"Royal Garden Villas has been one of those places I've been desperate to visit for years and years, always curious as to whether the hotel could possibly live up to its incredible reputation. There's no doubt about it. It absolutely does.
I was lucky enough to bring my husband and my parents, and we booked a four-night stay in a Gran Majestic Villa.
I'll start with the most important element: **the staff.**
My family come from a very working-class background, and we often suffer from a little imposter syndrome when staying in wonderful places. RGV has been entirely unique in my experience. The staff manage to strike that rare and perfect balance between being courteous and professional, yet so genuinely warm and friendly that you feel entirely at home. Almost like you're among friends.
The luggage handlers, reception team, room service, cleaners, restaurant staff, gardeners and everyone in between were an absolute delight. Everyone had a lovely sense of humour and was so kind, thoughtful and helpful. This, more than anything, made the holiday for us, particularly for my dad, who is 83.
They even went above and beyond by surprising us with a wonderful birthday dessert at breakfast to celebrate our joint birthdays. Not only had our birthdays been the day before we arrived, but nobody in our family had requested this. The staff had simply taken it upon themselves to make the occasion special. What an incredibly thoughtful thing to do, and what a lovely example of the kind of hospitality that makes this hotel so exceptional.
**Next up: the food.**
We had room service on our first evening, having arrived rather late. I was a little worried about getting to the hotel so close to the kitchen's closing time, so I sent a message to reception beforehand. Without any fuss, they arranged to have our food pre-ordered and delivered to the villa, where it arrived around five minutes after we did. The table was beautifully laid, the food was incredible, and we were able to sit down to a wonderful dinner without having to worry about a thing. What a way to start a holiday!
Breakfast every morning was sublime. An abundance of fresh fruit, little sweet treats, cooked dishes and more than enough choice to satisfy even the most varied tastes. We also enjoyed milkshakes, cocktails and a poolside brunch during our stay, all of which were delicious and of exceptional quality.
Something else I'd particularly like to mention is the pricing. Given that the hotel is relatively secluded, they could easily take advantage of their captive audience and charge extortionate prices for food, drinks and extras. But they don't. Everything is extremely reasonable for the quality of food, drink and service you receive.
Even the minibar is sensibly priced! Rather than feeling compelled to visit a supermarket to save a few euros, you're perfectly happy to enjoy the convenience of buying from the hotel. I give RGV enormous credit for this. It feels as though they genuinely want their guests to relax and enjoy themselves rather than squeeze every possible penny out of them. It's a refreshing approach, and one that would absolutely encourage us to return.
**Onto the villa.**
We stayed in Villa Jazmin. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.
I honestly couldn't fault a single thing. It was flawlessly clean, beautifully decorated, wonderfully spacious and felt every bit as luxurious as we'd hoped.
My mum is a notoriously light sleeper, and before arriving, I'd worried that she might hear us moving around or using the bathroom during the night. I needn't have worried. The bedrooms were so far apart, and the villa so solidly constructed, that you couldn't hear a peep from anyone else.
I've known my mum to struggle with sleeping away from home for as long as I can remember. Yet she told me she'd had four nights of flawless sleep. That alone says an awful lot! The beds were wonderfully comfortable, and the entire villa had such a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere.
The private pool was another highlight. Beautiful, wonderfully warm and an absolute luxury to have all to ourselves. Being able to return from dinner each evening and enjoy a late-night swim was just magical.
**The location** is fairly secluded, so you'll need to book taxis if you intend to venture far, unless you're a particularly keen walker. For us, however, that was part of its charm.
You have complete peace and tranquillity while relaxing in your villa, yet you're only around ten minutes by taxi from the busier areas, where restaurants and bars can be found in abundance. It really does offer the best of both worlds. We wanted total relaxation, and that's exactly what we got.
My mum and husband also managed to squeeze in a massage during our stay (not together!), and both said their treatments were magnificent.
**And finally, the value.**
There's no denying that Royal Garden Villas is often more expensive than many other hotels in Tenerife. But having now experienced it, I can wholeheartedly say that it is worth every penny.
The quality of the accommodation, the beautiful surroundings, the food, the privacy and, above all, the extraordinary staff make it feel like something really rather special.
It's like staying in the most fabulous accommodation in Bali, just without the awful flight!
Realistically, this was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our family, although I would dearly love to return one day. And if we're ever fortunate enough to do so, I wouldn't hesitate for a second.
**A huge, heartfelt thank you to every member of staff who made our stay so memorable.**
Life is short, and these five days with my parents are ones I will treasure forever.
My dad spent the entire holiday saying, "I can't bl**dy believe this place!" And every single time, he really meant it.
Until visiting RGV, his dream had always been to stay at Bahia Del Duque. To him, that was the absolute epitome of luxury and class in Tenerife. I even have a video of him arriving at our villa, looking around in complete disbelief and announcing, "Bahia Del Duque, eat your heart out!"
If you knew him, you'd know that he couldn't offer a better endorsement than that.
Royal Garden Villas, you've topped our list, exceeded every expectation and helped make a dream come true for my old dad. And in doing so, you've made one come true for me, too.
Thank you for giving us memories we'll cherish for the rest of our lives."
