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Showing posts with label organic food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic food. Show all posts

Friday, February 24, 2023

New 4* hotel under construction set to open this year

Image taken from the hotel's website (see below)

 A new 4*star hotel is under construction in La Gomera's north-east near the island's capital San Sebastian de La Gomera in the townland of Lomo del Clavo. The site was occupied by a semi-finished holiday apartment development that had been deteriorating for years as an ugly, deserted construction site. This is now being redeveloped into an eco-friendly amenity with all mod cons.
The new hotel with its own organic farm, gardens and spa will have far in excess of 500 beds and should give permanent employment to about 100. It boasts conference and events rooms as well as nine restaurants and bars, including to quote the developers: '' Guro Show Bar - A creative and unforgettable programme awaits at the Guro! Get ready for the most original nightlife ''. 

'Bancal Hotel & Spa' intends to open at the end of this year and already presents its own impressive website in English, Spanish and German. 
The developers behind the venture, Corporacion Arca, introduce themselves with '' We are a corporate group that is not afraid to invest, with a collective conscience that includes you and everyone...''. They describe the facility under construction as follows:

 '' Located on a bluff (sic, yeah 'bluff' also means 'cliff' or 'promontory', but let's just hope that  their choice of word wasn't a Freudian slip - Ed.) overlooking the sea just 5 km from the capital, the Lomo del Clavo hotel project has been specially designed for people looking to enjoy the island of La Gomera, its nature, its history and its people.
Situated in an exceptional location with stunning views of Tenerife and its volcano, the Lomo del Clavo Hotel combines design, health and cuisine with the utmost respect for the environment and a sustainable philosophy that begins with the recovery of the landscape through the refurbishment of a space that was completely dilapidated. The use of clean energy, efficient waste management and involvement in the development of local economies are the basis of a philosophy that aims to reconcile tourism with the natural environment.
Facilities:
276 rooms with terrace
3 pools (2 of them infinity) and 2 children’s pools
Nudist area
5 bars
4 restaurants
Garden
Natural forest
Wellness area with gym, in/outdoor directed activities area, water, treatments and hair styling area
Club Store Event Rooms
Covered parking
Electric vehicle charging points
On-site ecological estate...''

The developers intend to plant acres of gardens and orchards, including a large proprietary organic farm, all irrigated with treated waste water from the hotel. 
That arid area could do with a bit of green again, which would indeed be better than the previous dereliction. San Sebastian de La Gomera is ''soon'' to get La Gomera's first and long overdue water desalination plant, so the hotel's water needs shouldn't take away from the town's scarce water supply. But more about water another time...

The Lomo de Clavo construction site near San Sebastian de La Gomera (Image: gomeraverde.es)

Saturday, February 01, 2014

Organic food on La Gomera

There are several of organic growers and farmers on La Gomera and some of the smaller 'super'-markets in Valle Gran Rey sell their produce and other organic wholefoods. There are also a few specialised wholefood shops: One in the island's capital and three in Valle Gran Rey, two of those in Vueltas village. 
However, my favourite place to shop for produce fresh from the field, as well as packaged wholefoods and other ecological products is the Finca Ecologica Lomo del Riego. It is not 'in town' but beside the bus station near the roundabout in La Calera. It boasts to be the only fully certified and registered organic farm on La Gomera. About ten years ago it was started by local man Jose Manuel who is presently running an organic farm in Germany, and now his brother Pedro keeps the farm going while his wife manages the shop. 
Best of all, after you've done your shopping in their idyllic farm shop, you can drop in to the bus station bar across the road and discuss the politics of food or the weather with Pedro, who frequently drops in for a short break from working his fields. You'll enjoy the spectacular view from there and later watch the sun set across the Atlantic while nursing a cold beer.
Entrance to the shop is just 5 steps up from pedestrian crossing on right


Pedro is off to one of his fields
Sunset seen from the bus station bar