If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR278.50), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
As soon as you set foot in EcoHotel El Agua, you enter a world of greenery cascading over high-walls, fountains tinkling into emerald pools and an ethereal sense of tranquillity. This ultra-boutique wellness retreat delves deeper than most into holistic treatments and alternative therapies, from fasting to phytotherapy (herbal medicine to you and me). Set between the mighty Mount Teide and the wild Atlantic, the surrounding landscape also provides rugged inspiration for spaces hewn from volcanic stone and dressed in jute, muslin, and terracotta. For sun-seekers looking for a wellbeing-boost, this health-oriented hideaway takes it to a higher plane.
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £256.42 (€298), including tax at 7 per cent.
More details
Rates include breakfast. There’s a two-night minimum stay for most of the year.
Also
Unfortunately, the hotel isn't suitable for those with reduced mobility.
At the hotel
Spa treatments, private pool and Jacuzzi in the villa, guided yoga classes, personal training, concierge, bikes to borrow. In rooms: fully-equipped kitchen, coffee machine with capsules, tea-making kit with various teas, free bottled water, heated saltwater pool with Jacuzzi, bathrobes, organic Max and Me toiletries.
Our favourite rooms
Converted from a 200-year-old stone house, the Villa Oliva provides a self-contained inner sanctum complete with extensive gardens and sunny terrace. You can soak in its heated saltwater pool with aqua massage while gazing over mountain and ravine views, before drying off on the plump cushioned lounger that seems to hover over the water.
Spa
The whole of El Agua serves as a wellness centre of sorts, as most of the broad range of treatments and practices can be arranged around the retreat’s various intimate nooks and sunny terraces. These include some more niche therapies that draw from Chinese medicine, watsu (an in-water Shiatsu massage), pranayama breathing exercises and Wim Hof's ice bathing. Detoxifying programmes, art therapy, asanas, nutritional advice and personal training is also on offer here. The hotel produces their own essential oils for aromatherapy and massage from home-grown lavender and rosemary. If you want to prebook treatments, let the hotel know before you arrive so they can have everything ready.
Packing tips
Loose-fitting linens are a must, but throw in some hiking boots too for stomping around those volcanic trails.
Also
To add to the magic, you can ask for the hotel to arrange a private three-piece classical or jazz concert in the cave. You can also choose from one of several holistic health programmes with epigenetic tests and medical check-ups on arrival.
Children
Sorry kids, they won’t let anything interrupt the tranquillity here.
Sustainability efforts
As the name suggests, the hotel has impeccable eco-credentials. From renewable energy and a zero-plastics policy to fastidious recycling and local produce sourcing, hotels don’t come much greener. Each booking also includes a donation to a clean-sea initiative.
The one table under the low-ceilinged cave provides intimacy and views over the tropical walled garden.
Dress Code
No need to change out of your harem pants, though the romantic grotto setting might call for something a little more chi-chi.
Hotel restaurant
In keeping with the hotel’s unwavering emphasis on health-forward practices, food alchemy rules the roost here. Bespoke meals are tailored to you based on your preference order, with a choice of pescatarian, vegan or – for the truly dedicated wellness warriors – raw food. In-house nutrientists are even available for consultations. Everything is organic, of course, and sourced almost entirely from local producers and fishermen. All dishes here are created with an eye to being nutritionally balanced and chock-full of such good-for-you goodies as seeds, seasonal produce and in-house-ferments.
Last orders
No fixed times. Flexibility is the order of the day here.
Room service
Anything you can order from the kitchen can be delivered to your villa.
EcoHotel El Agua is set on the edge of the village of Arico el Nuevo, located between Mount Teide and Tenerife’s southeastern coast.
Planes
The closest place to touch down is Tenerife South Airport, also known as Reina Sofía, the island’s main international airport. It takes around 25 minutes by road and you can arrange a swanky transfer through the hotel for €118 each way.
Automobiles
If island exploring is on the agenda, best hire your wheels at the airport. You’ll find free parking a short stroll away in the village.
Other
A ferry service links Tenerife with the rest of the Canaries if you’re thinking of a spot of island hopping.
Worth getting out of bed for
Stays at EcoHotel El Agua are geared around quiet contemplation and peaceful reflection, served up with a good dollop of pampering potential. A menu of wellness-based offerings includes everything from traditional Thai massage to Watsu (water therapy with Shiatsu) plus art therapies, fasting programmes and a spectrum of yoga classes. Holistic health journeys can also be arranged in advance. The hotel’s Cave of Silence makes for a superbly serene setting for most of these activities, or for even more seclusion most can be enjoyed on your private terrace with views over the surrounding scenery. And, if you’re keen to explore the hotel’s dramatic island landscape, cycling enthusiasts can leave their wheels at home with a wide choice of bikes available to rent including road, mountain and even e-bikes for help with the hills. Being nestled at the foot of Mount Teide also means easy access to dramatic hiking paths as well as some popular rock climbing spots, if that’s your thing. And of course if you fancy a dip in the Atlantic, you’re just a 15-minute drive from Tenerife’s rugged southeast coast.
Local restaurants
There’s not a huge amount when it comes to local dining, but if you’re hankering for some gooey cheese after all that healthy eating, A Vista is within walking distance. They serve up some of the best hand-thrown pizza in the area, plus there are some vegan options. For some traditional Canarian seafood, jump in a car to nearby Tajao, where you’ll find an excellent selection of eateries serving the catch of the day. Sal y Agua is a deserved favourite with jaunty old-school decor, big portions and seafood that if any fresher would have a pulse.
Local bars
It’s a safe bet you’re not here for the nightlife, and you won’t find much nearby either. If you are in the mood for a retox, however, a half-hour drive takes you to Costa Adeje – the island’s nightspot hub.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this boutique wellness retreat in the Canary Islands and unpacked their lava bracelets and lace napkins, a full account of their rejuvenating break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside EcoHotel El Agua in Tenerife…
Wooden doors slide silently open to reveal EcoHotel El Agua’s tropical secret gardens hidden behind high walls and arranged with an understated, Zen-like precision. There’s something genuinely otherworldly about this green-minded stay, blending a monastery-like stillness with elegantly crafted spaces that draw from the island’s rugged natural beauty. Repurposed from a 200-year-old stone house and antique winery, this super-bijou health retreat stands today as a temple to reflection and rejuvenation. Owner, Anthony Picq, also brought French olive trees and fragrant lavender to the stone terraces and a softening Mediterranean touch to this otherwise rocky retreat. A seriously expansive approach to wellness means you can deep dive into a dedicated detox regime, or simply immerse yourself in the wondrous serenity and simplicity of it all. But ascetic it certainly isn’t, with a healthy dose of deluxe in the form of eye-pleasing villa lodgings complete with your own pool and expansive vistas over the scenic volcanic surroundings.
