P U E R T O D E L A C R U Z
TRADITIONAL HOUSES
Index Ex Convento de Santo Domingo Hotel Monopol Hotel Marquesa Cruz Roja Columbus Plaza Casa de los Agustinos Restaurante “La Casona” Restaurante “Rincón del Puerto” Restaurante “ Régulo” Restaurante “La Papaya” Casa de la Aduana Map Addresses
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About The traditional houses in Puerto de la Cruz are the symbol of the island. They are some of the oldest and most delightful buildings in the town, many of them with the symbol of Canarian architecture: the balcony. Even though the facade of many of them has been reconstructed, the interior preserves its original style. It represents the old Canary culture. Those houses hold the spirit of the Canarians. In all of them you will be more than welcome. Enjoy the Canarian culture and try our delicious food in our constant sunny weather.
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Next to the terrace of Mirador Wind Antiguo Punta is
located the antique convent of Santo Domingo. It stands on a street with the same name. The Dominican Orden finished the construction of the convent of San Pedro González Telmo around 1695. In 1778 the convent suffered from devastating fire. The reconstruction was conducted between 1781 and 1786 by the architect José de Bethencourt and Castro. Because of the process of confiscation in 1837, done by the state, the house passed into private hands. In the nineteenth century the building was property of Luis Rodríguez Figueroa, a respected attorney and a prominent politician. He was murdered in 1936, during the Civil War, for being a republican congressman. Until 2005 the house was owned by the Rahn family when it was sold to the City of Puerto de la Cruz, its current owner. It was set to be the host of the town hall.
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The following house, built by the Company of Hotels and Sanitarium
of the Valley of Orotava, was situated in Quintana street, on the corner of Punto FijĐž. This was in 1886. A house of two floors, with five elegant windows on the upper floor, and iron balconies - four on the lower floor and five on the top one. The central patio had a lovely stairway leading to the bed rooms. The majority of them, 28 altogether, were of generous dimensions and the upstairs rooms on the front side had balconies.
The house belonged to the Franciscan monks of Puerto de la Cruz and when it passed to the State as a consequence of amortization it was bought by Tomas Zamora Garrin, mayor of the city. After his death on November 16th 1882, his wife, Rose Gramperra y Godina, rented it to the Company of Hotels and Sanitarium of the Valley of Orotava in 1886 to establish a hotel named Zamora House. Afterwards it was renamed Hotel Monopol, under which name it has remained untill today, offering the same service.
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Exploring one of the loveliest houses in the city, the Cόlogan
family, built in 1883, is now one of the most delightful hotels in Tenerife. It is a first-class hotel, a three-floor family house of domestic Canarian style from the 18th century, in the Quintana street, with two closed glass-windowed balconies facing the main street. From the original central patio of the main house starts a lovely dark wooden stairway which leads to the corridors surrounding the patio, and there can be found all of the bedrooms distributed around a beautiful central passageway. The house was constructed by Bernardo Valois, for whom Juan Cόlogan Blanco, was working at the time. The matrimony of Juan with Margarita, supposed his participation in the familiar patrimony. Alexander von Humboldt (1799) stayed here when it was still a home for the Cόlogan family. In 1887 the Company of Hotels and Sanitarium of the Valley of Orotava rented the hotel from the family, changing the name after the death of Tomás Fidel Cόlogan, the proprietor, to Hotel Marquesa, a name that it still holds nowadays.
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Cruz Roja
It is one of the oldest buildings in the
town. It was built in the late 17th century and consists of two floors. The interior includes hotel-lobby features and a square with galleries to all four sides. The second floor is supported by high columns, made of stone and a cylindrical shank. At the upper ends of the galleries there are four gargoyles which formerly had snakelike heads. Over time, they were damaged and now, only their bodies remain.
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Columbus Plaza
The Columbus Plaza shopping centre was acquired by the Meul family (owners of Columbus S.A.). It in-
cludes different houses set in the corner of the street Quintana and Plaza del Charco, including the Portuense residence with the painter BonĂn. In 1979, both Columbus Plaza and Grill Restaurant (Rancho Grill) changed owners and later, on April 15th, 1983, suffered from devastating fire. The reforms lasted until 1994 and after that it re-opened as a mall, to this day the architecture, original facade and courtyard (patio) remains in the purest of Canarian styles. The facade contains wooden curved-framed windows with glass and floral elements as decoration, iron balconies run across the whole facade, as well as a tile roof with accessible ladder.
