Grand Muthu Golf Plaza Hotel and Spa

Muthu Grand Golf Plaza is a busy all-inclusive hotel that attracts tour groups, along with families and couples of all ages, including many seniors. Like most of the resorts in Tenerife, guests are predominantly British, though there are a fair amount of Germans who stay here, as well as vacationing Spaniards, depending on the season. The resort is housed in a lovely terra-cotta building in hues of soft-orange and rust, surrounding a central courtyard with a large pool deck on a lower level out back. Guests enter into a large two-story lobby fronted with a wall of nearly solid windows, which let in a ton of natural light. At the center is a tiered garden fountain underneath a black chandelier. There's ample seating throughout the lobby, primarily in the form of royal-blue and red upholstered chairs paired with loud black-and-gold tables supported by figurehead-style legs. A boutique that's not open much and a tour operators' office are off to one side. While the lobby stays pretty busy, the hub of activity at the resort is one level down, where the pool area, restaurant, and piano bar are located.

This hotel is located in quiet Golf de Sur in southern Tenerife. A car isn't really necessary, as there are plenty of shops in the immediate vicinity, plus a taxi rank and a couple of small supermarkets right outside the hotel. The Royal Tenerife Country Club is a two-minute drive or a 15-minute walk from the hotel. Bus 415 also stops right by the hotel and takes guests to the airport in about 20 minutes (otherwise, it's about 10 minutes by car or taxi). Los Cristianos is around 20 minutes away by car without traffic or half an hour by bus. Getting to Playa de las Americas also takes around 20 minutes by car or 45 minutes by bus (with one change). From Las Americas, guests have easy access to a number of local attractions, including water parks such as Aqualand and Siam Park, mini-golf at the sprawling 18-hole Vivo Las Americas, the Jungle Park wildlife park, and entertainment options ranging from casinos to comedy dinner shows and nightclubs. Mount Teide, a beautiful volcano at the center of the island -- complete with a cable car, an astronomical observatory, and high-altitude hiking opportunities -- takes just over an hour to reach by car, while getting to the popular trekking area of the Masca Valley takes 45 minutes by car.

Muthu Grand Golf Plaza offers 175 rooms spread out over five floors, ranging from compact Studio Apartments up to sprawling Two-Bedroom Apartments. There are also six high-end Suites, all on the top floor, and each with its own gorgeous entryway crowned with a cupola that lets in lots of natural light. Decor varies a bit from room to room, ranging from simple spaces with traditional wood furniture and dated patterned linens, to contemporary units with chic white wood furniture, bold pops of red, and marble bathrooms. All, however, are well-maintained and have two single beds that can be locked together to form doubles. Most have two sofa beds in the living rooms that can be converted into beds for accompanying children. All units have kitchens with microwaves, coffee- and tea-making facilities, two-burner stoves, and ovens (except in some Studios), plus small fridges, though most guests eschew self-catering in favor of all-inclusive dining at the hotel's buffet restaurant. Bathrooms are simple and feature shower/tub combos, plenty of counter space, and toiletries. All rooms have balconies with tables and chairs, and those jetting off the Suites are huge. Housekeeping is available five days a week, with two off days (either Wednesday and Saturday or Thursday and Sunday, depending on the floor). Flat-screen TVs are standard, but in-room Wi-Fi and safes require fees.

Features at Muthu Grand Golf Plaza are decent and aimed at leisure travelers. The hub of activity at the resort is at the pool deck, which has a large lagoon pool with a bridge running across its width and a mini island at its center. It's surrounded by lounge chairs and can get quite busy, but there are enough to go around and the hotel has a policy prohibiting guests from "reserving" their chairs first thing in the morning with pool towels (available for a small rental fee). There's also an adjacent kids' pool and an outdoor pool table on the deck, along with a bar that's open all day. A second evenings-only Piano Bar offers nightly entertainment. One of the resort's most attractive features is the Atlantis Spa, located in a building next door. Along with a wide range of massages and beauty treatments, it offers a "Sensation Circuit," a network of hydrotherapy pools, showers, and steam, and sauna facilities (for a fee). The spa also houses a free-to-use fitness center with good cardio and weight-training equipment, plus a squash court (for a fee). Note, however, that the gym has limited hours and opens late in the morning.Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily in the restaurant, and the hotel offers a rotating selection of themed dinners, with different nights of the week dedicated to Mexican, Indian, Chinese, and Italian fare. Beer, wine, sangria, and soft drinks are included. Note that there have been past complaints about food from guests, though a new chef was hired in 2017 in response, and guests we spoke to during our visit found the food quite good. Guests have the option of all-inclusive and half-board (breakfast and dinner) options with or without drinks, breakfast only, or no meal plan at all (meals can always be purchased later on the spot). There's sufficient public parking on the street and in an open lot near the hotel, and there's a small amount of secure basement-level parking right on-site (for a fee). The basement parking shares space with a car rental office next door, making it convenient for those who might want a car just for a day or two. The hotel also provides round-trip shuttle service (once per day, five days a week) to Playa de las Americas and a special shuttle on Sundays to the market at Los Christeanos. Free Wi-Fi is limited to the lobby.