (free of charge), table tennis, circuit-training classes (held outdoors, in 30-degree heat, which I left to keener people than me), and a full-service gym. The 9-hole pitch-and-putt is steeper than it looks on camera — a tight course with real gradient. Not a serious golf course but a more demanding short course than most resorts manage.
With kids at Bahía del Duque
The resort is clearly set up for couples and for adults-only travel, but don’t be put off bringing children. My two had a great time. The kids’ club had them making perfume — my five-year-old reported he’d made his for a hedgehog — and pool inflatables in the afternoon. The villa setup gave us our own private pool, which essentially solves the kids-and-quiet-time problem in a single move. The atmosphere is calmer than at a Hard Rock or Riu, so loud children stand out more, but as long as your children behave reasonably they’ll fit fine. Importantly, I noticed that the children at the resort weren’t disturbing adults, which speaks well of how families self-regulate here.
The spa being 16+ is the main family limitation. Children under twelve also can’t dine at Nub, and Restaurante Las Aguas restricts under-tens, so the high-end dining doesn’t easily map to a family meal — but with eight other restaurants on site that’s not really a problem.
Who is Bahía del Duque for?
If you want a luxury beach resort in Tenerife where the architecture, the gardens, and the food all genuinely deliver, this is at the very top of the island’s options. Couples on a special occasion, families with the budget for a villa upgrade, and any traveller who wants Michelin-tier dining without leaving the resort gates. It’s not the right resort if you want all-inclusive — this is fundamentally a half-board or à la carte property — and it isn’t right if you’re looking for a smaller, more intimate boutique stay (the site is too big for that). It also isn’t right if you want a party atmosphere or late-night clubs.
The two clearest reasons to choose this over the other top Tenerife luxury options: the on-site observatory, and the villa setup at Las Villas. Neither is matched by competing properties on the island.
FAQ
The verdict: stay or stay away?
Some negatives, fairly: the site is a maze of uneven walkways with a real number of trip hazards, the walks from the villas to the lower pools and the beach are long, even the staff struggle to give directions because of how intricately the resort is laid out, and not every part of the fabric of the buildings is perfect. The cost is the biggest one — this is one of the most expensive properties on Tenerife and a villa upgrade can move the price into territory most family holidays don’t go. And the entertainment varies night to night. Magician on the wrong night, you’ll wonder what the fuss is about.
On the positive side: the gardens are kept beautifully, the villa is properly memorable, twelve towels a night meant we never had to think about towel logistics once, the staff (Raquel on reception, Manu on the porters, Naria at the Las Villas Clubhouse) made a real difference, the pools are some of the most beautifully designed I’ve swum in, the architecture is properly stunning everywhere you turn, even the staff uniforms are a thing — they’ve made real effort there — and the access to the beach is as good as it gets in Costa Adeje. Probably the best beach access of any resort on the island.
Stay. The Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque is one of the strongest luxury resorts on Tenerife and, in my view, has a fair claim on the “best on the island” title many guests give it. Two nights here were a fantastic time. Take the villa upgrade if you can, take a meal at Nub if you’re without children, take an evening at the observatory, and accept that you’re paying for the kind of resort experience that very few properties on the island actually deliver.
Full transcript
Click to expand the full video transcript
Welcome to the Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque on the amazing island of Tenerife. This is The Resort Report and I’m going to be giving you a full tour, a guide to this amazing resort. I’ll be telling you about the rooms, the villas, the food, the drink, the spa, the pools, the entertainment, and so much more. Now, this hotel goes by many names. The Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque, the Bahía del Duque, the Duque, the Gran Bahía. I’ll be using some of these names interchangeably during this review, but I assure you one name that some people use for it is the best resort in Tenerife. Now, before we kick off with showing you some of the more intricate details, let me show you the kind of welcome that you’re going to get here at the Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque.
