Casa Ida

The terrace has a beautiful view, though in January the wind made it hard to enjoy it properly. Getting into the parking area was extremely steep. It even frightened my friend, despite years of driving experience and being a very confident driver.

Mornings on the terrace with coffee and those amazing views were a real pleasure. We stayed five days and used the villa as a base to explore the island, visiting different places each day. You do need a car, since there's nothing within walking distance unless you're a professional hiker. The mountain road can feel intimidating, but an experienced driver can manage it, and the road and parking are a little tricky. The villa was clean and felt authentic, like how I imagine locals live. This isn't the place if you're after luxury or nearby amenities, but I enjoyed our stay and would definitely return.

We spent New Year's Eve without electricity because the power kept cutting out, even when nothing was running. That also meant no hot water from the electric boiler and no warmth from the electric heater. There was mold in both the bathroom and living room, and the owner stopped responding once we complained. We'd paid in advance for the whole stay, but booking.com refunded us. When we left, the owner wanted to put another guest in right away without appearing to check the electrical installation. The owner was reported to the police. The place may be operating illegally without a license.

A car is essential here. The apartment is one of seven linked units in a small village with a little shop and nothing else, though El Tanque has a good small supermarket and pizza. The steep walk down to Garachico is worth it: it's a pretty town with nice restaurants and good swimming in the large rock pools. From this central north location, it's easy to reach beaches in the west when the north is cloudy, and to head east too. Apartment number 5 is functional rather than comfortable and could use a thorough clean. The lounge has a small kitchenette with a microwave, fridge, two-ring hob and basic utensils, so bring a sharp knife. There's a double bed, two bedside tables and a dusty wardrobe. The bathroom has the usual items and a shower that floods the floor. Shared terrace areas have a couple of sunbeds, tables and chairs, and luckily there's a BBQ. A washing machine and tumble dryer are in a shared building. The Wi-Fi was very intermittent and only worked outside for us. The small flat-screen TV has four local channels and one radio channel. There's no original remote, so even though you can connect through HDMI, you have to use the buttons on the back to change the source. Without Wi-Fi, Chromecast won't work, but you can watch films by connecting a phone or laptop with an HDMI adaptor. We didn't use the Jacuzzi because you have to find the owner to arrange for it to be switched on, and we didn't see the owner during our ten-day stay.