DESIGN

Casa Montelongo

Fuerteventura - Spain

Two suites inside a restored 19th-century house and former village theatre in La Oliva, gathered around a long courtyard pool.

Adults Only

Beach 10km

Pool

In Room Breakfast

Massage

Local Activities

THE SETTING

Casa Montelongo stands in the small village of La Oliva, the old administrative heart of northern Fuerteventura. From the outside, it keeps the modest white façade of a traditional Canarian house. Behind the entrance lies a much bigger story: a family residence, a village casino, a small theatre and an inner courtyard that once held the house’s water cistern.

The Montelongos were a cultured local family whose fortune came partly from trading cochineal, orchilla and barilla with England. These plants and insects produced valuable natural dyes and chemicals, and their trade shaped parts of Fuerteventura’s economy during the 18th and 19th centuries. The family home occupied one wing of the building. The other housed a social club where villagers gathered for dances, meetings and theatrical performances.

When Borja and Raúl found the property, it had been closed for years, but its original structure was largely intact. Traces of the old theatre remained: a stage, curtains and pieces of scenery. Instead of clearing everything behind the historic façade, they asked Canarian architect Néstor Pérez Batista to work with the existing plan.

The old house and theatre became two independent suites, with the original entrance hall dividing them. Both open onto the courtyard, where the former cistern has been replaced by a slim swimming pool. New windows and skylights bring daylight into rooms once designed to stay sheltered from Fuerteventura’s sun and trade winds. During calima, when Saharan dust reaches the island, the light entering through the roof turns noticeably warmer.

THE ROOMS

Casa Montelongo has only two suites: The Old House and The Old Theatre. Each accommodates two adults and functions more like a small private residence than a hotel room, with its own kitchen, dining space, living room, bedroom and bathroom.

Both suites are spacious, pale and remarkably calm. The Old House follows the domestic side of the original building. Its rooms unfold gradually from the entrance towards the courtyard, with a long kitchen and dining table, a generous living space and a bedroom set deeper inside. The Old Theatre occupies the former performance space. Curtains around the bed make a quiet reference to the stage that once stood here, without turning the room into a themed interior. The bathrooms are among the most memorable spaces. Freestanding bathtubs sit beneath overhead rain showers and roof openings, turning light, water and shadow into part of the room.

THE FOOD

Breakfast is delivered directly to the suite at the agreed time with the team. The selection changes with availability and focuses on seasonal ingredients from local and regional suppliers. Fresh bread and pastries, fruit, juice, yoghurt, eggs and small Canarian products may all appear.

La Oliva has a handful of places within walking distance or a short drive, while Lajares, Villaverde, El Cotillo and Corralejo broaden the choice considerably. The team can organise restaurant reservations and point guests towards the places that suit the day rather than handing over a generic island list.

THE STAY

The courtyard is the centre of Casa Montelongo. The saltwater pool divides the two suites, bordered by a simple terrace, sun loungers and the high walls of the original patio. It receives plenty of light while remaining protected from the strongest winds. Above the water hangs a sculpture by Canarian artist Óscar Latuag. Its forms refer to cochineal, orchilla and barilla — the natural materials behind the Montelongo family’s trading history. As the sun moves, the sculpture throws changing shadows across the wall and pool.

The scale of the house keeps the stay private. At most, there are four guests, and there are no public hotel areas, bar or restaurant generating movement around them. Massages can be arranged at the house, together with private transport, restaurant bookings, surf lessons, cycling and walking routes, cultural visits, boat trips, stargazing and excursions to Lobos Island. The team can also help with the practical parts of the island: car hire, beach conditions, wind direction and choosing which part of Fuerteventura makes sense that day.

AROUND CASA MONTELONGO

La Oliva offers a different base from Fuerteventura’s coastal resorts. The village sits inland, surrounded by open plains, extinct volcanoes and low ochre mountains. The sea is close in several directions, but mornings begin with church bells and village streets.

Tindaya rises alone from the plain a short drive away. The mountain was sacred to Fuerteventura’s Indigenous inhabitants, who left hundreds of foot-shaped engravings on its rock. For an easy volcanic hike, Calderón Hondo offers a marked five-kilometre circular trail starting in Lajares. The route takes around ninety minutes and climbs to a viewpoint beside the crater, with views across the northern badlands towards Lobos and Lanzarote.

Lajares is the closest village for cafés, bakeries, small shops and the island’s surf community. Continue west to El Cotillo for fishing-town streets, seafood and beaches that range from calm northern lagoons to broad Atlantic surf. On the opposite coast, Corralejo brings restaurants, ferry connections and the immense dune field of its natural park. Boats leave Corralejo for Lobos, a small protected island with volcanic trails, salt marshes, a lighthouse and clear water around Playa de la Concha. Visitor numbers are controlled, so permission should be arranged before travelling.

THE OWNERS

Casa Montelongo is the vision of Borja and Raùl. Their backgrounds brought together two useful perspectives. Raúl had worked in promoting rural tourism and small, characterful hotels in Gran Canaria, while Borja spent years in hotel management.

In La Oliva, they saw the possibility of preserving a part of the village’s social history while creating something unusually intimate. They brought in Néstor Pérez Batista, a Canarian architect based in Berlin whose previous work had explored how historic island buildings could be adapted without losing their structure or climate intelligence.

GOOD TO KNOW

Casa Montelongo is an adults-only property with two independent one-bedroom suites, each with a private kitchen. Street parking is available nearby. There is no restaurant, bar or permanent hotel reception. The team remains available throughout the stay and coordinates arrival in advance. Check-in is generally from 4 pm, and check-out is by 11 am.

Rates start at €250 per night for one suite, including breakfast, depending on the season and booking conditions. The entire property can also be reserved privately.