If you’re feeling burnt out, follow in the footsteps of Mars Webb who treated herself to a much-needed brain break and visited five star resort Melia Jardines Del Teide in Costa de Adeje, Tenerife
‘Practice self-care’, ‘find a balance’, ‘take time out’, ‘recharge’ – these are words and mantras we say all the time, yet after reading an article about burn-out I quickly realised that I needed a little brain break.
Coupled with the fact that I live in Belfast, which has been beyond wet and miserable this winter my mind and body just yearned for some sun.
My key priority was going somewhere to experience some hot weather, I wanted somewhere warm in April and direct flights but I didn’t have a big budget. I didn’t want to have to think about anything apart from what I wanted to eat and what exercise I wanted to do – so I decided on a resort.
Melia Jardines Del Teide is only a 20-minute cab ride away from Tenerife South airport
I’d seen that a journalist I know had been to the Melia resort in Lanzarote and I had stayed at a few of their hotels before, so I started there and found a good price at the Melia Jardines Del Teide which is a five-star, all-inclusive, adults-only resort in the Costa de Adeje, Tenerife that also offers half-board.
So I booked it and found some great last minute, cheap flights with Jet2Com, direct from Belfast to Tenerife South.
I have to say Jet2 were brilliant – easy to book, great baggage allowance, staff were super friendly and helpful on the way there and on the way back (with a special shout-out to Abel and David at Tenerife airport).
Melia Jardines Del Teide is only a 20-minute cab ride away from Tenerife South airport and we arrived late in the evening with a lovely welcome from Jose who checked us in and offered us a glass of Prosecco as a welcome and directed us to dinner.
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A five-star resort
Melia Jardines Del Teide is a beautiful resort built on the side of a mountain and overlooking Playa del Duque on one side and the view of the El Teide mountains.
A terraced resort and beautifully landscaped, it has mini waterfalls, bridges and relaxing spaces and terraces to sit and soak in the view. There are stunning views all around the resort and a lookout tower that you can climb up and enjoy a spectacular view.
Two pools, one ‘exclusive’ for higher paying tiered guests but the main pool area is big with a lazy river feel and is very spacious with lots of sunlounges, a well-run pool bar, lovely quality towels and comfortable sun loungers.
Melia Jardines Del Teide is a five-star resort and has recently had a refurbishment. The bedrooms are spacious and simple but tastefully decorated. The bathrooms are a great size, and the shower is excellent, they also have Ritual products on hand, plenty of great toiletries and a well-stocked minibar.
There are stunning views all around the resort and a lookout tower that you can climb up and enjoy a spectacular view
I slept soundly in a comfortable bed. Crisp bedlinen, good quality pillows, soft towels and robes all added to a sense of luxury. Our room had a separate sofa, a seating area and a good size balcony with comfy chairs where we could sit in the morning sun and enjoy a cup of tea before heading to breakfast.
I didn’t pay for a sea view but the views of the mountains were particularly lovely from our balcony.
There’s a versatile range of accommodation at the resort and I stayed in the less expensive rooms, but there are balconies with sea views, other rooms with space outside to lie on a lounger or sit and soak up the view so it’s worth spending time looking at the rooms. If you can afford a room with a view I think it would be worth it.
Food to feast on
There’s a tiered level payment system and we could have upgraded which we found out a few days into the holiday, which would have been good to know as an option from the get go. Anyhow, we suck to the half board and the breakfasts were excellent with lots of variety of fresh fruit, nuts, cooked breakfast, pastries, continental and as many pots of coffee or tea as you needed!
All of this was enjoyed on the beautiful outdoor terrace, a glorious way to start the day.
Evening meals were buffet style, with plenty of wonderful fresh fish cooked up by the friendly chefs, there was also a huge selection of choice so it would have been hard not to find something to eat. The paella, squid risotto and a fabulous sushi spread where my favourites.
Evenings were enjoyed watching beautiful magic sunsets on the terrace with warm heaters when needed and a great range of music to entertain you every night. There’s no alcohol with the half-board, but drinks aren’t expensive so it’s still worth it.
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Beauty Spa Treatments
The weather was rather disappointing on my first day, so I booked myself in for a fabulous massage in the Spa with Joshelin, who was excellent. I indulged in a back, shoulder and neck massage and asked her to go easy as I was terribly knotted – in fact it ended up being super relaxing and I even dozed off.
