FAMED for its year-round sunshine and friendly island residents, Tenerife nevertheless has had a bit of a reputation for being a bit 'touristy.

Despite having natural beauty and spectacular mountain views, the stereotypical view of the place is that it's full of sunburned British tourists drinking San Miguel and cocktails in English theme bars or eating 'the best full English breakfast in Spain' in Limey restaurants.

Rubbing shoulders with drunken groups of English lads wearing identical Hackett shirts and out on the pull in Playa De Los Americas (Tenerife's most British quarter) is certainly not everybody's idea of a relaxing break abroad. It's something that the owners of Tenerife's hottest new holiday resort are only too aware of.

So they are offering an alternative Tenerife. If you like the idea of the year- round sunshine and spectacular views, not to mention great food and excellent wine, then the brand new Abama resort may be just the thing.

Situated in Guia de Isora, so far from the madding crowd that you would never know they were there, Abama is set to become the Rolls Royce of Tenerife hotels, a five star oasis with an emphasis on relaxation and pampering.

Scheduled to open in July, it's being billed both as a dream resort for adults looking to relax (so perfect for a honeymoon), and for families - maintaining a child-friendly outlook with kids' clubs and supervised horse riding.

The owners of Abama say it will cater for just about every kind of holidaymaker (or at least those who can afford to go five-star!). In fact, it would not be stretching the point to argue that to find another resort like Abama you would have to look all the way to Dubai . We flew to Tenerife with BA. The flight is a fairly long one for a 'short-haul' destination, taking around four hours.

Once we arrived on the island we checked into the Abama's sister resort, the four-star Jardin Tropical, near Porto Colon, recognised for the past 17 years as the best hotel in Tenerife.

This is soon to change, of course, with Abama opening in July, but it still stands as a terrific hotel, with a beachside swimming pool, five restaurants, (one award-winning) luxury spa facilities and sensational rooms offering every creature comfort.

As soon as you arrive at Abama (which, in case you were curious, has no meaning, it's an invented word used because it is pronounced the same in most languages) it is impossible not to be struck by its sheer magnitude.

The main hotel complex has 440 rooms, which are all to a five star plus standard with plasma screen televisions and private balconies as standard.

More expensive and larger apartments are also available, both to rent and buy. It is sure to attract many golfing enthusiasts, as the Abama is home to a purpose- built golf course, designed by former Welsh International golfer Dave Thomas, who also designed the famous San Roque Club in Spain. The course, an 18-hole par-72 competition course with a further nine holes, is pencilled in for a European Tour event in October.

Architect Melvin Villaroel has designed a pleasant, terracotta Arabian Nights-type development which will include a thriving bazaar and an abundance of water. There is also, of course, a tennis club.

Exuberant vegetation is a huge part of Mr Villaroel's creation and Abama, which sits on one of the slopes of Mount Teide, has almost 90,000 trees and shrubs. They do create a feeling that the outside world doesn't exist and that it has been replaced by a natural paradise.

Of course, this is far from the case, as everything is man-made or imported at Abama, a fact illustrated perfectly by the resort's private beach.

In keeping with the 'money no object' theme, the complex has created a man-made lagoon, open to hotel residents only, filled with imported Moroccan sand. It is only reachable via the resort's private cable car.

If you fancied sampling another beach or another golf course, then they have that covered as well. You simply ask at reception and they will arrange a private helicopter ride to another resort!

It promises grandeur on a remarkable scale.

The complex is to feature eight restaurants which, in keeping with contemporary resort hotels the world over, will offer different styles of food. This will range from classic Spanish to Japanese and Italian cuisine, all will be overseen by an as-yet-unnamed Spanish chef who is said to currently run a three-star Michelin restaurant.

If you are worried about putting on too much weight as a result of these culinary delights, fear not, because the Abama also hosts Europe's largest hotel health spa, offering a variety of treatments and fitness options.

Abama promises to be an absolute delight, a complex which I firmly believe will set a new benchmark for luxury hotels in Europe.

Its remit was to create a level of luxury unseen in Spain and rivalling the best in Europe. The residents of Tenerife have been hugely taken with the concept of Abama. Hoping to avoid the island becoming the next Costa Del Blackpool, the authorities are no longer allowing the building of any hotel that is not five star.

Tenerife seems firmly in the process of rebranding itself as a top-class holiday destination.

Will this mean the end of the drunken British tourists dancing the macarena? Surprisingly, none of the local people I spoke to seemed to mind that possibility! For more details on Abama, visit www.abamahotelresort.com