Jenny McBain had a wonderful trip to the Palm Beach Hotel in Gran Canaria
Were you to take a trip back in time to the 1970s, when package holidays were only just becoming widely available, you might look upon some of what was on offer with retrospective disdain. Surely the discerning, modern traveller wants a small, intimate hotel in which to hide away and relax?
When we arrive at the Palm Beach Hotel in Gran Canaria, its enormous concrete exterior brings back memories of family holidays four decades ago when my mum and dad, who had four children, just wanted a sun lounger by a pool and someone else to do the cooking. It doesn’t look all that promising to be honest.
However, as we ascend the marble steps and step inside, it is clear that this is, in fact, a truly sophisticated establishment; one where only the most aesthetically pleasing artwork and furnishings are given house room. It’s quite disconcerting, albeit in a good way.
Almost immediately, our understanding of what constitutes good taste in the realms of interior design is challenged. In the spacious reception area, comfortable couches in Day-Glo bright colours are as bold as the sunshine streaming in the windows and there are vivid, semi-abstract paintings and sculptures at every turn.
It is all unmistakably reminiscent of a James Bond film set circa 1976, right down to the sparkling brass fittings on the lift and the beige and brown soft furnishings in our comfortable twin room on the fifth floor.
A sudden realisation strikes me. For international movie stars and other members of the jet set, the 70s were not a time of abhorrent design. Mass-produced furnishings in manmade materials are undeniably ghastly, but here, we are happy to be immersed in this retro world, re-imagined in a palette of luxurious, natural materials.
Like many British holidaymakers, we’ve been drawn to Gran Canaria because of its ability to deliver year-round sunshine. It seems remarkable that the trees back home are almost bereft of leaves, yet, after just a short, direct flight from Scotland, we are able to explore our new surroundings in skimpy, summer clothing.
PALM TREES
Maspalomas Beach is situated close to the hotel and its dunes and palm trees are protected by a conservation order. So, too, is the sizeable natural pond which provides a resting spot for migrating birds en route from Europe to Africa.
We sink our toes into the sand and look around. The Atlantic Ocean laps at our feet and, on the landward side, the mountains that form part of the municipality of San Bartolome Tirajana can be seen in the distance. In between are generous acres of golden beach, unblemished by manmade structures.
People are walking or jogging. Some are naked so as to better drink in the sun’s warmth. Like the birds, we humans can find respite here. Margaret and I decide that we will begin each day with a swim at sunrise.
Back at the hotel, the palm trees after which it was named are very much in evidence. They provide interesting little pockets of shade and privacy. We identify our pool of choice from the three on offer. It’s a small saltwater one, situated in a secluded area close to the spa and has soothing water jets.
When dusk descends, the trees are illuminated by fairy lights. It is time to find out if the food served at the Palm Beach matches the high-spec surroundings. We have great hopes because this place is a member of an elite group of international enterprises known as “Design Hotels” and getting that designation demands, among other things, high standards of gastronomy.
Sometimes dinner is an a la carte affair. We have arrived on what is known as a barbecue night. Actually, there is an enormous and artfully presented array of hot and cold food which tastes as good as it looks and is as fresh and appealing as anything I’ve ever eaten. Some of the dishes top my list of all-time personal favourites. I love the seafood cocktail with blood-orange mayonnaise on a bed of fennel and also the barbecued lobster
CHOCOLATE CHERRY BOMB
Desserts are in a league of their own at Palm Beach. Every evening, several different options are laid out for guests to help themselves. Delectable and in delicate portion sizes, each one is an explosion of flavour that has the rewarding impact of a child’s well-earned Saturday sweetie. My favourite platter of treats consists of a tiny chocolate cherry bomb and a crème brulee with a fruity side serving of fresh berries.
Clearly catering on a large scale is no obstacle to excellence for this team of chefs or indeed for the smiling serving staff who energetically go about their duties with enthusiasm. Even first thing in the morning, when guests are helping themselves to an array of fresh juices and smoothies and ordering omelettes and coffee, they remain unfazed. Some staff members, we later learn, have been here for decades and that undoubtedly leads to high standards. For a while, we are too busy rather decadently enjoying ourselves to be curious as to how all this excellence came about.
We simply relax into a wonderful routine of swimming, lying in the sun and checking out the beach at sunrise and again at sunset. There are also daily classes of yoga and Tai Chi to attend when the mood takes and we each book a couple of massage treatments in the spa which is flooded with natural daylight. Then there is the simply fascinating stone sauna where an automatic mechanism periodically levers a basket of hot stones into a cauldron of water with a satisfying creak, clunk and hiss.
When my natural sense of curiosity eventually returns, I find out that the Palm Beach was opened in 1975 by a German entrepreneur by the name of Theo Gerlach. A former property developer who now owns a string of international “Seaside Hotels”, Mister Gerlach takes a personal interest in each one and strives to ensure that his hotels are ones he himself enjoys staying in.
This hands-on approach attracts a loyal following of guests, many of whom return on a regular basis, and who can blame them? After a week of pampering and total bliss, I certainly can’t.
THE HOLIDAY
Rates start from £828 per adult for a twin room week’s half board. Visit www.hotel-palm-beach.co.uk or phone 0034 928 72 1032.
Flights available from www.jet2.com flying from Glasgow. Prices start from £100 return (January departure).