Originally Posted by
red star
And yes, the Villas are now rebranded as Club Retreat.
Edit: I‘m not sure about this any more. They used to have two lounges and two „club“ areas. One in the main building and one by the sea which included the villas. Now at least from the description it seems they closed the lounge in the main building but kept some of the rooms in that building as „Club Retreat“ too even though the pictures indicate a villa room. I would double check when booking if you are keen on the villa area which I recommend.
To clarify, I assume "villas" -or whatever it may be called now- refers not to actual villas (as one might find in Asia ... a freestanding building perhaps with a private pool/beach/whatever), but simply the club wing of the hotel? I've stayed at fewer than a dozen RCs, but know that the clubs usually require a hefty upcharge, but then offerings are quite nice. That said, if we were to stay at the RC but ventured out most days, it might not make sense to pay €550 for a base club room when I could be paying €300 for a suite in the main building.
Originally Posted by
oxfordjames
Thanks for the tip on Choice points and Preferred hotels, you learn something new everyday! I may have now found a great use of my old Radisson points transferred to Choice after the massive devaluation. I watched them building Corales Beach while staying at the old Sheraton (now Tivoli) it looks amazing, it isn't beach front but all the beach's in the south of Tenerife are black volcanic sand.
Just to add the climate and weather on the island differs massively between the north (wet and cooler) and the south (sunny and warmer).
Have been going in December and January for the past few years, the south of the island is a perfect climate for lounging by the pool and walks during the day, evenings can be a little cooler but no more than a light jumper.
Thanks for the advice! So it's looking pretty likely that we'll do 3 nights in the North for sightseeing, followed by 3 nights in the South for relaxation. I understand that Corales Beach would be a better base for walking and driving around, with more things to do nearby. I'm not sure about the location, though -- is it in the midst of ugly development? RC looks more secluded, with a gated community feel, similar to say Princeville on Kauai or Wailea on Maui?
With low-season rates over €400, the Choice redemption option certainly looks like a good deal at Corales Beach, but before you transfer all your points or buy more, please beware that Choice now applies dynamic pricing to Preferred hotels, so book what you need immediately, rather than sitting on points.