Rural accommodation in Pajara, Fuerteventura

The accommodation takes its name from its previous owners: the couple Isaac and Susana who, along with their three children, lived in the house for many years after Susana inherited it from the people who had brought her up; a schoolteacher (her godmother) and her two brothers one a shoemaker the other a miller.

We rebuilt a beautiful ruin that was hardly holding itself up when we found it. With the irreplaceable help of family and friends together with a great team of craftsmen, sound advice from architects and technicians, thanks to the support of island institutions we began the restoration of the house with the aim of recovering the most traditional flavour of popular Canarian architecture.

During two years we rehabilitated it respecting the old building style of exposed stone, whitewashed walls, wooden balconies, recuperating doors, wooden beams, tools, whilst adding wooden balconies, galleries and new rooms integrated into the original structure always offering a comfortable space for its dwellers. Several parts of the house are over two centuries old and are arranged around two courtyards (patios). Jandia Natural Park, the most Southerly area on the Island, is located at the Southern tip of the municipal district. Here you can visit the coastlines of Barlovento, the impressive landscape of Cofete; as well as the coasts of Sotavento, their cliffs and beaches and eat the magnificent fish caught locally.

There is the Cardon Mountain, some 20 km away, located to the North of the isthmus called La Pared. It is really beautiful as well as being the highest peak in the area, here you will find fresh water springs and goats grazing (coastal goats) and a popular "romeria" is held there in June.

The Barranco de las Peñitas, about 5 km from the town, is geological wonder produced by the underwater explosions that formed the land for one of the oldest islands of all. In Ajuy, just 9 km away, you can visit natural caves, the beach, the natural harbour for small craft and taste the fish in its restaurants.

Beaches: Pajara is the municipal district with the most kilometres of beaches in the whole of Spain. Those on the Western Coast (Barlovento) have black sand, with a rugged coast line and wild seas. The ones closest to the village are located between 10 or 15 kilometres away.

As regards the beaches on the Eastern Coast (Sotavento) they are vast ranges of fine white sand and a calm sea with beautiful shades of turquoise, green and blue. They are about 30 kilometres away from the town. There you can practice sea sports such as windsurfing, surfing, yachting, diving, fishing, etc.

Pajara: It dates back to the first known settlement in the 16th and 17th centuries. The parish church of Nuestra Señora de Regla, built between the 17th and 18th century, stands out through its façade with Aztec decorations, it is one of the most attractive monuments on the Island.

It's also worth visiting the chapels of San Antonio (18th century) in the town of Toto and that of the Virgen de la Peña, the patron saint of Fuerteventura, set in the "Barranco de las Peñitas", where a "romeria"(traditional visit to a local shrine with merrymaking) is held and in which the whole Island participates in the month of September. You can also visit the Pajara Nature Sanctuary which is home to local plant life.

The local holidays for Pajara are held in July: on the 2nd, the holy day for the Virgen de Regla, and on the 16th, for the Virgen del Carmen, when the local fishermen take the statue of the Virgin out to sea.

The four double bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and satellite TV, are situated along one side of the patios. Breakfast is always included and consists of local fare: fruit, goat's cheese, butter, homemade jam, sponge cakes, wood-oven baked bread, extra virgin olive oil, locally grown tomatoes . Coffee, tea, milk, cocoa.

Around the other patio the private house and the rest of the installations are to be found. These include a traditional oven, barbecue, a space for preparing paellas and a large stone room which in its day housed the corn grinding mill today transformed into our restaurant – open every day offering home-cooking and tapas based on locally produced ingredients.

Restaurant: Guests can also enjoy the bar-restaurant services in the house during the daytime and can reserve their evening meal. We opened to the public in September 2001 once the re-building of the house was completed. Although we are not school-trained chefs we had some experience in the restaurant sector. Overall we really wanted to offer home-cooking with fresh produce from the island to be enjoyed all year round in the pleasant atmosphere of our stone-walled patio.

We take a great deal of care with the produce used, preferring organically grown vegetables, free range eggs, locally elaborated cheeses, goat's meat of which our fellow islanders are so rightly proud of. Following some cookery courses and six years of experience a few of our specialities are beginning to make a name for themselves: the croquettes, the roast cheese with spicy sauces. Some 40 kilometres from Fuerteventura airport, close to the capital, Puerto del Rosario, is the municipal district of Pajara, the most southerly one on the Island and the largest in the Canary Islands. From the capital, the easiest way to reach us is to go along the FV-610 road that passes through Casillas del Angel, Antigua and Tuineje. You can also come by sea from Lanzarote or Gran Canaria.

The ferries from Lanzarote sail daily from Playa Blanca and land at the port of Corralejo, in the North of Fuerteventura. From Corralejo you can reach Pajara by taking the FV -1 road to the capital Puerto del Rosario, and from there along the FV-610 road to Pajara, a total of 70 kilometres.

From Gran Canaria you can also take a ferry to the capital of Fuerteventura or to the port of Morro Jable, in the South of the Island. From here to Pajara there is a drive of about 50 kilometres along the FV-640 road to Costa Calma and then along the FV-605 to La Pared, and carrying on until you reach the village.