So, having come through the security gate, driving down, you’ll be welcomed by the porters behind me, and then you’ll enter this amazing atrium. Every corner of it is intricately detailed and designed. It really is a beautiful, beautiful place alive with plants. It’s almost a jungle in here. You’ve got these wrought-iron features all around and this great roof above us. Reception is just behind me and the team there do a fantastic job of looking after guests. There’s a number of bars in this space, including this one just here. Let me turn the camera around and show you. This is where we received our welcome drink upon arrival. And I’m just going to move to this balcony here so you can see down to a few more of the details — the piano bar just there, spiral staircases on either side, and this huge dome up above.
The resort briefly comprises of three main sections. You’ve got the main resort, which I’m in now. There’s a whole wellness section, a whole spa for guests to explore, and then there’s the villas as well. So, three main sections spanning across this whole site, all with access to a wonderful beach, the Duque Beach.
So during our stay here at the Gran Bahía del Duque, we’ve got one of their villas and I’m really excited about taking you in and showing you all the features because it is fantastic. Let me show you by turning my camera around now. Taking you into the front door into this corridor here. Immediately on your right, you move into the lounge space which has been set out for our children with two extra beds. You get this lovely long couch round. Great TV. And I love how they’ve brought nature into the room with this recess here with the skylights above. Great TV.
Now, you’ll see here that we’ve been given some wonderful fresh fruit, including these, and the kids have already been trying these little lemon bits of cake. Fantastic. We’ve been given a bottle of champagne as well. And when hotels offer champagne on arrival, typically it’s Cava or Prosecco or a cheaper variant of champagne. But this is Taittinger and I’m looking forward to tasting it later. Now round back to my right, we have the tea and coffee making facilities. There is an espresso machine as well as a kettle with a great selection of pods as well as really good quality tea. I also like the china, you know, the quality of this china is wonderful, branded for the villas of this resort.
Now here we have inside this what looks like a cupboard is our kitchenette. Now on the basis that we’re staying here, we don’t get these items included, these snacks. We’re just staying here bed and breakfast. But what we do get included is daily replenishment of the mini-bar. And you can see some soft drinks just there as well as some water. And that is replenished daily free of charge.
Okay. So, moving past this other sofa and this wonderful display here and the front door just there. We’re going to move towards the master bedroom. But before I take you into the master bedroom, I’d like to show you the bathroom. There is only one bathroom here. It has these dual vanity units here. Two sinks, big mirror, some great toiletries here. Really, really good quality. Now, because we’re staying here with children, we got two of these kitty packs, which has sponges, there’s cologne, there’s some lotion and gel there. And they also came with two little rubber duckies which are in this huge bath. Just look at the size of this bath in the villa here at the Gran Bahía del Duque. I mean, it’s just magnificent.
With the kids staying with us. They were given their own robes here and their own slippers, which is a great touch. Some resorts forget about your children. We have the toilet and the bidet here. Interestingly, the toilet roll is orange, which is a fun little touch. If you don’t want to wash yourself in the bath every day, there is a shower. Great size. More toiletries in here. That rainfall shower head. Yeah, everyone’s going to be able to fit under there.
Through here, there’s some more goodies. So, lots of towels. This is actually the bath menu and you can order in special bath experiences like romantic ones where champagne comes, different types of bubbles. There’s a kid one where there’s lights and toys and things like that. Really nice touch. We’ve got a yoga mat, an umbrella, and then there’s two types of robes here. We have the waffle robe and a flannel robe available for us. Two different types of bags. So, I’m hoping I get to keep those. I’d love this Victoria hat. The safe is fantastic. Look at that safe. Using a key, as all good old safes did. Our slippers, a great hairdryer. Serious shoe care there. And again, more towels.
So, let’s move back now into the master bedroom. You’ve got this fantastic desk. There are plugs underneath if you need them for a laptop if you’re working remotely. Coming around now, more water available for us. Clothing storage spaces. You’ve got this seat. Great view of another TV here. It is effectively a four-poster, but without the posts here, but a good-size bed, well positioned in the room. There are plug sockets underneath each of the tables on either side as well. So now I’m going to take you outside where we have a wonderful daybed. You’ve got two loungers here and you have your own pool where my children are enjoying it right now. And you can see my dear wife enjoying the seating there alongside even more towels. So incredibly cool room, villa even here at the Gran Bahía del Duque. Really, really smart.
