If like me, you’re forever in a rush, then Keys Lifestyle Concierge is a brilliant concept. It aims to unlock your time, giving you access to a huge range of benefits throughout the world. Cardholders benefit from considerable discounts on luxury hotels as well as assistance with booking meeting spaces, health appointments and much more. There are several membership levels, with their Keys Discovery package not only being free to trial but also giving you 300 Keys Credits to spend.
We recently had the pleasure of trialling their services in Tenerife, one of the most picturesque of the Canary Islands. The VIP service started as soon as we arrived at Arrecife airport, where one of their concierge team was waiting for us at the luggage carousel. They took our baggage and escorted us out of the terminal to our private transfer, handing us each a chilled bottle of water. We arrived at our destination in no time, The Paramount by Club Paradiso. This colourful property in the popular area of Los Cristianos is one of the most luxurious Keys Concierge properties on the island.
The friendly hospitality team are on hand 24 hours a day, and with just 25 luxury apartments it feels very exclusive. Our Paramount Suite was huge, with 2 master bedrooms, 2 twin bedrooms, and an enormous lounge. There were several balconies overlooking the pool, funky toiletries and a turn-down service that included this cute towelling swan!
The best part though was the gigantic upstairs terrace, with a barbecue area and sun loungers…
and the highlight, a private jacuzzi…the perfect place to watch the sunset.
The spacious pool, with its swim-up bar and snack bar was another favourite haunt.
There was a welcome pack with some excellent local delicacies, as well as a list of recommended local restaurants. We savoured local cheeses including Trifillas and Elfos, both made from ewe’s milk, as well as a delicious orange and olive oil artisanal chocolate. There was a lovely selection of Spanish wines including Capricho white wine, Clave de do and Al-Nabiz red wine, of which only 8,000 bottles are made. I also loved the colourful shades of this floral bouquet, it matched the vibrancy of the hotel very well!
We had an excellent night’s sleep in the comfy master bedroom, awaking refreshed for the next day’s activities. Our Keys Lifestyle Concierge, Karen, was in touch to give us directions to our next port of call. We were heading to Puerto Colón harbour for a private tour on board Thunderball! This magnificent Sunseeker yacht is one of several James Bond themed names for the Platinum Charters fleet including Octopussy and Quantum of Solace.
It’s just one of the services that can be arranged for Keys Concierge cardholders. Our captain Victor had a really extensive knowledge of Tenerife’s marine life and where to find it. He pointed out pilot whales swimming close by – an incredible sight. They’re actually members of the dolphin family and are considered highly intelligent and sociable. They can be hard to spot as they tend to stick to deeper waters so this made their sighting even more of a privilege.
Soon afterwards, we came across a whole host of Atlantic spotted dolphins frolicking in the waves. They get this name as the older dolphins have a very distinctive set of spots on their bodies. It definitely seemed like they were playing with us as they kept getting closer. Our captain explained that they enjoy riding in the wake of a boat as it gives them momentum to move faster with less effort. He also explained that it’s illegal to swim with wild dolphins and whales in the Canary Islands – good to hear that they make so much effort to preserve their wildlife.
Soon afterwards we moored up in a quiet bay only accessible by boat. I dipped my toes in the water and judged it not quite warm enough for swimming yet. Paul had no such qualms and jumped right in! Once he’d dried off, we tucked in to a delicious tapas lunch with homemade tortilla, mozzarella and fruit skewers.
The next day we woke bright and early for another exciting adventure arranged by Keys Lifestyle Concierge…a private tour to the highest mountain peak in Spain! Our English speaking guide picked us up from The Paramount and we headed to Mount Teide National Park. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is home to Mount Teide, standing proud at 3,718 metres. During the scenic drive up we saw wild almond trees in blossom at Vilaflor and magnificent pine forests as well as the Volcano plateau where films like Planet of the Apes were made.
Our VIP tour included a skip-the-line cable car ticket, handy on busy days! What made it particularly special, however was the admission to Mount Teide’s peak. The Pico del Teide access permit normally has to be obtained months in advance as visitor numbers are extremely limited to preserve the site. Thankfully our guidehad some up his sleeve and we were able to take the Telesforo Bravo Trail which connects La Rambleta with the summit. We stopped a few times along the way to catch our breathe and admire the scenery but the best view was from the top of course! I can see why Tenerife is nicknamed the island of eternal Spring – everything feels so fresh and new here.
You’d think that it would be hard to top this experience but Keys Lifestyle Concierge had a surprise in store for us that evening…a table at Kabuki, the Michelin starred Japanese fusion restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton. The casual yet chic decor makes you feel instantly relaxed. The focus here is firmly on the food, and chef Daniel Franco has concocted a superb tasting menu. We enjoyed it in the company of local influencers, Andrea and Gianni. We kicked off with some delectable appetizers, or sakizuke including Japanese curry dumpling, eggplant with miso and shallots, and kumquat with mango, pineapple and ginger. The revelation for me was the sashimi oysters – I normally can’t eat them but these were very palatable.
Next we tasted an array of otsukuri or sashimi, such as this succulent tuna, together with red king prawns, tuna tartar and usuzukuri blanco, a thinly sliced white fish with cumin and citrus.
By now we were pretty full yet there was more to come, and I found a bit of room for this superb Kabuki nigiri sushi selection.
Our Kabuki dessert was a symphony of textures and flavours, a lovely end to a perfect evening.
Which of these activities would be your favourite? See more of the action in our video below and don’t forget to check out Keys Lifestyle Concierge to see what a year of lifestyle management could do for you.
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