We just returned from a week's stay at the El Paso. The Hotel is offering 29 Junior Suites and two 2 bedroom villas in a semi-detached house.

The hotel is located close to Alajero, which is inland (45 minutes drive from San Sebastian) with a great view to the South shore of the island. You are able to enjoy beautiful sunsets (behind El Hierro island in winter) and truly spectacular stars at night.

We (2 persons) stayed in a villa with lots of space. Four people would fit in quite comfortably, too. There is a kitchen available which allows for self service with goods from the supermarket (there is one nearby and another one in Playa Santiago; 15 minutes drive). This is just perfect if you want solitude. However, the kitchen does not include a dishwasher and there are only four sets of dishes/cutlery which means that you usually have to wash your dishes daily (by hand). Villa A is facing the Southeast and the parking lot for the villas (two cars). Villa B is facing the Southwest with just the Gomeran wilderness and the ocean in front of you.

The Junior Suites contain a bedroom, a small living room and a bathroom. They are clean and well furnished. On top of the usual amenities, there are two bathrobes supplied. On the downside, there is an AC unit next to the bed. Most people have to switch it off during the night because the unit is pretty loud.

Staff is friendly. At the reception, two people speak fluent English and German; the third one only speaks broken English.

The restaurant is providing excellent quality at generally reasonable prices. The main dishes are huge; you don't need a starter except if you are starved.

We didn't use it, but we think that the pool is small for the number of guests. That's not a big issue, because most guests use the hotel as a base for hiking tours.

Overall, we would definitely go back there to relax from busy work, but only if we get a villa.

We stayed at the El Paso Hotel and Suites for a week in September 2006 and it was lovely. The hotel is quite high up on the island, heading inland towards the Garajonay National Park. As a result, it has fantastic views over the Atlantic Ocean and also benefits from not getting too hot during the day as the air is cooler.

The room we had was a small suite in a bungalow, adjoining one other. It had a decent lounge and a good sized bedroom and lovely bathroom. We also had a fair-sized terrace with views over the ocean.

The pool is on a terrace above the bungalows and although it is fairly small it is fine for the number of rooms at the hotel. The restaurant was also good, as was the snack bar for lunches. We were a bit disappointed to find the 'tasca' mentioned in the hotel literature wasn't open as it was out of the high season. The village of Alajero is also a bit limited for eating - there are a few bars, but no other restaurants close by.

All in all, a lovely place to stay. Well-located for exploring the island and for heading into the national park for walks. The staff were very friendly and helpful and supplied good packed lunched for days walking and board games for lazy evenings. And I strongly recommend La Gomera for a holiday - one of the best I've had!