World’s smallest hotel on El Hierro no longer exists, and the smallest island of the western Canary province can no longer claim this title.
Hotel Puntagrande on El Hierro closed its doors at the end of 2023. One of the reasons cited by the owners is the lack of government attention to its immediate surroundings.
There was, however, a special atmosphere in this four-room hotel, known on the island as ‘El Hotelito’, not only because of its unique location but also due to the long history of this remarkable place.
From Warehouse to Bar-Restaurant
The building dates back to 1830, a small house of barely 40 m², built on a rocky headland. It quickly became the center of trade in the valley, where wine, fruit, and other products were stored before being exported worldwide.
Even the water from the Pozo de la Salud, a mineral-medicinal spring that has been attributed healing propertiessince the 19th century, was shipped from there.
The unique features of the building, along with its idyllic location in an oasis of beauty and tranquility in the middle of the ocean, soon transformed it into a lodging place for tourists and travelers.
In 1948, Francisco Padrón Villarreal fell in love with this place and acquired the property. However, it was only years later, in 1969, that it became a bar-restaurant.
The Smallest Hotel in the World
In November 1975, the deteriorated building was restored by architect José Luis Jiménez Saavedra, who minimized the environmental impact on the hotel while ensuring its structural safety, even during the frequent storms that affect the area.
The architect took a careful approach, integrating the building into the surrounding landscape by using natural elements such as noble wood found in various places and lava stones used to construct the building’s walls.
In 1984, the Guinness Book of Records recognized Hotel Puntagrande as the smallest hotel in the world. That same year, Spain’s Ministry of Information and Tourism awarded Puntagrande Restaurant the official bronze plaque for Tourism Merit.
In 1991, the Canarian government granted the hotel the Silver Medal for Important Tourism, and in 2019, Hotel Puntagrande was added to the list of Cultural Heritage Sites (BIC) in the category of Ethnological Sites.
The Government Is to Blame
The current owner and operator of the small hotel, Davide Nahmias, states that the government has failed to guarantee security. The building has been attacked several times, some incidents showing xenophobic characteristics.
In 2021, Nahmias reported an intimidating and racist attack, where graffiti was painted on his property. He refuses to deceive his guests by offering them an unparalleled setting when the surroundings are in a lamentable state. Furthermore, a nearby parking lot has been built, where loud music and drinking sessions last late into the night.
Despite the closure, Nahmias will not abandon his Hotelito, as he refuses to allow a building recognized as cultural heritage to be destroyed.
Hotel Puntagrande © Photography
World’s smalst hotel on El Hierro ©
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