Hotel review: Occidental Santa Cruz Contemporáneo (Tenerife)
Can’t wait to get back to the Canary Islands? Matthew Hirtes has reviewed more hotels in the Canaries than anybody else (in all likelihood). Here’s his take on Tenerife’s Occidental Santa Cruz Contemporáneo.
Occidental Santa Cruz Contemporáneo….your gateway to a stay in a medium-haul (sub-) tropical paradise.
Ambience
Belonging to the Barceló Hotel Group, the concept behind Occidental establishments is that of “easy-living hotels.” It’s a relaxed rather than refined stay they’re offering. Although the Occidental Santa Cruz Contemporáneo is infinitely one of the most stylish three-star hotels I have ever stayed in.
Drink
The Café Bar & Lounge Macusamba functions as a bar from 10:00am to 11:00pm. One of the signature drinks is the Barraquito (1,60€), a Tenerife legend. This is a multi-layered coffee which is made by pouring condensed milk into a short glass, followed by fruity Licor 43, coffee, lemon peel, frothy milk, and cinnamon.
Go local on the wine front with Tajinaste whites and reds from the Valle de la Orotava priced at 4,00€ a glass and 16,00€ a bottle. There’s Tenerife beer on the drinks list in the form of Dorada and Dorada Especial retailing at 3,20€ and 3,90€ for a pint and 2,00€ and 2,40 for a half. Rum comes via Gran Canaria in the guise of Arehucas‘ gold and white (6,00€ a measure) which works well in one of the classic cocktails, the 6,50€-priced mojito.
Food
They serve breakfast at the Macusamba from 10:00am until midday. There is a small range to choose from, with a coffee, orange juice, and ham & cheese sandwich combo going for 6,50€ and a full English for 8,00€. An A-la-Carte menu is available from 12:00pm until 10.00pm including the popular spud and tuna heavy Russian salad (5,00€), Atlantic wreckfish with vegetables (14,00€), and Chocolate coulant with vanilla ice cream (6,00€).
Locale
There’s no beach to speak of in the Tenerife capital proper but you can sun yourself on the roof terrace complete with bijou swimming pool. The shaded lanes of the pretty Parque Garcia Sanabria are just around the corner. Travelling from the Tenerife Norte airport, it will take you under 20 minutes to reach the hotel by car or taxi and slightly over 40 minutes using the same mode of transportation from Aeropuerto de Tenerife Sur.
Price
Contact Occidental Santa Cruz Contemporáneo
- Website page: https://www.barcelo.com/en-es/occidental-santa-cruz-contemporaneo/
- Address: Rambla de Santa Cruz 116, 38001, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santa Cruz, Tenerife
- Tlf: 922 27 15 71
Photos used with kind permission of Occidental Santa Cruz Contemporáneo
Matthew Hirtes, our resident broadsheet journalist, moved to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria back in 2004. He’s travelled extensively through Spain, covering it for such publications as Telegraph Travel, Metro, and The Independent. The author of Going Local in Gran Canaria: How To Turn a Holiday Destination into a Home, Matthew truly is a resident expert.
Matthew writes for two sections of Spain Buddy: Moving to Spain and Spanish Football as well as providing Reviews
