Cortijo de la Seda

Óscar Cubillo spent years in luxury hotels. The Westin Palace in Madrid. The opening of The Westin in Valencia. Then in 2008 he decided he was done. Finished. Never again.

But sometimes things don’t go according to plan. He and his partner Gigi de Vidal started browsing for a small apartment in Lanzarote where Óscar originally came from. They stumbled across a 1785 mansion in the historic village of Teguise. It had been empty for five years. And, as they say, the rest is history.

Casa de las Flores opened in August 2022 after four years of careful restoration. It's not a conventional hotel. Five rooms. A hidden courtyard. A six-course breakfast that Óscar cooks himself every morning. The personal touch is palpable, you feel it in the way Gigi has dressed the space, and in Óscar’s decision to cook breakfast himself every morning.

Where You Sleep
There are five rooms and suites in all. Each one connects to the central courtyard. Decorated with pieces by local artists and artisans, plus tapestries Gigi designed herself under her label SECA Studio. The original bones of the building are still there—interlaced-beam ceilings, stone floors worn smooth over centuries, irregular whitewashed walls, intricate woodwork. They kept all of it, built around it instead of covering it up. Colours come from Lanzarote's volcanic landscape. The couple’s attention to detail can be summarised by Gigi patiently studying the light for ages before she touched a single wall. The idea here being to makle the light do the work.

Most rooms have king-size beds. The ground floor room, La Salita, has a queen. All have walk-in rain showers, vegan toiletries by Damana, Alexa devices, smart TVs, hand-picked art. The sheets are 300-thread-count satin, changed only on day three—a sustainability thing. Óscar will explain it with the quiet conviction of someone who's clearly thought about it more than most people do.

The El Patio Suite has its own private courtyard and a heated dip pool. Less a hotel room, more a private apartment tucked at the back of the house. The El Balcón Suite is the only upstairs room, with a traditional Canarian wooden balcony looking over the courtyard and Teguise rooftops. Both are worth the extra money.

Backstory
Gigi is a costume designer—theatre, cinema, TV, wedding dresses. Her creative instinct is everywhere in Casa de las Flores. Óscar is a hotelier who as we mentioned above didn't want to be a hotelier again. He also spent seven years as a cook. His grandmother was from Teguise. Together, they spent four years working with local craftsmen—including Don Manuel the carpenter, whose work Gigi says belongs in the Prado Museum.

Experiences & Activities

Breakfast at Casa de las Flores is quite an experience in itself. It’s not a buffet and there’s no menu. Basically, Óscar just asks what you can't eat or don't like. Then from 8am, he cooks. It can be anything from deconstructed pavlova, smoked salmon brioche, or perhaps gofio, roasted pata, a fresh fish sandwich with coriander mojo that shows you how Lanzarote's fishermen have always started their day. Breakfast is served at the long dining table or on the courtyard terrace, with the bells of the 15th-century church in the background. So please don’t come expecting normal service.

Beyond that, they run wine tastings and evening gatherings. The courtyard—potted palms, lipstick-red cushions (a nod to César Manrique)—is where most of the quiet pleasures happen. Gigi and Óscar are around to recommend restaurants, hidden beaches, anything you need. They know Lanzarote the way people who actually love a place do.

Teguise itself is great for wandering. Former capital, mostly pedestrianised, with galleries, restaurants, and a Sunday market that takes over the main square. The César Manrique Foundation is a short drive. La Geria—the wine region where vines grow in volcanic craters—is close. Famara beach for surfing. Timanfaya National Park, which looks like the moon, is thirty minutes west. The northern villages of Haría and Arrieta (palm groves, seafood restaurants) are practically on the doorstep.

We Think You'll Love (honestly, just our favourites)

•         Óscar's breakfast. No menu, no buffet, just whatever he thinks is right that morning.

•         The El Patio Suite's private courtyard and heated dip pool. Book it if you can.

•         Gigi's tapestries. They look like art because they are.

•         The Sunday market in Teguise's main square. Five minutes on foot.

•         Those volcanic stone bedside tables. 250 kilos each. Found in an abandoned warehouse.

•         A wine tasting in the courtyard as the evening cools down.

•         La Geria. Vines growing in volcanic craters. One of the strangest and most beautiful wine regions anywhere.

•         The fact that Óscar's grandmother was from Teguise. Some connections just run deep.

Getting There & Getting Around

Lanzarote Airport is about 20 minutes from Teguise by car. You'll want a hire car to explore the island. Distances are short, roads are good, and the landscape between stops is worth the drive. Teguise itself is pedestrianised—best seen on foot.

From the hotel, most of Lanzarote's highlights are easy to reach. César Manrique Foundation is fifteen minutes. Famara beach is close. Timanfaya National Park is thirty minutes west. La Geria wine region is a short drive south. Costa Teguise beaches are nearby if you want sand without a long trip. Northern Lanzarote—wilder, quieter, with the palm-filled village of Haría and the seafood spots in Arrieta—is practically next door.

One thing to know: Casa de las Flores is adults-only, unless you book the whole place as a group. Five rooms, max ten guests. The village of Teguise seems to conspire to keep it quiet.

Óscar swore in 2008 he'd never work in hotels again. Casa de las Flores is what happens when you break a promise and get it spectacularly right.