The Bungalows of Famara are a reminder of the original foreign tourism pioneers on Lanzarote and the Canaries – not the British nor the Germans, but the Scandinavians.
If you head to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, take a moment to visit C/Luis Morote 41, just a street or two away from the stunning Canteras beach. Here you’ll find a cosy coffee shop, the Casa Suecia, that seems a little old-fashioned. But you may be surprised to learn that it was established by a Swedish couple in 1961, before tourism had even begun on Lanzarote.
Although the amount of Scandinavian tourists has declined in recent years, evidence of the strong Scandinavian presence in the 1960s and 1970s can still be seen. A good example is the presence of Fred Olsen, the shipping company that still forms one of the most important inter-island ferry services.
On Lanzarote, the Bungalows of Famara, nestled snugly beneath the Famara cliff, are one of the oldest tourist complexes on the island, a remnant of a time when planning laws were far more relaxed, and tourist development had not yet been restricted to three resort areas.
The bungalows were designed by Canarian architect Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre, brother of the famous symbolist artist Néstor. Miguel also created the famous Casa Néstor and Hotel Santa Catalina in las Palmas. Norwegian architect Per Órnulf Oien also collaborated on the project and the bungalows were constructed between 1969 and 1972 and marketed in that country.
The design of the bungalows, slightly sunken and surrounded by a curved wall of volcanic rock, is based on the zocos (the walled hollows that each contain a vine) of La Geria, and this design, as well as the natural low-lying nature of the bungalows, helps provide shelter for an area that can suffer some ferocious weather.
The Bungalows are a reminder of the “wild west” of Lanzarote planning, and some environmentalists have called for their demolition, but this seems unlikely, especially as they are among the most desirable properties on the island, with current owners including ex -Spanish Prime Minister José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero and model and actor Jon Kortajarena.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!