Casa Florentina

Boasting the island's most fascinating volcanic scenery, and the bulk of its vineyards, La Palma's southernmost municipality, Fuencaliente, consists of several small villages and hamlets. Casa Florentina is perched on a steep hillside in the sleepy hamlet of Las Indias, and therefore benefits from panoramic views down to the south-west coast and up towards the mountains.

The detached, two-storey building comprises four self-contained apartments, which are attractively furnished and decorated in traditional style. Each apartment consists of a living-dining room, a main bedroom with either a double bed or twin beds, a second bedroom with a single bed, and a bathroom with either a shower cubicle or a bath tub. Each living room incorporates an open-plan kitchen with a fridge, a ceramic hob with either two or four rings, a microwave, a toaster and a coffee maker. The two ground-floor apartments each have their own terrace, whilst the two apartments on the upper floor both have balconies.

The main communal terrace is enclosed by a balustrade and incorporates a swimming pool (approximately 3.5 x 8 metres).

The nearest small supermarket is approximately 600 metres away (an uphill walk on the way there, downhill coming back), and there are also a couple of simple bar-restaurants in the hamlet, but we do consider a hire car essential and have automatically included one in the price of your holiday at Casa Florentina.

The main village of Fuencaliente-Los Canarios is just over 3 km away and boasts a wider selection of shops and restaurants, as well as several bodegas where you can sample the local wines. Just south of Los Canarios, you will also find the distinctive cone of the San Antonio volcano, and the adjacent visitor centre explaining about some of the island's most recent eruptions. A walk around the rim of the crater is highly recommended, especially on clear days when the views from here extend across the ocean to the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera and El Hierro. The nearest beach, Playa de la Zamora, is approximately 4 km away and there are several other small coves along the south-west coast; as everywhere on La Palma, these are of black volcanic sand.