Finca Era de la Corte

I´ve just come back from a 12 day Easter holiday on the Canary island of Fuerteventura. And I have to say: It was fantastic. I enjoyed every part of it: hiking in the mountains, walking through the dunes, bathing in the sea, watching the sunset at the lighthouse, discovering local markets, having grilled fish at the beach, or simply reading a book on the terrace in front of my hotel room while having a glass of "tinto". Probably most of my feeling of having had the perfect holidays, is directly linked to the hotel where I stayed: the Hotel Rural Era de la Corte - a small, individual, non-touristy rural hotel in Antigua, a quiet town in the center of the island. The hotel is a family-run business and has been treasured for many generations already. The current hosts are Malole and David. The two of them took over the management a little over half a year ago, did some refurbishment and re-opened that lovely little gem. Both of them are very inspired and engaged, and work hard to continuously improve the place. But for me, their hotel is simply perfect! As a matter of fact, I love everything about that place: Of course, it is quiet, neat and tidy, and professionally managed. Almost unnecessary to mention. But what really makes it so special and so very different from any other hotel I have stayed at, in any part of the world, is the atmosphere it breathes! Something about this place is enchanting, almost magic: It makes you feel at home the moment you step over its threshold: Is it the lovely decorated sunny patio with its cactus and antique garden chairs? Is it the shady library in the main part of the building with its comfortable armchairs where you can sit and read and read for ages? Or is it the peace you get when looking at the starry sky, at night time, from your room terrace? It is a fact: The whole place emanates warmth and tranquility. And this, my dear Malole and David, is your work! Your personalities give personality and individuality to your hotel. And we, as your guests, can feel the difference! You made it so easy for all of us to connect with each other, even when there were four or five nationalities around. And it is not the simple fact that each of you speaks several languages, which, of course, is great in itself. But it is your attitude, your open-mindedness, your beautiful sense of humor and, above all, your great heart which made us feel welcome and part of the family at any time. You are so successful in what you do, and at the same time, all you do seems so effortless, seen from outside, that I can only admire you. Well-done, Malole, well-done, David. Un gran enhorabuena! Congratulations to the best hosts ever! I feel privileged to have met you. I wish you all the best and a lot of success for you and your fine hotel. Let fortune be on your side. You deserve it! Hasta pronto.

Just returned from a fantastic week's stay at this quaint rural hotel in the middle of the island. We wanted to get away from the atypical resorts and big hotels and stay somewhere more traditional but with easy access to the main roads around the island. We were not disappointed, the Era de la Corte lived up to all of our expectations. Malole and David were fantastic hosts and made us feel extremely welcome straight away. They were informative about the sights of the island, recommended beautiful quiet beaches and excellent restaurants. They were so accommodating and offered us a kettle for our room, tastes of local cheese and homemade banana jam, a parasol to take to the beach and booked us a table at a local restaurant where they pick you up and bring you back when we wanted to drink instead of drive! The atmosphere they have created at the hotel is very friendly and convivial and we really enjoyed chatting to the other guests in the evenings or over breakfast. There was a great mix of nationalities and the hosts made effort to ensure that everyone was included in the conversation. Malole and David have a great sense of humour and they are really fun to talk to. Location The hotel is a small, family run business. It is located on the outskirts of Antigua, which is pretty much in the middle of the island but very convenient for the major road networks. The roads are really good on Fuerteventura and everywhere is easily accessible (at the most an hour's drive but most parts of the island are reachable in 30-40 minutes). However, would recommend a hire car to get around! You can see most of the island in a week. There are good local amenities in Antigua - an ATM, bars, restaurants and a supermarket. The supermarket is about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. Rooms Our room was a twin. It was a good size with ample storage space for clothes etc. The bathroom had a walk in shower. Some rooms, I noticed, had a four poster bed! There was a small TV in the room, but we didn't use this. There was no safe or fridge. However, the hotel felt really safe - we left our door unlocked most of the time and there is a large fridge in the kitchen that guests can use. There was a dressing table and chair in the room, but no other seating. However, this didn't matter as there was a table and 2 chairs on the terrace right outside and lots of shared seating in the main living room area or dining room. The rooms were cleaned daily and were spotless. Bedding and towels were changed frequently. Facilities The hotel has a lovely plunge pool with a nice lounging area, perfect for catching the evening sun! There are several sun loungers and deck chairs that guests can use. There is a central courtyard with seating and a covered terrace where breakfast is served. Guests can also use this seating area at night. Guests can use the kitchen to prepare basic food and snacks (no cooking though!); guests are welcome to use crockery, cutlery and glassware. As mentioned, there is a shared fridge. There is also a wine menu and an honesty list where guests write down what they have consumed and pay at the end! The cava Anna (white bottle) is recommended! The dining room can be used if the evening is a little cool; guests are also welcome to use the large living area where there are plenty of comfy chairs. There is also tea and coffee available all day, as well as cookies! Food The hotel doesn't have a restaurant attached but there are several places to eat locally. Breakfast is served between 8.30 and 11 (I think!) every morning. Most people seemed to eat around 9. Breakfast consisted of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, two types of juice, two types of cereal, yoghurt, fresh fruit, fresh bread rolls, buns from the local patisserie, jams, nutella, cheeses, tomatoes and ham. It was all really fresh and flavourful. Recommended trips / sights - El Cotillo - Ajuy - beach and clifftop walk to the caves; excellent seafood restaurant at the front - Playa Esmeralda (near Costa Calma) - Corralejo sand dunes - Pozo Negro - nice paella at the restaurant - Tarajalejo - amazing pizza (goats cheese, fig and date!) - Betancuria old town - mountain pass between Antigua and Betancuria - Gran Tarajal - lovely harbour views at night and amazing fish restaurant Cofradita - Los Molinos - cliff top walk with excellent views of the sea - Faro de Entallada lighthouse - the beach at Cofete and the village of La Pared were also recommended by other guests but we didn't have time to explore those areas, unfortunately - definitely keep away from Caleta de Fuste; a trip our for lunch here was a very disappointing experience (unless you like all inclusive beach resorts where people don't leave their hotel for the whole week!) - we ended up getting a sandwich from a supermarket and driving to a different beach for a picnic! We felt we crammed a lot into our trip but we also managed to do a lot of relaxing, which was totally facilitated by this gem of a hotel! It really felt like more of a home than a hotel and it was nice to feel like part of the family for a week! I really can't recommend the Era de la Corte enough and would definitely stay here again if I'm ever in Fuerteventura for a return trip! Thank you Malole and David for making us so welcome. You are fabulous people and we wish you every success!

