The Ritz-Carlton, Abama

Stayed at the Abama many times before. We had a club retreat ocean view room. Room was excellent with a rap around balcony a very comfortable room. We did not experience any issues that a few guests have written about. The staff were polite and friendly and very accommodating to our needs. The club retreat area was excellent and recently constructed, offering nibbles all day and drinks around an infinity pool. We found the restaurants excellent some a bit overpriced, but in general very good. The only thing we miss were the golf carts, that were supplied for the Club area, in the past, although all you have to do is request a pick and someone will come and collect you. Special thanks to Carla and her team that made our stay special again in the Club Retreat We to have travelled the world as many of your guests and have found some of the complaints most surprising. We are already making arrangements to return in the spring.

We spent a week at the Ritz-Carlton Tenerife with family and friends and had an overall enjoyable stay. The hotel is beautiful, with excellent amenities including a well-maintained swimming pool, a nice beach area, and spacious rooms. Most of the staff were friendly and professional, and we had great experiences at most of the restaurants, where we felt welcomed. However, one incident at Verona left us disappointed. One evening, despite the outdoor area being empty, the dining manager claimed that all the tables were booked and attempted to seat us at a less desirable table inside. This seemed to be because we had two young children, as if they assumed kids might disrupt the peace. As a Bonvoy Gold member, I shared this feedback through the app but never received a response. This experience, combined with the lack of acknowledgment, is the reason I am giving 4 stars instead of 5. Aside from that, the overall experience was positive, and we appreciated the hotel’s quality and service.

First time to this hotel and it more than lived up to our expectations. We did three January holidays at Bahia Del Duque in the villas and don’t get me wrong, that was very nice. However, the club retreat room with its own private pool here was even better. The accommodation is very generous, immaculately clean and tastefully decorated. Sergio who served us by our own pool was absolutely amazing. The included drinks and snacks are a really nice touch too. As for restaurants, they are all excellent and offer varied and interesting cuisine. Diego and Junior in Txoco couldn’t do enough for us when we had dinner there. We did try Akira Back which is not included in the half or full board meal plan although you get a supplement towards the bill. Fantastic Japanese food with really professional and friendly service. For a holiday treat the cost was well worth it. I don’t understand the criticism of putting modest supplements on some of the dishes if you are on half or full board. By and large they were modest and reflect the higher value/quality ingredients used (Bahia has the same system). There is still plenty to choose from though, at no extra cost. Going half or full board gave us great value for money overall and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend paying the upgrade. We reckon it saved us about £1000 on meals alone. Finally, I’ve mentioned a few of the staff but honestly they are all fantastic. Annabel who serviced our room was fabulous and Rafael who was a club retreat ambassador was friendly and helpful from the word go. We were sad to leave and won’t hesitate to come back.

I fell compelled to write this view as our experience echoes that of many recent reviews. We had been there two years ago and had issues but we decided to return again and give it another go, as is actually a very beautiful location. However it was a very bad experience and indeed significantly worse that our first. In order of priority here are the major complaints that we had. 1. Food. We ate in Verde Mar, TXOKO, Verona and the Beach Bar and the food experience was not good in every restaurant. Overall I would rate the food at around 4/10, with Verde Mar being the worst, but the rest were not far behind. This is just my opinion, but the menu in Verde Mar requires a serious rethink, nothing works! Even if the food was good it is still extremely over-priced. But when you balance the poorness of the dishes with the price it was a massive rip-off. The mains issues were the quality of the food, the way is was presented and on many occasions it being served cold. From arrival in the Restaurant we were being hassled on each occasion to order, and once ordered the food appeared within minutes. This is despite on each occasion having just received a bottle of the very expensive hotel wine. Staff training is definitely an issue. The worst experience by far is Breakfast which is served in a room that would look very comfortable in a Motorway motel. The restaurant was at times over crowded and chaotic. The food was at best tasteless and at worst processed and on many occasions cold. Given the remoteness of the hotel, you are a virtual prisoner of the hotel restaurants, it is not simply a matter of stepping outside and going to another restaurant unless you want to travel a distance by taxi. 2. Hotel Condition. The hotel needs some serious maintenance. The gardens are lovely and very well maintained. But that's where it ends. Chipped tiles, stained carpets, old stained and broken furniture - even in the lobby! - and paint peeling off all of the pools. You cannot seriously charge those prices, claim to be a five star hotel, when the condition more closely resembles that of a three star. The Funicular service to beach was out of order "temporarily" but the sign looked like it was there for months 3. Cleaning. Rooms not cleaned properly and carpets in public areas not hoovered for days. 4. No separation of family and adult only spaces across pools restaurants and public areas. The last time we were in the hotel there was a dedicated adults only pool, beside the hotel and with full service. That is no longer the case with adults now relegated to a small un-serviced pool at a distance from the hotel, giving off the vibe as a place for 2nd class citizens! I disagree with recent comments about the staff, whom I thought were extremely friendly and trying to do their best. They have been clearly trained to upsell and not trained very well. But that is an issue for the management not the staff. The main issue I have is with reception. We asked for a late checkout early on in our stay but were told that we would need to ask again the day before checkout so they could assess occupancy. The hotel was half full but clearly some very optimistic person on reception was expecting a very late January rush. When we asked again the day before we left we were told under no circumstances would they accommodate it and gave no reasons. We offered to pay but this was also refused. For any one who is familiar with Fawlty Towers it felt very much like the Basil Fawlty school of Reception management. Eventually after spending some time and escalating the issue to a more senior manager we were offered a late checkout. But unfortunately this experience just capped a very unenjoyable and very expensive experience. The hotel looks like it is mid-way through a cost cutting drive which is why I'd guess recent reviews have been so bad. I couldn't consciously justify a return visit, which is unfortunate as it has all of the ingredients to be something magical but someone needs to step in and make it add up.

This hotel is truly lovely and I very much enjoyed my stay overall and many of the staff members, including Valentina at the reception and Claudia at the beach restaurant were amazing! That said, the food at many of the restaurants was just not good and certainly not Michelin star worthy. If you stay here, go to Akira or leave the property to eat.