Now, we upgraded to this room on reception on the recommendation of Raquel who met us and checked us in. We were supposed to get a junior suite, and she said, “Do you want to look at a villa? You can look at both.” And so we did. And so I caught some footage of that junior suite and I tell you what, I’d like to show you that now because it’s another great room. Unfortunately, I didn’t give a commentary, but you can have a look and make a decision for yourself whether you’d like to be in the main resort in a junior suite or in one of the villas here at the Gran Bahía del Duque.
[Junior suite walkthrough with staff member showing balcony, sunrise view, bathroom with shower and bath, and a second smaller bathroom.]
So, now it’s time for me to show you all the pools here at the Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque. And I’m in the first one that we’ve come to, which is the villa-only pool. You can see the clubhouse just behind me. And it’s got that decking which does go over the pool with rocks underneath. And this pool is a freeform pool. And there are rocks within the pool which is a great feature. So, coming into view just behind me, you can see all of these loungers. And there’s plenty of loungers, and they’re super comfortable ones as well, with towels available for guests to use. Let me show you one of these rocks. Now, you can see there. So, that’s just an example of one of the rocks. There’s a little island here. So, yeah, fun little features. And I just wanted to step up here and show you this small lawn area under palm trees that has some daybeds on. So there’s just two daybeds there for guests to use. So yeah, really nice pool. It is for villa guests only, but yeah, very nice indeed.
So I’m now in the first freshwater pool. It’s an unheated pool, but a beautiful one. I mean, you can see this columned area, this kind of log just there. Moving around, you can see this Venetian-style bridge that goes over the pool with that turret in the background. And we’ve got this gazebo or, yeah, call it a gazebo here as well. Now, similar to the other pools, we do have these, you know, rock freeform areas which are really cool. And I just want to show you the one underneath the bridge. It’s incredibly deep under there. We’re probably at about half a metre depth and it descends five times that as you head under this area into an almost grotto-like area, yet goes so deep, 2 and a half metres deep down. Really cool feature. And this isn’t the only one here. There’s some on either side of this building. And then just behind me over there, there’s another one of these kind of deeper areas. All the pools here have these attentive lifeguards who are not only attentive, they’re really friendly as well.
So, I’m now in the second of the two freshwater pools here at the Gran Bahía Hotel del Duque. This one is heated unlike the one that I’ve just been in. And perversely, I think that puts some people off, you know, it’s a hot day and people just want to cool down. But again, a beautiful pool, great features, and amazing surroundings.
I’m now in the first of the saltwater pools. And you can see this waterfall behind me. We got here by swimming under that bridge which leads to another two sections of this pool. And I’m going to take you there now. But I wanted to show you this section. My son who joined me on this journey just said, “Daddy, this is magical.” And I somewhat agree with him. It’s worth noting that this pool is deep in all of the areas. It’s 1.85m, which is taller than me, including my head. So, I can’t touch the floor. So, maybe not suitable for the youngest of swimmers. Just going through to that third section now. It opens up. We are adjacent to one of the restaurants as well.
So, I’m now in what feels like the largest pool. And this is the lowest saltwater pool. The pool has some great features as well. We got this decking area just here. There’s a little cave, a grotto just coming into view behind me as well, which you can swim right through. One interesting thing on the sides, there is some adult-only seating as well as general use loungers as well.
So, at the very, very bottom of the resort, we have this gate. And this takes you to a public beach. It’s a fantastic beach. And you’re going to need your key card to at least get back in, but there is a button to get out. And then here you are at the beach with this very friendly security man looking after you. It is a beautiful if not busy beach. You can see the resort there behind me. And safe for swimming, easy access to the hotel. I definitely recommend coming down here, borrow a towel from the hotel, pop down and enjoy some sand and the sea.
So once you’ve had a great time at the beach and you don’t fancy walking all the way back up to your villa or your room, there is a really handily placed telephone here. You can just dial it, tell them what room or villa you’re in, and then they send a buggy down and take you back up to your room. How great is that?
