Casa de Hilario is a special, relaxed place to stay, with a friend, as I did, or for a romantic break. Between them the previous reviewers have got it right, so I'll attempt to summarise those pros & cons so everyone can choose if it's right for them. Like a previous reviewer I'm a very well travelled media professional, unlike that guy however I had the benefit of his review & knew better what to expect, so was not disappointed! So to summarise those 'need to knows':
The Casa itself:
Gorgeous, beautifully decorated in a simple, but accents-of-eastern- opulence style - lovely terraces & living room to relax in if rainy. The little pool was beautifully warm when we were there & I took a dip every day despite the chilly winds. Other guests remarked that they had thought the pool was closed, but Pepe had told me though they keep the cover on to keep the heat in, guests are welcome to wind the cover back (it's fittingly a very small pool in this water short environment so very easy to uncover!) at any time - even at night. The view from the pool to the coast is across cacti strewn farmland - breathtaking especially at sunset. The Casa, & it's sister La Casona, are however 'village' rather than overtly rural based.
EXPECT: friendly staff who appear in the morning to make breakfast, maintain the grounds, make the beds & empty the bins. They disappear for the day & leave you in total peace (apart from other guests, who in our case were all very nice & peaceful & relaxed) Jose pops in morning & evening & looks around to see if there are any questions/problems - he really does seem genuinely to care that guests are happy & will give advice on any aspect of visiting the Island. nb.If you tend to feel the cold you may wish to request an extra duvet in your room (the ones provided are very light).
DO NOT EXPECT: Omnipresent staff. Hotel style 'top to toe' room cleaning. This is an unobtrusive style of service which suits the low key luxury feel - to allow you to feel (it seems) that this is 'your' Casa for the week. If you are looking for a high maintenance, pampered kind of luxury or feel unhappy in a very peaceful, unstructured environment this may not be the place for you. For instance there are no phones in rooms & no Reception. This is a place I feel, for the relatively independent traveller. That said, the Casona hotel is only a short drive away & I think it would not be hard to get help if you had a problem outside of the morning time.
Your Arrival: You MUST clarify with Jose before arriving:
a. the exact location/directions from the main road - it took a little finding!
b. MOST importantly, you must clarify with Jose that there will be someone there to meet you! I spent the first hour & a half of my holiday driving around Yaiza trying to find the Casona (sister hotel - 25 mins walk) to track down someone to let us in to our rooms! Luckily I speak enough Spanish to convince a maid at the sister hotel to phone Jose, who then sent the lovely Pepe to let us in, but after a long journey that was a stressful start & we would have been stuffed if we had not had the car! Jose was very apologetic & everything was perfect from then on, but do remind them that you are arriving!
nb. Jose prerranged car hire with Plus Car & it was a great service, easy to find in the airport, nice, newish car & good value at E100 for 4-5 days inc 1/2 tank petrol, 2 drivers & all insurance.
Rooms:
Are very pretty, individual, good sizes, with mosaic tiled bathrooms. Colourful & decorative (though tasteful & uncluttered)'. I had no.8 which was gorgeous, with twin beds & it's own little sun terrace. If it was a double bed it would have been perfect for a romantic break, so would work for romantic couples who prefer to sleep in seperate beds. A lovely couple I met there pointed out to me that their 'double' room, though lovely, was in fact 2 single beds linked, & that this seemed to be the case in most 'double' rooms (although not the junior suites) so if this bothers you check before booking.
Yaiza:
Is a small town & really does close in the evenings at this time of year at least, though there are several different options in the day. We did not see any bars, evening tapas bars or nightlife at all. As we do like a drink in the evening (& given that there are no fridges in rooms & that I was told by a fellow guest that the communal fridge in the living room was locked) this can be problematic. So it seems you need to either
a. buy your wine/beer cold on the way back to the hotel (there is a small supermarket on the road near the hotel) & a bag of ice to put in the bin/sink or
b. to take the rather more expensive option & drink in the very nice restaurant next door (has nice terrace to drink & eat on too) They are happy to sell you wine to take away & open it for you too - BUT it is 13 euros a bottle! I wish I'd talked to Jose about this though - as I have an inkling he would have arranged for the fridge to be left open if guests requested it...
Eating:
The restaurant next door sells good Canarian food, at reasonable to high prices, depending on what you order. It has a relaxed atmosphere. It seemed to be the only restaurant within 20 mins walk yet was closed on Sunday & Monday evening during our stay, so beware! The restaurant at the Casona, managed by the very efficient, very funny & perhaps slightly eccentric Hilario serves similarly priced, but in my opinion slightly more up market cuisine. The dining room there is really beautiful - a special place to eat & a good romantic option. Do book though on Sunday night as it seems to be the only restaurant open in Yaiza! Within 10 mins drive are: El Golfo (dramatic volcanic setting specialising in good fish restaurants) or the other way to La Quemada (tiny seashore village, bucolic & lovely & relaxed restaurants) or Puerto Caleta (a mini Puerto Banus - a bit tacky but a selection of internationally aimed restaurants (inc Chinese, Mexican, Italian). At this time of year places seemed to be taking last orders at 9pm. Jose can also recommend some good restaurants & vineyards at 10-15 mins drive.
Lastly - one of my highlights - breakfast!
A really good quality cold buffet: fresh coffee, fresh squeezed orange. Assorted fresh bread/rolls, lovely little warm fresh baked pastry, eggs (sometimes hard boiled, sometimes scrambled) several different good quality cold meat/salami options, manchego, local ewes cheese, brie. Fresh melon & a fruit mixture to eat possibly with muesli, yoghurts. Yum! Starts at 0830am & appears bit by bit (ask if what you want isn't there yet!) until 10-ish with an indoor terrace if it's chilly.
Internet - it's there & it's free but it can be difficult to get a connection - but this is a place to forget computers exist!
I hope this review helps - I've been as accurate as possible. And yes, I will be back - next time for a romantic break - in a junior suite with my boyfriend I hope!