There are many reasons to visit Tenerife; year-round sunshine, pristine beaches and a growing fine dining scene, but if you’re thinking: ‘been there, done that’ then we’ve got another reason for your to head to the Canary’s most popular island and experience a culinary treat at Gran Hotel Bahia Del Duque.
We journeyed out past the well known hangouts of Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas on the Southwest coast and on to Costa Adeje, the up-market resort with its chi-chi stores and lovely sunset views, to stay at the iconic luxury Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque Resort.
THE HOTEL
The quirky building style is the first thing to notice; (a complete contrast to the standard tall storey chain hotels) with its turreted quirky buildings (which were designed to look like a collection of traditional 19th-century colonial Canarian villas) tiered on a hillside amongst manicured gardens and blue lagoon pools.
Staff at the resort dress in traditional costume, and on arrival you’ll be picked up by the bell boys (on not so traditional golf carts) and taken to your room. If it isn’t quite ready (or you are a bit eager like we were) you are invited to enjoy a glass of something cold while you wait in one of the hotel’s many bars.
The reception and atrium is split across several levels and filled with greenery, a cocktail bar and huge bird cages, as well as open style lifts to move you up and down the floors while taking in the view.
Our tastefully decorated and spacious ‘Deluxe Room,’ which is next to the lively La Trattoria Italian restaurant, has a great view of the complex including the pools below and the sea stretching out beyond, as well as large balcony (enough for 2 loungers) which is a perfect place to relax over an afternoon coffee.
Insta poses and selfie opportunities are in abundance across the resort with cliff-edge look outs, private spaces, beautiful pool back drops and plenty of stunning views to perfect your pout.
There is direct access to the Playa del Duque beach and the promenade from the hotel giving you a route to long walks if bathing is not your thing and the Bahia Wellness Retreat deserves a visit even if you just take a dip in the outdoor thalassotherapy circuit to refresh the muscles after all of that relaxing.
FOOD
A culinary treat at Gran Hotel Bahia Del Duque. Eating at the resort is a must and you don’t want to miss out on what they have to offer: from Latin American and European Michelin starred Nub, to the 2 Michelin Star La Brasserie by Pierre Résimont. Breakfast is served buffet style at El Bernegal with just about every taste catered for alongside a stunning setting over the Atlantic Ocean.
During our stay we ate at the recently opened (late summer 2021) Kensei, where chef Víctor Planas serves contemporary Japanese cuisine. From the entrance via ‘The Secret Garden’, where a Black Swan roams close by, we’re led to our table on a small private veranda with beautiful beach views below.
Clever styling and design gives different experiences within the restaurant
Exquisite food has been long off the radar thanks to the last few years of lockdowns so when our 6 course tour through the restaurant’s most emblematic dishes starts it is an emotional experience.
The food is not only stunningly presented it tastes perfect. Each dish is a build up of the last and is a visual, experiential and taste treat. Textures, subtleties and sensations make for a really unique experience at Kensei. Each dish is presented like a piece of art and given a full description by attentive servers. Wine pairing (if you choose) is also available.
We kick off with Japanese cocktail apéritifs before being served raw oyster, followed by a glass bowl (that’s almost too pretty to eat) of Tsukemono (pickled) vegetables and then delicate Tapioca salmon eggs royale.
With the appetisers done it’s time for Usuzukuri (carpaccio) which is thinly sliced cured sea bass with garlic chips (offering a surprising crunch) and rich toro topped with ‘pico de Gallo’. It’s a refreshing dish and we could eat another six plates of it but on reflection glad that isn’t an option as there is plenty to come.
The next dish comes flaming (literally) as a log is presented with shells that are filled with scallops and Japanese mushrooms which you then fry at the table. It gives us the opportunity to feel that we are making our own part of the meal, taking it beyond just an eating experience but an event.
The 4 piece of nigiri that arrive are hastily (by us) carved up so that we can each experience every morsel of our now ‘favourite meal of goodness knows when it has been so long since food tasted this good’!
By the time the main course of the Robata grilled yakitori smoked lollipop chicken followed by the 48-hour low cooked wagyu beef shank arrive we’re into several glasses of wine from the pairing menu. We can fault non of them and so elated are we at the overall evening’s experience that we’ve (pre-dessert) declared it the best meal ever eaten.
Dessert arrives as fresh Okinawa donuts served with a chocolate hot pot and gold-leafed ‘Kensei’ emblem layered on top. It seems a shame to dip in but that feeling doesn’t last long.
It is recommended to book in advance: www.kenseijapanesetenerife.com
If it is attentive care and service, great food, stunning surroundings and spacious rooms (plus that year-round sunshine) you are looking for then you will be hard pushed to find a more all-round great experience than the one you will have at Bahia Del Duque. Forget where you might of been before on the island of Tenerife and opt for another experience where you can lounge by a different pool everyday, eat at top restaurants and take yourself out to one of the Islands most sophisticated areas.
To find out more and to book a stay see: https://thetaishotels.com/bahia-del-duque/