One of the things you’re going to enjoy the most about staying here at the Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque is the food. They’ve really gone to extra efforts to put on a plethora of food offerings to a really high standard.
We’re going to start with the Michelin star restaurant, Nub. It’s a Michelin star restaurant as I say and it has a Latin American–European mix to the food elements there and it’s located above the Las Villas Clubhouse. Next we have Kensei. And Kensei is their Japanese restaurant and it’s located by the Lake Garden. La Brasserie is a French-style restaurant and it’s located in the main courtyard at the centre of the property and the menu there is designed by Pierre Résimont who is a gentleman that has two Michelin stars and he puts his name to this restaurant.
Next up, we have Upalupa Moments and Tastes, which is down by the beach. It features great music. There’s Mediterranean food, cocktails and a great vibe down there. Also nearby is the Beach Club. That’s within the walls of the property and again is Mediterranean cuisine. Then we have Alisios Market Food, market food that’s got daily creations and they’re paired with Spanish wine. La Trattoria — it’s an Italian. That’s where me, my wife, and the children dined this evening, and we had a great time there. It’s got a great view of the Central Plaza. And top tip, if you book there later in the evening, you’re going to be able to see the entertainment from that balcony. Then we have Sua. It’s not open tonight, but that features Basque Cuisine. Then we have the Gastro Lounge, which is just below Nub at the Las Villas Clubhouse where you can have breakfast. And there is some other dining options available throughout the day as well. And finally, we have El Bernegal, the main buffet.
So most guests here are going to be having breakfast in El Bernegal, the main breakfast buffet. You’re welcomed by these wonderful ladies at the door. And you’re going to come into the main room here. So to start with, we have a selection of breads on this stand. And of course, you can have them toasted. This whole buffet is self-service apart from hot drinks, and everything else you help yourself to. On this stand we have some tuna, some anchovies, some salmon there, and then your dried cold meats. There’s a further selection of some of these items as we go around the buffet. Wonderful selection of juices there. Some alcoholic beverages, water. Look at that, yeah, some Cava for breakfast, lovely.
So, moving on to the salads and fruits now. A few salad items here, including that pâté there. Great selection of fruits, including some dragon fruit there. Melons, kiwis. We have some milkshake. And then these juices here are freshly made to order. I’ve witnessed the team preparing them behind. Really good to see. So cereals then. Great selection of Kelloggs and some Nestlé items. Unfortunately, no Sugar Puffs if you are a Sugar Puff enjoyer. Some more meat options, and you’ve got this wonderful leg being prepared for guests fresh. Some waffles and pancakes, syrups. Here are some espresso machines. But as I say, hot drinks are served to you. That’s probably to stop people bumping into each other with hot things. So, got some waffles, grilled sandwiches there, churros, potatoes, Mediterranean veg, and your eggs. There’s a warning there that it takes up to 8 minutes — 8 and 5 minutes depending on how you want them cooked. On this central point here we have some more jams, preserves, some dried fruit there and some nuts as well as some small pastry items. Another toasting stand here. One of these wonderful Zumax machines to get you more orange juice.
So here you can see this wonderful chocolate fondue. You’ve got some pastries here. More sauces available. Got your single-serve olive oil, some Frankfurt sausages, baked beans, rice puddings. On this side, we have our scrambled eggs. We’ve got two different options for bacon. Something I’ve not seen before is what they call well-done bacon. I would class this as well bacon, but there you go. And again, those pastries and then the chocolate fondue again with two options. I know my kids are going to go nuts for that. And then some tartlet pastries, brownies just there.
So, moving on now to the last section, we have a selection of yogurts in cartons. Got some marmalades, including fig jam there. And then a selection of cheeses, including quince. I’ve not seen that on a hotel buffet before. Very interesting to see. And then more cheeses as we come around. And some more kind of boutique-style yogurts. Then your butters.
