Rooms

The main house has 3 bedrooms (2 twins and 1 double), 2 bathrooms (1 tub and 1 shower), a sitting room and a kitchen-dining room. Floors, ceilings and beautiful window seats have been painstakingly finished in local téa (Canarian pine), which gives a handsome, almost stately feel. Padding about barefoot is a joy. There are patterned rugs, brass candelabras, vases of dried flowers, vintage dressers and art deco bedside tables: don't expect contemporary (it's not that sort of place), just good old-fashioned semi-formality.

Views from two bedrooms soar out over the Atlantic (don't miss sunset); the third is a shorter straw but still spacious and peaceful (it comes with TV to make up for it). Mattresses could not be comfier, and the double bed is mercifully wider than most Canarian casas rurales. In the sitting room is a TV-DVD, two high-backed burgundy armchairs and an ecclesiastical pue-for-two; though we thought the lighting could be improved, and some of the art was not to our taste. There's also free WiFi and a landline (in the main house) for incoming and local outgoing calls. Given how much of the day you'll spend outside, it's all more than comfortable enough for a week's stay. Bathrooms come with stacks of fluffy towels and robes, starter bottles of shampoo and soap, and intricate coloured tiling. Downstairs - next to the huge yoga room, which is available for a supplement - is a washing machine which you share with the annex guests.

The separate annex is about a third of the size - just right for a couple - with a kitchen-dining room, a twin bedroom (beds can be pushed together, of course) and an ensuite shower room. Decor is equally traditional, and equally spotless. It has its own sun terrace which is just far enough away to start a conversation with your neighbours if you want, or not if you don't. The friendly German couple who overlapped with us have stayed here every year since 2000 - apart from the 2 when it was being rebuilt - and each year, when they leave, they book it for the next. Many others do likewise; so you'll want to plan ahead.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Washing machine
• WiFi

Eating

Both houses have their own fully-equipped kitchen: fridge-freezer, oven, hob, microwave, plenty of pots, pans, cutlery and implements. Unless you plan gourmet feasts, you won't want for anything - though make sure you know how to operate the touch-sensitive hob! The dining table (big enough for 6-8 in the main house; for 2-4 in the annex) comes laid with fresh fruit, a carafe of local wine and a fantastic homemade sponge cake, as a thankyou for booking through i-escape.com.

We ate in on 3 evenings, and dined out the other 4. There's decent (though not brilliant) fruit, veg, meat and staples in the minimarkets of Los Canarios (3km) or Las Indias (2km); once we cheated and bought a ready-roast chicken from the butcher, with an off-the-cuff mango, almond and green salad lending colour and vitamins.

In terms of restaurants, there's one in the hamlet of Los Quemados (a short walk), but we preferred to drive 3 minutes up to La Casa del Volcan on the edge of San Antonio volcano, for oven-baked fish, chorizo-tinted tortillas, hearty lentil soup and crisp squid rings in a cosy, rustic environment. For more variety, head to Bodegas Tamanca in Los Canarios (grilled meats and endless wines to taste), Casa Goyo near the airport (great fresh fish), or Los Llanos (refreshing veggie fare at La Vitamina). You can also get honest grub (and local rum) at the beach shack overlooking Playa Zamora, another favourite of ours.

Features include:

• Barbecue
• Fridge
• Full kitchen
• Hob or stove
• Microwave
• Oven
• Restaurants nearby
• Toaster
• Welcome hamper

Activities

• Zigzag down through banana plantations to the coast (7km) for cliff-ringed coves at Playa Zamora, or wilder black-sand beaches further north: one has a natural rock arch, another has other-worldly dunes right down to the water's edge (be wary of the swell when swimming)
  
• Follow the water-channel-path from just below the house, past crumbling cliffs (look out for ancient rock art) and scattered pines, to Teneguia volcano, a rewarding hike which culminates on a rusty-rocked summit still warmed by fumaroles (it last erupted in 1971)
  
• Continue down the waymarked trail - the island has over 1,000km of them - to the lighthouse and salt pans of Fuencaliente, where blue-aproned men shovel flor de sal crystals through a grading machine into sachets
  
• In Los Canarios (or Fuencaliente, 3km), taste La Palma's excellent wines or peer down into the bowl of San Antonio volcano - only a 15-minute walk from the carpark
  
• Further afield (30 mins) are Los Llanos, the island's biggest and most colourful town, and Santa Cruz, its capital and main port: within modern suburbs, both conceal a charming colonial centre, with cobbled lanes, pastel houses and street cafés (Carnival is a blast!)
  
• Keen hikers should not miss the stunning walk into the Caldera de Taburiente, surrounded by jagged and misty 2000m peaks, then down the ochre-coloured Angustias ravine: one of my most exhilarating day treks ever
  
• To get above the clouds - which tend to gather in one of the island's valleys - drive up to the observatory atop Roque de los Muchachos (and stay on for some star-gazing); or trek there along the knife-edge Ruta de la Cresteria
  
• There are sheltered beaches at Puerto de Naos (home to the island's only resort hotels) and Tazacorte (our favourite, with pedalos and a laid-back tapas scene)
  
• Or arrange some paragliding, sea-kayaking or mountain-biking with a local operator - see our island guide for suggestions

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Hiking
• Mountain biking
• Paragliding
• Plantlife / flora
• Stargazing
• Swimming
• Trekking
• Wine tasting

Kids

Well-behaved children are welcome in the house, but bear in mind that it is the owners' labour of love, so please respect the antique furnishings (and, if relevant, the guests in the other part of the house). For this reason, Lourdes tends to accept a maximum of 2 children in any single booking.

Also, be aware that there is no pool (summer days can be very hot) and the swell means it is not always easy to swim in the sea (though sheltered beaches like Tazacorte are almost always fine). And most of La Palma is made of volcanic rock, which is very hard and sharp!

Having said all that, we stayed for a week with our 4-year-old son, and had a whale of a time - playing hide and seek in the gardens, following the water channel to Teneguia volcano, dodging waves on the beaches and, on the rare cool evening, watching DVDs on the flatscreen TV. The house has a (shared) washing machine, a bathtub (in the main house), plenty of cooking equipment (but no high chair and not much baby crockery), beach toys and - on request - a cot.

Best for:

Toddlers (1-4 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

Cots Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

The house is situated in the south of the Canarian island of La Palma, off the west coast of Africa (not to be confused with the town of La Palma on Mallorca, or the town of Las Palmas on Gran Canaria!). It's a 30-minute drive from the island's airport near Santa Cruz (de la Palma).

By Air:
La Palma (25 km) is the only airport on the island, and is served by domestic flights - mostly from other Canary islands - and a few international charters. Click on the links below for a list of airlines.

From the Airport
You'll want to hire a car, as there are no shops within walking distance of the house. We found Oasis to be reliable and friendly.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to La Palma