Caserio de Mozaga

A very pretty 18th-century farmhouse in the middle of the island with a great restaurant and fantastic prices

This elegantly rustic 18th-century farmhouse has been in the same family for two hundred years. Old cart wheels lean against whitewashed walls, a chandelier hangs from the sitting room ceiling and a rattan sofa waits in the shade of the cloister.

You enter through smart gates into a peaceful courtyard which faces south to ensure one corner always gets the sun. Ornate guttering draws rain from the rooftops into the well, and the feel here is smartly rural, as if this was the house of well-to-do farmers (which it is). Woodwork is painted dark green, bougainvillea flames against white walls and candles embedded in glass jars flicker at night. The 8 rooms are traditionally furnished with much from a great aunt who lived here most of her life. Expect cast-iron beds, terracotta-tiled floors, old oil paintings and shuttered windows. Some rooms open onto the courtyard, others on to the garden. Best of all is the restaurant. The food here is glorious and those who wish to feast like a king will be in heaven.

Highs

• Good food in the exceptional restaurant; it’s one of the best on the island.
• The age-old beauty of the place, especially the central courtyard.
• Gonzalo, who runs his old family home with an easy charm.
• Lanzarote itself, a beguiling mix of wistful landscapes: mountain, ridge, volcano and sea.

Lows

• The hotel has no swimming pool, but beaches are easily accessible by car.
• This isn't the prettiest village on the island, and a couple of roads snake past 500 metres away, but from within the hotel none of this is apparent.