So, as I’ve walked around, you’ve seen the internal seating arrangements here for breakfast, but I’m stepping out onto the terrace. And effectively, there’s two areas here. You’ve got this kind of higher-up segment closer to the buffet, and then we go down onto the decking. And I want to just specifically show you where I’m sat. And it looks like I might have missed a bit of the buffet. Yeah, they’ve just added another section here so you don’t have to go as far for a few items, including those made to order onwards.
So, you can see this wonderfully, beautifully positioned place for breakfast with views out. Most people are choosing to come and sit out here, including me. And I’ve got this seat here, sat out overlooking the sea and the pool. You can’t get much better for breakfast than this.
Now, this isn’t the only option for breakfast. If you’re staying in the villas, you can have it served to you in the room. And I’ll tell you a bit more about that in a minute. But you can also have it up in the Villa Clubhouse. So here is that beautiful clubhouse. There’s lots of guests dining out on the balcony. Now, this is exclusively only for guests in the villas. You can’t book it. You can’t get access unless you’re staying in the villas. So, on top of this limited continental-style offering, there is a kiddy corner just over there with kids’ items on, which is fun to see. But where this dining option really shines is the location, the exclusivity, and the à la carte options.
There’s a number of retail elements at this resort, including this high-end luxury jewellers. There’s also fashion, big presents, and a shop more suited for bits and bobs that you might need on your holiday, including swimwear, toys, games, and sun cream.
So, as the sun goes down and the moon comes up, the entertainment begins here at the resort. There’s a band playing right now. There’s music going on in the piano bar. And tonight, there’s even stargazing at the observatory.
Not many properties have observatories. Yet here we are at the Gran Bahía del Duque, and I’m going to head inside and check it out. So, that was the wonderful Daniela showing me the moon there. And I’m just going to show you some of the pictures I was able to take on my phone of the moon via that telescope right now. Isn’t that beautiful? Just another perk of being here at the Gran Bahía del Duque.
So, as well as more active facilities, there is the Bahía Wellness Retreat, which we’ve come to test out today. You’ll come into this wonderful room and be checked in by someone like Andra here and then you’ll head through and get changed. Now, I’m not going to show you getting changed, but I do want to show you all the facilities available.
So, what a great little spa here at the Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque. It’s got everything you really want, an outdoor pool. Lots of movement of water, those jets, those bubbles, different seating areas, very comfortable lounges out here. It’s got the sauna with a great view onto the pool and a steam room too. Everything, as I say, that you might need for a nice little relaxing morning or afternoon. It’s worth noting that the spa is open to non-residents and they actually get food served here. If you’re a resident of the hotel, you’re taken up to the Villa Clubhouse for your food. So, something I would certainly recommend, certainly if you’re here for a few days at the resort.
When it comes to sports here at the resort, there is a squash court, not in use just behind me, but free of charge. You can hear some ping pong going on just below me. There’s circuit training happening just here. These people are mad given how warm it is. And then just here we do have a full-service gym.
There are nearly seven square kilometres of green and garden space here on the resort, from walkways like the one I’m walking on now to this pond just down here. Spotted what looks like maybe a heron going after some of the koi there. But it is a very beautiful set of gardens and they got a huge team to help maintain it. What I can’t share with you over the camera is the smells. Another one just hit me. It smells like maple. And I don’t know where that’s coming from, but it’s delightful. So, yeah, not just the buildings are beautiful here, but the gardens too.
When entering the main doors to this property, I was struck by the beauty of this huge wrought-iron walkway above me. And I just couldn’t help myself but ask whether it was possible for guests to go up there. Raquel kindly arranged for the head of engineering, a kind gentleman called Palmer, to come and show me. And we took a short walk up there. Really fun experience. They told me a bit more about the history of the property which I’ll share with you soon and about the building, and yeah, let me show you that perspective from that walkway now.
So, whilst clearly the resort here is well set up for couples of any age, don’t be afraid to come with your kids. This morning, my children have been in the kids’ club making perfume. My son, my 5-year-old, tells me he’s made it for a hedgehog. So, I’m not quite sure how nice it will be, but they had a great time doing it. And just now they’re on this inflatable here in one of the pools having a great time. So yeah, don’t be afraid to come with kids. They’ll have a great time with you here. And thankfully the kids here so far during our stay haven’t been disturbing adults either, which is good to see. There’s Florence just getting on now. She tells me she hasn’t fallen off once.
