Hotel El Patio

Eating

All meals are taken in the hotel dining room. One wall is a window with wonderful views over the plantation and out to sea. Breakfast is a feast. There are plates of chorizo and Iberian hams, cold cheese, pastries, croissant and fruit. Unreformed Englishmen will also find cornflakes and bacon and eggs (even beans on toast, hurrah!). If you’re still hungry, cakes, coffee, tea and fruit are left out all day and you’re welcome to pop in and help yourself.

If you’re heading out for the day and want to take lunch with you, small picnics are prepared for you. You get a couple of sandwiches (ham and cheese, tomato and lettuce), a piece of fruit, a carton of juice, maybe a hard-boiled egg. Walkers seem to like them. If you stay at the house and want a snack, salads, soups and sandwiches are available (if you order them before 11am). And there's always free fruit for the taking in the restaurant's fruit basket.

There is no longer a set menu for dinner but the new a la carte still offers traditional Canarian farmhouse cooking. To start you might get pumpkin soup, eggs Florentine or asparagus. Main courses offer things like home-made lamb stew, chicken thighs with baby carrots or grilled fish with a green salad. Puddings might be lemon tart, chocolate mousse or tiramisu. You’ll probably want to mix it up and eat in some nights and out others.

If you eat out and want to stay local, you’ll still have to drive. In Garachico you can try La Galletta for fresh fish or head west up to Buenavista and try El Burgado (more of the same) or Meson del Norte (a good reputation). Head to Puerto de La Cruz and try Regulo for a bit of posh nosh. Dedicated foodies might want to head further afield and try El Drago (in El Socorro), or El Coto de Antonio (Santa Cruz). These two will require a bit of a hike, but the rewards are great. Hotel staff will know what’s hot and what’s not and will advise.