I also tried out their anti-ageing Vitamin C facial using Natura Bissé products, which was also wonderful and hydrating. The spa is gorgeous, you can have outside massages but I’m not good with any noise when having massages but I think it would be definitely worth doing for a facial and there’s a really good range of treatments on offer as well as the usual pedicures and manicures and at a good price.
Abundant range of activities
There are plenty of activities to do. There’s the Melia app, which is easy to use, and you can book your classes daily in advance. From daily stretching, Hatha Yoga, to Restorative Yoga and Pilates with a ring – I tried them all. They take place perched up above the pool in a shaded spot with stunning views to enjoy and is super relaxing with the sounds of birds and waterfalls close by.
For those who don’t want to do exercise related activities, there’s also bead making, aloe vera classes, weaving and cocktail making, plus lots more
Melissa and Cecilia were the main instructors I worked with, and they were all fully trained yoga or Pilates teachers, they were both super helpful and knowledgeable, correcting and making sure you did everything right. There’s also a small gym and a mini studio for classes plus around twenty bikes sitting above the pool area where you can cycle and enjoy the sea views.
I didn’t do anything too energetic apart from aqua bikes but there really is lots to do with aqua pole dancing, aqua weights and even aqua boxing – so if you want to keep active while there there’s plenty of choice.
For those who don’t want to do exercise related activities, there’s also bead making, aloe vera classes, weaving and cocktail making, plus lots more.
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Fabulous beach location
I’d never been to Costa Adeje before – the resort is in a great location with the backdrop of the mountains which are the El Teide and there is a national park you can visit which is a World Heritage site and you have the beach right in front of you.
The resort is only a ten-minute walk away from the beach which is Playa El Duque. There’s a good selection of traditional restaurants, cafes and a sweet little shopping mall with clothing shops including a lovely swimwear one and a small supermarket where you can pick up some essentials if needed.
The resort is only a ten-minute walk away from the beach which is Playa El Duque
The beach is lovely, part of it has yellow sand but as you go further down the sand is black as it’s a volcanic island. A few hours lying on the beach, listening to the crashing waves and a dip in the ocean which was cool, but refreshing was just perfect, and I really felt like I was on holiday.
We realised after walking back to our hotel just how tranquil and calm the resort was, it felt like an oasis.
Digital detox brain break
Being self-employed means you’re ‘on-it’ all the time but I made a conscious and disciplined decision to check-in on work emails twice a day and work for one hour every morning and one hour in the evening and then not check my phone all day.
The biggest brain break was coming off all social media, no doom scrolling, checking in, or posting where I was and updating everyone on my every bite to eat, and exercise move.
Being away in a resort was glorious, a true treat and I normally do all the organising when we go away as a family so for me, knowing where I was going to eat every day and not having to plan and book anything apart from a few daily healthy activities on the resort all added to my brain having some well-deserved time out.
We met a fabulous Reflexologist Lesley who I am definitely going to book myself in to see and her very funny and special husband Mick who we laughed a lot with. For me, the staff at Melia Jardines Del Teide definitely added to making the break a relaxing getaway.
A big thank you goes to Laura, Naomi, Chriss, and Juan Carlos who you could tell genuinely loved their job and had a wonderful energy that made my holiday and my stay at the resort very special.
I’ve stayed at some amazing resorts (IKOS Resorts and Sani-Resorts) and Melia was absolutely lovely and good value for money with amazing staff and plenty of great things to do in a great location and I’d definitely go back in the future.
- Melia Jardines Del Teide, prices vary, we went half board and for two it was £230 a night including taxes so really good value.
- Jet2com return flights were £128 each at the time: https://www.jet2.com/#flights
- All flights and accommodation paid for, not a press trip.
- Check out all the Melia hotels here: www.melia.com
Must have things to take on holiday:
#1 Noise-cancelling ear plugs
If you are a light sleeper or noisy kids on planes try Quiet 2, Loop ear plugs £24.95.
#2 Sun Cream
My favourite facial sun cream is Green People, Scent Free Facial Sun Cream, great travel size 50ml, SPF 30, £27.50.
#3 Gym Kit
My go-to travel gym kit for yoga and work outs that I wear top-to-toe is anything and everything from Sweaty Betty – although could do with some brighter colours for summer I realised
#4 Comfy Trainers
I found that the nights were certainly not as warm as during the day, so my trusty trainers were a go-to every evening. Try: Gola Classics Women’s Elan Trainers, £90
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