Something that does deserve a quick mention here is meetings and events where attendees will go through this big pyramid into this huge cavernous space which goes down three floors. You can see a spiral staircase just there.
There’s so much to this resort that I haven’t been able to share with you and I apologise for that. I am sorry. But one of those areas is the pitch and putt and it is a pretty serious pitch and putt. It’s hard to see from the camera the gradient. I think this is the ninth hole behind me and yeah, it’s a tight course, steeper areas, but I’m sure very enjoyable for so many. I haven’t been able to show you the tennis courts and so many different things, but I guess it just leaves it for you to explore when you come and visit here at the Gran Bahía del Duque.
So, now it’s time for me to give you my stay or stay away rating for this wonderful property, the Gran Hotel Bahía del Duque. Now, before I do that, I want to go through some of the negatives and some of the pros of this property.
So, starting off with those things that are not so good. There are lots of uneven walkways. I’m slightly unsteady on my feet and there’s loads of dips and potential trips here. There’s long walks, you know, there’s a really long walk from the villas to the beach or somewhere else, and even within the resort there’s lots of long walks and the place is a maze. You know, it is a really exciting maze, but a maze nonetheless. And staff, even if they know the way, can’t give directions because it is so intricately designed with lots of different ways to get around the place. Not everything is perfect here in terms of the fabric of the buildings, but that’s part of the charm.
One of the other negatives, of course, is the cost. This isn’t a cheap place to come and stay. You get what you pay for, but it is expensive and will make a dent in your bank account, especially if you want to stay in one of the suites or one of the villas. The final thing I wanted to note is we’ve only been here two nights and the entertainment on the second night was a magician that was really poor. I don’t want to be too harsh on the guy, but it wasn’t good is the short story. Lots of other people looked like they were enjoying it, but it’s some of the worst entertainment I’ve seen.
But onto the positives, the first night entertainment was incredibly engaging. The three gentlemen dancing, singing, they got everyone up and everyone was having an amazing time. So clearly they can do great entertainment here at the Gran Bahía del Duque. The gardens as you walk around are lush and green. And they’re very well-kept and they look great. Our villa was fantastic. You know, I’ve got essentially lifelong memories, I hope, of me working at the desk and hearing my kids laughing and having fun in that pool just outside. Really, really nice. The space we had in that room, the facilities, everything there was wonderful. One of the things that really stood out was the unlimited towels. There were so many towels in that villa. You’ll know when you go to resorts at hotels, you have to think strategically about your towel usage, but here there must have been 12 towels per night that we could use, which was really, really helpful.
We’ve met some really good staff here. Raquel, the reception manager, did a great job looking after us. She was so kind and helpful with telling us all about what we could do here, helping me out with that walkway tour. Really lovely. We met Manu, one of the porters, who is great at showing us around some of the rooms, and Naria, who looks after the Villa Clubhouse, was doing a really good job as well.
Now, the pools here are beautiful. I love how they’re freeform. They’ve got those rocks within them, the depth, the variety. Really, really cool. And the architecture, you can see it behind me. It’s just absolutely stunning. Everywhere you look, it’s really, really beautiful, including that bell tower which rings. I love that. They’ve put great effort into the staff uniforms here. And the final thing I want to mention is the access to that beach. It’s so good and the kids really enjoyed going down there. It’s a wonderful beach. Probably the best beach in Tenerife, and it’s right on the doorstep of this resort.
And so ladies and gentlemen, should you stay or stay away from the Gran Bahía del Duque? Ladies and gentlemen, you should indeed stay here. We’ve had a fantastic time. It’s been wonderful. I hope you’ve enjoyed this resort report of this property. If you have any thoughts, please leave me a comment down below. And of course, I’d very much appreciate it if you can like and subscribe. Until next time, thank you.