We left today after two nights at Malole & David's family owned and operated country home. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left we were treated wonderfully. The welcome was warm with some advice about places to visit, good restaurants, best routes etc. We even learnt about the long history if their families ownership and development of the house. When the wind dropped we took advantage of the comfortable sun loungers around the pool looking at the windmill in the distance. The room was spacious with comfy although maybe slightly hard mattresses. We found the WiFi fine around the property. The cost lounge was beautiful. If you fancy a bit of exercise then walk 30 minutes to the next village for dinner at Matoso. If you prefer to not walk then the restaurant will pick you up and drop you off free if charge. To summarise, a simple friendly property with happy owners and staff that is a great base for exploring the island.

The property has been in family ownership for over 100 years and became the first rural hotel on the island. It closed in 2015 but was re-opened in August 2017 under new management albeit still with a family connection. Malole and David are excellent and relaxed hosts and will do everything in their power to make your stay as enjoyable as they can. It is situated in the village of La Corte which is geographically in the centre of the island (and a 25 minute drive from the airport); well away from the tourist traps but very close to Antigua which has cash machines and an excellent supermarket for snacks, etc. Furteventura's excellent road network means that getting almost anywhere on the island is a highly scenic, traffic-free experience. The hotel offers a buffet breakfast in the courtyard and a kettle, tea bags, etc are available to help yourself 24 hours a day. We relied on recommendations for restaurants for an evening meal from David & Malole which were universally excellent, largely patronised by locals and very good value. Portions tend to be very large and locally caught fish, goat and other meat are the staples. Our room (La Era) had a four-poster bed, chairs and a table and two huge family sized wardrobes. The bathroom had a toilet, sink and a walk-in shower cubicle. Unfortunately climate change is impacting on the weather in the Canary Islands and our week was unexpectedly chilly and rainy. The rooms were designed for the more traditional year-round sunshine that the Canaries are famous for and I'm sure would be pleasantly cool for most of the year. We came unprepared so were quite cold at night. Extra bedding was provided which helped but it would be uneconomic to install heating needed for just a few weeks of the year so difficult to know what more the hotel could do. This hotel should undoubtedly be near the top of your list if you want to get away from resorts and identikit chain hotels. It has charm, character and two hosts who genuinely want to share their passion for the island.

Das Era de la Corte ist ein altes Herrenhaus, wunderschön zurecht gemacht mit grossen Garten, Pool und Bepflanzung. Etwas ausserhalb von Antigua in La Corte ist es sehr ruhig gelegen mit dem Auto aber gut zu erreichen und kann ideal als Ausgangspunkt für Besuche in Betancuria, Ajuy, Pajara oder auch Tarajal benutzt werden. Malole und David sind wahnsinnig liebe, gute Gastgeber - sehr hilfsbereit und super nett. Es wird sehr gut Deutsch und Englisch gesprochen. Das Frühstück ist gut. Die Zimmer sind schön hergerichtet. Ein wunderschöner Ort zum erholen, abseits vom Massentourismus.