Villa el Topo & Villa Awara by Rural La Palma

Tijarafe sits on the west coast of La Palma, between Puntagorda and Tazacorte, well away from the bustle of the island capital. It is farming country of banana plots, vines and almond trees, where ravines cut the land into wedges and the roads trace curve after curve above the cliff. From here it is an easy run to Poris de Candelaria, the tiny hamlet wedged inside a sea cave and reached by a narrow track, and to the paths that link up with the Caldera de Taburiente National Park.

The accommodation is two distinct villas rather than a resort: each is booked separately and each has its own pool and a sea facing terrace. La Palma is a Starlight Reserve, and on this side of the island, with a small village and little light around, the night sky reads clearly from the terrace itself. A stay works best with a car, because the distances between the western villages look short on the map but come as bends on the road.