El Marques Palace by Intercorp Group

El Marques Palace by Intercorp Group is an all-apartment aparthotel in Puerto de Santiago, suited to divers who prefer space and the freedom to organise the evening themselves. You get a separate living area, a kitchen and outdoor space rather than a single room with a kettle doing all the heavy lifting.

The atmosphere is practical and unhurried. You can come back from the water, put the kettle on, open the fridge and decide whether dinner is going to be something simple in the apartment or a walk into town. The hotel website is available in English, Spanish, French and Dutch, which makes the property accustomed to serving those international guest groups, even though no hotel staff language is specified.

You are in Puerto de Santiago, on the south-west coast of Tenerife, close to the Los Gigantes cliffs. This is a real town rather than an isolated resort: shops, supermarkets, bars and restaurants sit around the property, with Macaronesia, Tasca Marale and Beeches Brook all within roughly 0.1 mile.

The coast is close enough for a proper wander. Playa de Santiago is about 0.5 mile away, around a ten-minute walk, while Puerto Santiago Beach is about 0.6 mile away. Los Gigantes Beach is roughly 0.9 mile from the property, and La Arena Beach is about 0.9 mile away; the latter is described as a naturally protected beach with volcanic sand. Los Gigantes Marina is 1.1 miles away.

For a longer outing, Teide National Park is listed at about 3.7 miles from the hotel, and Tenerife South Airport is 26 miles away by road. The airport journey takes around 45 minutes by car.

The main decision is not really about decoration; it is about how much room you want around the diving day. The one-bedroom apartments suit a couple who want a separate lounge and kitchen without paying for space they will not use. For two divers travelling together, a two-bedroom apartment gives you somewhere to spread out, while the three-bedroom apartments are the sensible choice for a small group or family who would rather not negotiate every cupboard and sofa after a long day outside.

Sea-view options bring the Atlantic and, in some apartments, the Los Gigantes cliffs into the private terrace or balcony. Garden-view apartments trade that outlook for a more inward-facing setting. Terraces and balconies are large enough for outdoor dining, sunbathing and sitting down with a drink, which is useful when the alternative is balancing dinner on your knees in front of the television.

Inside, you have a living area with seating, a sofa and dining table, plus a kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, oven, stovetop, toaster, coffee machine, kettle and kitchenware. There is also a washing machine, so you can deal with ordinary holiday laundry without turning the bathroom into a permanent drying room. The apartments have soundproofing, private bathrooms, towels, toiletries and a hairdryer. Wi-Fi is available throughout, and the upper floors are reached by lift.

This is an apartment stay, so your dining table and kitchen are part of the practical appeal. You can keep breakfast supplies and cold drinks in the fridge, make coffee before an early start and prepare something substantial when you return hungry enough to eat the saucepan as well as what is in it.

There is also an on-site restaurant, Taste of Salia, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its cooking focuses on local seasonal produce, combining ingredients from the sea and the land. That gives you a straightforward choice: use the apartment when you want control and quiet, or sit down to a meal that puts Tenerife on the plate.

Around the property, Puerto de Santiago adds more options without requiring a taxi. Macaronesia, Tasca Marale and Beeches Brook are close by, while Camber is around 0.2 mile away for a drink. The surrounding area also has supermarkets, shops, bars and restaurants, so self-catering here does not mean carrying every meal in from the airport.

The shared outdoor pool is heated in winter, with a sunbathing area beside it. After a day in a wetsuit, that gives you an easy afternoon plan: swim a little, find a lounger and let the legs remember that they are attached to the rest of you. There is also a garden, sun terrace, patio and outdoor furniture for slower stretches of the day.

Yoga is available for a gentler way to move, while the hotel can arrange or support excursions beyond the pool. Boat excursions and cultural outings are part of the wider offer, and cycling, hiking, fishing, canoeing and windsurfing are available away from the property. Some activities involve an additional charge or take place off site, so you will need to allow for travel and booking rather than expecting every option to start beside the pool.

Couples can keep things simple with a swim, a walk towards the marina or an evening in the apartment. Families have separate living rooms, dining tables, fully equipped kitchens and outdoor areas, with children of all ages welcome. The hotel also has accessible facilities, including a wheelchair-accessible option, lift access and adapted bathroom features in the relevant accommodation.

Reception operates around the clock, and luggage storage is available if your arrival and departure do not line up neatly with the room. Check-in runs from 16:00 to midnight, with check-out from 10:00 to 11:00. You need photo identification and a payment card at arrival, and the property needs your expected arrival time in advance. The minimum check-in age is 18.

Private parking is available on site, with a parking garage, and car hire is available. That is useful on this part of Tenerife, where the coast, the marina, Teide and the airport all sit at different ends of the day. Tenerife South Airport is the more convenient arrival point at about 26 miles by road; Tenerife North Airport is roughly 45 miles away, with a journey of around one hour and five minutes by car.

The apartments are non-smoking, quiet hours run from 21:00 to 09:00 and pets are not allowed. Children aged 13 and over are treated as adults for occupancy purposes, while cots for younger children can be requested. Cash is accepted, and a safety deposit box is available at the property.

The property's sustainability approach is built into its design principles, which have received recognition. That is the extent of the detail available here, but the idea fits the way the hotel works in practice: apartment accommodation lets you prepare food for yourself, keep your own routine and avoid treating every meal as a formal event.

Taste of Salia also places local seasonal produce at the centre of its cooking and describes its gastronomy as sustainable. For you, that means the ecological angle is most visible at the table rather than in a long list of slogans.