As an exhausted mum of two little ones I was hoping our first holiday as a foursome would be a combination of baby-friendly and luxurious. And the recently opened Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife, located to the west of Costa Adeje in the peaceful resort of Playa Paraiso, didn’t disappoint.
As you’d expect at a high-end establishment, attentive staff were on hand to deliver exceptional service —just without any of the stuffiness. We received such a warm welcome on arrival my son hugged the concierge’s leg when he said goodbye.
With a rock soundtrack playing in the reception, and all the hotel’s public areas, we instantly felt upbeat. My toddler started dancing straight away.
The musical theme runs throughout the Hard Rock Tenerife, so expect all the trademark rock star memorabilia of the brand’s cafes to adorn the walls and corridors. My top spot was Elvis Presley’s tracksuit ironically placed near the entrance to the gym.
There’s live entertainment nightly in the lobby, and we were serenaded by musicians while tucking into the lavish breakfast buffet in the Sessions restaurant. The boys enjoyed a healthy selection of porridge, omelette, toast and fruit — the grownups found it too difficult to resist the less virtuous assortment of fresh pastries and cakes.
In a nod to when the hotel’s towers were first built, this newly renovated sprawling resort has a distinctly 80s feel, but with a modern twist. Its 624 edgy rooms are spread across twin purple buildings, Oasis and Nirvana, which dazzle impressively at night.
Our vast suite, complete with a separate living space, terrace and shimmering ocean view epitomised rock star chic. Think plenty of glitz — shiny black and silver décor, faux leather, mirrored ceilings, an enormous king-sized bed, a 49-inch flatscreen HDTV and bedding embossed with guitar motifs. Even the rain shower had sparkly walls.
The musical experience continued in the rooms too with Fender guitars available, and personalised music streaming with surround sound and iPod and laptop docks.
While the hotel’s exclusive Rock Royalty suites, with butler and private areas requires a celebrity purse, we could still take full advantage of the Lullaby baby club, run by qualified nursery staff with two hours of free childcare per day for under-threes, along with activities for older kids including hip-hop workshops and DJ classes.
On a rare childfree evening we ventured to the hotel’s rooftop Sky Bar, sipping frozen cocktails and drinking in views of Teide, Tenerife’s highest mountain, and the neighbouring island of La Gomera, as the sun set.
I also indulged in a blissful signature treatment at the Rock Spa, where the synchronicity massage matches the therapist’s movements to the beat of songs, as well as the chance to luxuriate on the Bali beds by the palm-fringed adults-only pool.
It was the perfect antidote to our usual spot, the Pop Art-inspired heated baby pool with its kitsch plastic palm tree and pink flamingo. Child-friendly and parent pampering? It was five-star family fun.
