Discover La Gomera
The viewing deck from the ferry gave us as an amazing glimpse of the scale of La Gomera, the sun glinting off the Atlantic Ocean then the stark and imposing volcanic landmass, rising 1500 meters from sea level. Dotted sparsely with lush forest then interspersed with rocky and barren gorges. We had chosen to hire a car at Tenerife South Airport and driven to Los Cristianos port but taxis are easily available at the airport or at both ends of the ferry journey to enable you to get to the hotel. Once docked in the port of San Sebastian, the Hotel Jardin Tecina & Tecina Golf is approximately 40 minutes drive toward the small town of Playa de Santiago. A bit of a roller-coaster ride, with spectacular views through deep ravines tiered with palm trees and almost lunar expanses of rocky plateau.
Accommodation
Hotel Jardin Tecina perches on a high cliff above the small town of Playa de Santiago, charmingly traditional in style, the reception, bars, restaurants and pools are at the highest point of the resort with rooms then arranged on terraces to ensure every room has a view, either of the beautiful gardens or the Atlantic below. Our room (superior sea view) was decorated in a modest traditional style with a comfortable king size bed, and functional rather than luxurious bathroom, the highlight was the balcony overlooking the sea and it is definitely worth paying that little extra to get that view. The lateral rather than vertical arrangement of accommodation and facilities does mean there is a fair degree of walking to reach the restaurants, bars and the beach area but the advantage for golfers is the proximity of the golf club, probably only a 6 minute walk through banana groves. A quirky lift carved within the rock takes you down to the beach area where giant beach pebbles and the imposing black cliff rising above, give a Jurassic feel. The Beach Club Laurel pool and bar is a relaxing place for spending the afternoon after a morning of golf and a cocktail until the sun disappears behind the cliffs. You can move easily from the bar to the Trattoria Club Laurel for pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven, or a more formal dinner at El Laurel for meat and fresh fish cooked on a grill.
The main hotel restaurant offers a buffet, more functional than finesse but something to suit every taste, but for more gastronomic experiences try Tasca Fandango where typical Spanish foods are served with a Canary Islands slant or Gara Restaurant, which focuses on local foods and the best wines from the Canary Islands.
Golf Course
As the golf club mini bus drove us up, up and up again to the first tee I began to doubt the wisdom of choosing to walk with a trolley rather than use a buggy, however, my concerns were misplaced. The course is built on a former banana plantation and is unique in that Hole 1 is a couple of hundred meters up the hillside and you play down to the clubhouse. The course is the result of an inspired vision by renowned course designer Donald Steel (in 2003) to see a course in the terrain that went only down (the only one in the world to do so). The course involves descending different terraces, and initially the terrain is sparse and barren with gorse and cacti filled rough. Notable on the front nine is the tough par 3, 4th hole which requires a shot over the Tapahuga ravine from the back tee, and the difficult but spectacular 10th par 4 which appears to be floating in the air next to the ravine while the fairway is divided by a rough area of cacti 67 meters from the green, making you think carefully about your approach shot. After the 10th the terrain changes and as you progress further down the slop the vegetation increases and becomes gentler with wider fairways fringed by trees.
In summary Tecina Golf will offer a challenge for all levels of golfers, with spectacular views from all the holes, the warm Canary Island air, downwards slop and beautiful manicured fairways, it will be hard not to enjoy your round.
