Hotel Las Salinas
Architect: Fernando Higueras, 1977
Landscape, pools & murals: César Manrique
One of the most notable contributions of César Manrique to the appearance of Lanzarote besides the built work is the absence of some of the most common (and bland) signs of mass tourism, including oversized seafront hotel complexes. Manriques idea was to “harness” the expanding tourist industry in the 70’s, and build accommodations and infrastructure only in a native way and to a limited extend – thus turning Lanzarote into an exclusive destination rather than compete with the other Canaries on a mass-market basis. His strategy was somewhat successful at the time (although constantly challenged, and after his death in 1996 mostly not upheld), and as result the scale of the tourist industry’s impact on Lanzarote feels less overwhelming than nearby examples such as Tenerife.
One of the exceptions built in Manriques lifetime was the large five-star Hotel Las Salinas (now Meliá Salinas) near Costa Teguise, by the Spanish architect Fernando Higueras, whom Manrique hat met in the early 60’s in Madrid. Designed as a structurally bold concrete frame with organic references, the hotel could nevertheless easily have become yet another cruise ship-sized block simply occupying the Teguise seafront, but the cleverness of Higueras’ sweeping lines and stacking slabs has been successfully coupled with an indoor and outdoor landscape designed by Manrique, who also delivered a series of mural reliefs that contribute greatly to the feel of the interior.
The jungle-like internal water gardens occupy the greatest part of the groundfloor of the pyramidically stacked levels, and even drop a floor, thus allowing daylight into the lower (staff) levels and concluding the water’s course with a small waterfall. Partly indoor and partly outdoor, this grand atrium is the main attraction of the design and is today referred to as a “botanical cathedral”. In the bar and reception areas, Manrique’s cubist bas-reliefs in plaster and volcanic stone are a perfect complement to Higueras’ almost sci-fi reminiscent structures – overshadowing the otherwise pretty poor and standard fit-out of the interiors.
Outside, Manrique’s contribution has been to design a playful mix of natural and artificial elements in the grand “poolscape” occupying most of the seafront, with lava rocks and small islands turning the pools into something to explore rather than swim laps, and taking the previous pool designs, such as the ones found in the Jameos del Agua or in his own house, to the next level.
Hotel Las Salinas
Architect: Fernando Higueras, 1977
Landscape, pools & murals: César Manrique
One of the most notable contributions of César Manrique to the appearance of Lanzarote besides the built work is the absence of some of the most common (and bland) signs of mass tourism, including oversized seafront hotel complexes. Manriques idea was to “harness” the expanding tourist industry in the 70’s, and build accommodations and infrastructure only in a native way and to a limited extend – thus turning Lanzarote into an exclusive destination rather than compete with the other Canaries on a mass-market basis. His strategy was somewhat successful at the time (although constantly challenged, and after his death in 1996 mostly not upheld), and as result the scale of the tourist industry’s impact on Lanzarote feels less overwhelming than nearby examples such as Tenerife.
One of the exceptions built in Manriques lifetime was the large five-star Hotel Las Salinas (now Meliá Salinas) near Costa Teguise, by the Spanish architect Fernando Higueras, whom Manrique hat met in the early 60’s in Madrid. Designed as a structurally bold concrete frame with organic references, the hotel could nevertheless easily have become yet another cruise ship-sized block simply occupying the Teguise seafront, but the cleverness of Higueras’ sweeping lines and stacking slabs has been successfully coupled with an indoor and outdoor landscape designed by Manrique, who also delivered a series of mural reliefs that contribute greatly to the feel of the interior.
The jungle-like internal water gardens occupy the greatest part of the groundfloor of the pyramidically stacked levels, and even drop a floor, thus allowing daylight into the lower (staff) levels and concluding the water’s course with a small waterfall. Partly indoor and partly outdoor, this grand atrium is the main attraction of the design and is today referred to as a “botanical cathedral”. In the bar and reception areas, Manrique’s cubist bas-reliefs in plaster and volcanic stone are a perfect complement to Higueras’ almost sci-fi reminiscent structures – overshadowing the otherwise pretty poor and standard fit-out of the interiors.
Outside, Manrique’s contribution has been to design a playful mix of natural and artificial elements in the grand “poolscape” occupying most of the seafront, with lava rocks and small islands turning the pools into something to explore rather than swim laps, and taking the previous pool designs, such as the ones found in the Jameos del Agua or in his own house, to the next level.