The Place
Hands-on owners Dominique Carayon, a Frenchman, and his Spanish wife Laly have created nothing less than a tour de force of modernist elegance. It is wrapped up in a grand 17thC mansion. Set around two wooden-galleried patios (one containing the swimming-pool), the building itself is a treat, with walls painted a rich russet, and floors of honey-coloured Canarian pine. But the eye is drawn to the startling modern art – say the giant steel sculpture of a grasshopper in the main patio – and the many pieces of original Bauhaus furniture, copied under licence. With their pitched roofs, more beautiful wood floors, interesting art and furniture, bedrooms are as stylish as the rest of the enterprise. Don’t be put off if it all sounds intimidatingly swanky: the Carayons ensure that the atmosphere is thoroughly easy-going.
In the evening, modern jazz wafts through the candlelit patios, and Laly’s set dinners are served at the poolside (if breakfasts are anything to go by, they should be top-notch). But there is no pressure to eat in. Little Garachico – a beguiling, ancient seaside backwater that was once Tenerife’s most important port – has half-a-dozen fish restaurants to choose from.