Tenerife luxury, relaxation and sun all the year round

Blue-sky thinking on Tenerife.

My wife maintains it was a Michael Flatley-esque jig but I am sure it was just a slight spring in my step.

The celebration was justified, though.

Just six hours after we escaped the gales and rain at Glasgow Airport, I was skipping out of our room at the Roca Nivaria Gran into the glorious Canary Island sunshine.

Tenerife has long been an all-year-round holiday favourite and for us, visiting in November, the Roca Nivaria Gran it was the ideal base for exploring the island on our first sunshine break for years.

The hotel is large, with 289 rooms, but is cleverly laid out so nearly all the rooms enjoy a sea view and nowhere feels crowded.

The focal point is the view and the pools, with the landscaped grounds providing a great flow between all the areas you want to explore.

One of the big appeals of the hotel was the heated pool for the kids, where all of the youngsters mixed happily.

There was also a kids’ club, open 10am to 6pm every day, and we made use of it most afternoons for our four-year-old daughter and 13-month-old son.

We visited the hotel at a quiet time so the staff-to-children ratios were great and there was plenty for them to do.

The staff were fantastic with the kids, especially with my daughter, who was initially a bit wary because of the mix of languages being spoken.

There is a mini disco for the kids at night which is not as hellish as it may sound, especially if maximum parental embarrassment is what makes your offspring happy.

Of course, the big bonus of kids’ club is the time it frees up for adults and we put this to good use testing the hotel’s facilities.

My wife and I enjoyed or rather endured a game of tennis, used the gym and one incredibly agreeable afternoon was spent at the spa.

This is not part of the hotel but is next door and worth a try as it has a wide range of treatments and the main area has great views over the Atlantic Ocean and the neighbouring island of La Gomera.

A trip to the nearby waterparks is a must for any family.

Just 15 minutes down the road, Siam Park is rated as one of the best in the world but we took the advice of the concierge at Roca Nivaria Gran and opted for its main rival, Aqualand.

This was because they said it was geared-up for younger children and we were not disappointed. The hours whizzed by as we tackled the different slides and pools.

It was a great day out, but a word of warning, the food on offer in the park was awful and incredibly expensive so it might be worth considering taking in some of your own

In an age where much of the excitement of travelling has been dented by one-size-fits-all airlines, airports and hotels, it is often the small things on a trip that stand out.

After a minor tumble at kids’ club, my four-year-old daughter’s glasses fell apart and I went to reception to get some tape for a Jack Duckworth-style patch job until we got home.

The smiling man behind the counter took the glasses and reappeared with a set of precision screwdrivers and a box full of abandoned sunglasses.

Five minutes later my daughter’s glasses were as good as new and I was thrilled at how they’d gone above and beyond the call of duty.

It was typical of the whole week with the staff at Roca Nivaria Gran, always happy to go out of their way to help. There isn’t a lot to do immediately around the hotel bar.

However, Roca Nivaria Gran is right on the island’s south west coast, so even on the days the weather wasn’t so great there was a pleasant promenade walk, well worth it to see the waves crashing in from the Atlantic.

There is always the danger of “buffet fatigue” in any of these sort of holidays but the hotel does a good job of varying the fare.

There are French and Spanish restaurants on site but we were left a bit disappointed with both; tired in dcor and eating options were not wildly inspiring.

However, the Spanish one, Restaurant Burgos, does have the option of eating outside by the pool with the roaring ocean in the background.

One good spot for a quiet drink or a read is the lobby bar Tamaragua, a comfortable set up which appeared to be overlooked by most guests.

And alas it was from here that I had to be practically dragged away for our taxi to the airport after a thoroughly relaxing break.

A double-room with sea views at the 5-star Roca Nivaria Gran Hotel costs 281euros (approx £222) for two people on a half board basis. See adrianhoteles.com.

A 55-minute relaxation massage at the Spa Azules de Nivaria costs 70 euros (approx £55) per person. See spaazulesdenivaria.com.

Jet2.com offers friendly low fares, great flight times, and a generous 22kg baggage allowance to Tenerife from Glasgow Airport (from £61 one-way including taxes). See jet2.com or call 0800 408 5599.