La Quinta Roja

A palace house on Garachico's square

La Quinta Roja is the palace house that the first Marquis of La Quinta Roja, a descendant of the Genoese banker who founded Garachico in 1496, had built in 1689. It is one of the examples of Canarian Baroque domestic architecture and has been a family home, a temporary convent, a music school and municipal offices. It stands in the heart of the old town, opposite the old San Francisco convent and the town hall, next to Plaza de la Libertad and the church of Santa Ana. For more than twenty years it has been run by the owning family, with Paloma Moriana at the helm.

The rooms

There are nineteen, spread over two floors around the courtyard. The standard doubles, of 17 m², are almost all on the ground floor, with direct access to the courtyard. Upstairs, in the former noble quarters, up an original stone staircase, are the double plus rooms, of 35 m², with coffered ceilings and windows onto the old town's streets; the double plus with terrace, with views of Plaza de la Libertad, the church and the mountains, and the junior suites. All have air conditioning, wifi, a Nespresso machine, minibar, safe, smart TV and beach towels.

Eating and relaxing

In the house is the restaurant Silogía, serving Canarian cooking with Mediterranean and Asian touches, open Wednesday to Sunday from 13:00 to 22:00. The hotel offers a gym and sun terrace, yoga and pilates, massages and bicycles, and arranges pool access; ask about the terms at reception, open from 7:00 to 23:00.

Getting there without a car and with one

You can arrive by bus: from Santa Cruz, TITSA line 108 to Icod de los Vinos, hourly, Sundays included, and the 363 to Garachico, which goes into the village. By car it is about 60 km along the TF-5 and TF-42; park in the free public car park at the old football ground.

With a dog

La Quinta Roja advertises itself as a pet-friendly hotel and its restaurant welcomes them too. Ask when you book whether there is a supplement and in which rooms.