This hotel is now under new ownership since May 2010. The new owners are a Spanish couple that live on site. We wife and I stayed there for 5 nights while touring around the canary Islands and found it to be a little jem. We wanted a quite few days and this is easy the hotel is way off the beaten track, the hills and tiny roads to the hotel are something to see (not for the faint hearted)! Once there the rooms, small resturant, and grounds are all very nice, clean and well maintained. The pool and terrece all look very new or vt least very well cared for. We found the owners very friendly and helpfull through out our stay. We originally chose this hotel as it was out of the way and we wanted a hotel that allows dogs and was in a location that was good for walking. In these respects it was perfect. I would not recomend it for families with active children as it is too far from any towns or beaches but for couples or anyone wanting a quite time perfect.

We booked the Ecohotel because it looked fantastic (and very much our kind of place) on the website; how wrong we were. Issues were:

1) "Warm beaches at your feet" - actually, the Ecohotel is up a tiny, windy, and very steep hill from Arona, which I would guess is 10k+ from the nearest beach. Not a journey you want to be doing unless you really have to. (which you do because....)

2) the "oasis of peace and tranquillity in the heart of a native vegetation estate" is, understandably, a lanscape comprised of volcanic rock. However, there is nothing else, aside from a paved pool area (pool unheated so not overly welcoming in January) and a patio off the room. (which is not exactly...)

3) "A magic and romantic corner", as the patios are right next to each other; our neighbours, a middle-aged couple, looked aghast (and retreated immediately from their patio) when we appeared with our child). So we couldn't both use the balcony at the same time (so all we had to look forward to was dinner in a....)

4) "dinning room where breakfast and dinner are served" which is a bit misleading as, in reality, there is no restaurant and no lunch or evening meal service. Nor laundry.Which was an issue for us as we were a family on holiday and we needed either facilities or information to help us find some. (which was not so easy as despite the fact that the owners...)

5) "love nature and we want to respect it", they don't seem to share the same concern for their guests. When we arrived there were no staff there (they do not normally stay on site), and when the mgr(?) appeared from the nearby village she was the most unpleasant and unhelpful member of the hospitality industry I have ever met. The situation was not helped either by the fact that the only information available was in German.

In short: This is no so much a hotel as a few, very basic, rooms, high up the volcano, with practically no service to speak of. If you are a couple that loves sunbathing on patios in the utmost peace and tranquility, where you may not see a single person all day long, and you do not need any facilities, this may be perfect for you. If you don't fit this description, and especially if you have children, THINK CAREFULLY before booking.

We both really enjoyed our stay at La Correa - we were attracted to it by both it's location and principles (recycling, low energy light bulbs, etc). We stayed in the suites, which are located just across the road from the main hotel and pool. The breakfasts were very good - a wide range of choice. If you want to be close to facilities, shops, restaurants etc - this is not the place for you. It is a short drive from Arona - but up a very steep and winding road. It is well located for a number of walks close by - and on the road to El Teide. We would come back again, and recommend it to friends - the only exception would be those with young children/toddlers, as the pool area and proximity to the road may worry parents. We saw that families with babies were very well looked after. It's a good place to go if you want to practice your Spanish - the staff spoke enough English to get by, but anything more complicated would end up in laughter!

If you want a hotel that is really off the beaten track then this may be the place for you but, read the following first.

The hotel is not situated in the town of Arona but is halfway up the old Donkey Track from Arona to Escalona. The track, which is not marked on most maps, is an extremely steep (25%) and narrow vertiginous ‘road’ that needs considerable care if it is to be driven safely. Unfortunately the website for the hotel does not make this at all clear along with a considerable number of other things:-

They appear to advertise that they organise walks direct from the hotel along with numerous other outdoor activities. They also imply that they have a holistic and massage centre on site. This is not the case as everything bar none involves a car journey of at least 10km or more. There is also nowhere to eat in the evening that does not also involve a car journey, although both the restaurants in Escalona (2km uphill) are good value. The hotel also appears to advertise that there is a reading lounge and library as well as a dining room for breakfast – this again is incorrect they are all one and the same room. The barbeque is just a hole in the wall. The library consists of about four books all in German, which is not surprising as the hotel is really run by Germans for Germans. The owners do not supply any instructions in English and they are not even onsite in the evenings. This means that there is no way of contacting anyone should an emergency arise.

Because of the inaccuracies in the website and in particular the steep access route we decided to cancel our fourteen day booking after only three days and gave the hotel three days notice to this effect. However, we were still forced to pay a cancellation fee, which because of the misleading information supplied on the website we feel was totally out of order.

By the way the roof leaks in Room 3 when it rains and that room was invaded by millipedes every night. - You have been warned.