Hotel Rural XQ Finca Salamanca

Situated approximately 1.5 km outside the agricultural town of Güimarin the southeast of the island, Finca Salamanca was one of the first hotels to pioneer rural tourism in Tenerife, and remains one of the most popular, thanks to its charming accommodation, friendly welcome and convenient location for exploring the whole island. The hotel was created from an old farm and its outbuildings, and the surrounding land is still used for cultivating avocados, lemons, oranges and mangos. A section of the grounds has been set aside as a botanical garden to showcase the endemic vegetation of the island, whilst the former stables have been turned into a small farming museum displaying different tools and implements.

The hotel's 20 guestrooms are divided into four categories. All have air-conditioning, satellite TV, mini-bars, safety deposit boxes, telephones and en-suite bathrooms with hairdryers, and each has a balcony or terrace with mountain or valley views. Superior Rooms are larger than the Standard Rooms, and the extremely spacious Junior Suites have a separate sitting area. There are also four Bungalow Suites, semi-detached wooden chalets consisting of a large lounge and a separate bedroom.

The hotel's award-winning restaurant is set in what was the tobacco-drying barn in the days when tobacco was the finca's main crop. Breakfast is served buffet style, whilst for dinner you may take your pick from a range of authentic Canarian dishes. After dinner, you can relax in the intimate lounge or play cards in the adjacent games room, or perhaps enjoy a drink in the old bodega. The restaurant caters both to hotel guests and non-residents, and during the summer months in particular the hotel is a popular venue for local weddings.

In recent years, Güimar has attracted some international attention due to the discovery of its enigmatic pyramids, six rectangular stepped mounts resembling similar structures in Egypt, Mexico and Peru. With the exception of these pyramids, Güimar is an unremarkable town, but it does provide a handy base for exploring both the north and the south of the island, being 30 km south-east of the capital Santa Cruz and the old university town of La Laguna. For walkers, a nearby road leads up the the Esperanza forest and the Cañadas del Teide National Park, and the nearby Barranco de Herques ravine also provides rewarding terrain for ramblers. The nearest volcanic beach is at Playa de Abajo, just south of the seaside town Puerto de Güimar, which is approximately 3 km from the hotel.

Alternatively, you could just relax at base, taking a dip in the heated swimming pool, or exploring the endemic plant species in the garden.