Battered by tidal waves of bad publicity in past years, Tenerife is starting to replace its beer-and-burger tag with a designer label as the upmarket sector has started to bare all. “Tenerife has always had the weather — now it has class,” boasts Dominique Carayon, owner of the San Roque hotel.

“The resorts in the south became a mess. More effort needed to be put into attracting the upper end of the market,” she says as we tour the hotel’s constantly changing collection of sculptures and paintings.

Tenerife’s new crowd is discerning, so spa and sports resorts such as the Aqua Club in Costa Adeje are providing salubrious alternatives to the island’s southern resorts.

Rural accommodation in isolated farmhouses is also proving popular, as solitude-seekers discover they don’t have to share Tenerife’s sun with the madding crowd on inflatable-infested beaches. Below is a selection of hotels where the quality is high and the number of rooms low, followed by some excellent restaurants.

Hotel San Roque, Garachico

Dominique and Laly Carayon,the French owners of this 20-room hotel, have restored the home of Garachicos’ founder, blending traditional Canarian architecture with a twist of Bauhaus and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Mediterranean and Canarian food is served around the splendid courtyard swimming pool. The Tower Suite is the room to have, airy and chic with wonderful views over the rooftops below.

Details: 00 34 922 133435, www.hotelsanroque.com. Doubles from £119.

Hotel Tigaiga, Puerto de la Cruz

The former harbour town of Puerto de la Cruz is the elder statesmen of Tenerife tourism — in the 1890s it was a spa destination. Apart from a rapidly decreasing patch for the pint and pie party, it remains the epitome of graceful tourism.

Situated within the Parque Taoro on the select upper slopes of Puerto de La Cruz, the gardens of the 83-room Hotel Tigaiga are a joy. Seated with a good book and an even better Martini you could be forgiven for forgetting that you’re only four hours from Blighty. It serves organic food in the restaurant, uses solar power and recycles its well water.

Details: 922 383500, www.tigaiga.com. Doubles from £44.

Hotel Victoria, Orotava

The town of Orotava is the prettiest urban area on the island. Layers of varying architectural styles from the past 500 years unfold through the narrow whitewashed streets. Below, the green baize of the Orotava valley rolls down to the northern coast; above, is the towering Pico del Teide.

The 14-room Hotel Victoria has been awarded two palm trees, the highest category in rural tourism. Although not luxurious, it’s the touch of Canarian days-gone-by that please at this 16th-century mansion, such as minstrels’ galleries and wicker armchairs. It sits in the historic quarter and is a popular base for walkers.

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