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Casa de los Agustinos
This house was built in the early 18th century as a private home. Around 1750 it became a business cen-
tre, specialising in import and export with the White House. The tower was built in the same year. During 1836-1867 the Consulate of Bremen was established. In the 20th century it had many uses such as: a Town Hall, a College House Headquarters and a private school belonging to the Augustinian congregation that continues to reside in it. Its facade recessed three plants. The courtyard has a diagonal structure on the left, from where a staircase, decorated with tracery, flows into a wide indoor gallery with windows. In the backyard there is a large square tower. It consists of a basement, five floors and a roof. It is a building of great importance in the Canarian architecture, not only from an artistic point of view, but because it is the only one remaining in the archipelago. It shows the importance of the commercial past of Puerto de la Cruz.
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Restaurante “La Casona”
La Casona is a typical Canarian restaurant
with international cuisine for fish, as well as for meat. It is located in a mansion with traditional upper floor indoor balconies. It has elaborate columns, a fountain, comfortable furniture and many hanging and standing pot plants, too. Ravishing sky-lights above a very high indoor yard gives an excellent time of day illumination. In the past centuries it was owned by the high society. Now, it is renovated to perfection in order to serve for eating out in the town. The food at La Casona is not only served in its indoor patio, but you can also order it outside on the veranda, where you may just enjoy some coffee, snacks or some drinks as well.
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In 1853 Nicolás Martínez constructed a house
situated in Plaza del Charco, today known as El Rincón del Puerto. It was the first serious attempt by a local person to establish a quality hotel in the area. It is a lovely Canarian house with two floors. It has access to the upper floors from the stairway in the central patio. After Martínez´s death on January 23rd 1855, it passed through various hands. His second wife, Juana Esquivel, was the first to open the house to the public. Afterwards, in 1857, it was rented out to Pedro Aguilar who kept it open for the longest period of time, until 1873. Mr. Aguilar renamed it as the Casino Inn. It had many guests of honour the brother of the Emperor Franz Joseph, the ArchDuke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria, His Imperial Highness, the great Duke Alexis Alexandrowich and Czar Alexander III.
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The restaurant RĂŠgulo was founded in 1986
and it is considered nowadays as one of the most emblematic restaurants in Puerto de la Cruz. Located in the central historical part of the town, near Plaza del Charco, was a house built in the 18th century. Restaurant RĂŠgulo has several dining rooms where you can enjoy a friendly atmosphere, excellent service and delicious food. The beautiful Canarian patio and several private dining restaurants make the ideal venue for events, celebrations and meetings. The hard, daily work and the effort of all the staff members have earned the restaurant recommendation in the Michelin Guide and the Repsol Guide.
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Choosing where to eat is often influenced by your
mood and the people you are dining with. La Papaya restaurant could be described as being three restaurants in one which means it caters for every taste and occasion. That eating place with the name of the pawpaw fruit is in a picturesque pedestrian zone with many small, colorful houses. Less than a five minute walk separates these from the centre of town and its little harbor. Located in a building built in 1865, the inner courtyard, surrounded by lovingly tended vеgetation, is ideal for the blossoming of a long standing romance. The pavement terrace takes in the ‘old quarter’ for lovers of historic settings and with the inside divided into three rooms, a family gathering will make you feel like you have your own private dining room. This restaurant is popular because of the quality of its food, the old favorites are mixed with ‘nouveau’ dishes, such as salmon in malvasia sauce and shrimp wrapped in bacon. La Papaya is a restaurant for all seasons.
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Casa de la Aduana
The Casa de la Aduana was erected in 1620 by the Franchy family, at a time when Puerto de la Cruz was beginning to attract rich and powerful trading elite of mainly Portuguese, English, French and Catalan origins. The building was an architectural complex that included the Battery of St. Barbara, the former Royal Customs warehouse and the living quarters of the Prieto-Alfaro family.
The Casa de la Aduana has been put to a variety of uses. It was original used as a tollhouse to ensure the compliance of rules and regulations of passage, but this was not its only fate. It also housed the British Consulate. The building shared the most passionate moments in the local history of Puerto de la Cruz, featuring at the center of festivities, political conspiracy, dubious commercial transactions, games, social affairs and gatherings, concerts and scandalous elopements involving ladies of high society.
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Addresses 1. Ex
convento de Santo Domingo
6.
Calle Iriarte
Calle Santo Domingo 2.
Hotel Monopol Calle Quitana
3.
Hotel Marquesa
Calle Quintana 4. C.C.
Columbus Plaza
7. Restaurante La Plaza del Charco
Casona
8. Restaurante Rincón Plaza del Charco 9. Restaurante
Calle Quintana 5. Cruz Roja Calle Agustín de Bethencourt
Casa de los Agustinos
del Puerto
Régulo
Calle Pérez Zamora 10. Restaurante
La Papaya
Calle Lomo 11.
Casa de la Aduana Calle Lonjas
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Created by: Radoslava Radkova Valentin Gurkov Tihomira Nikolova Kristina Bikarska
Photos taken by: Carlos Ventura
Reneta Dzhanavarova