Seven years after its closure, deterioration and subsequent restoration, the old viewpoint of Mazapéin the upper part of San Juan de la Rambla, faces a new life converted into a new rural hostel for hikers. The Ramblero City Council will close this Monday, May 2, the deadline for submitting offers to take over the lease and operation, for a period of 10 years, of this service and the nearby Pico de la Grieta gofio mill. The municipality is looking for a manager who is in charge of setting up two facilities that will help reposition San Juan de la Rambla on the island tourist map.
The Mazapé viewpoint is a jewel and, at the same time, an ordeal for San Juan de la Rambla. Its construction began in the last years of the 20th century, it cost 725,000 euros and it was inaugurated in 2005. Its spectacular panoramic views of the entire north, from Buenavista to Punta del Hidalgo, are an undeniable attraction, but its isolation prevented it from operating as a restaurant. Three administrative concessions failed and the facility was closed in 2015. Vandalism depleted and destroyed the old viewpoint until, in November 2018, the Consistory began the renovation works, which cost more than 200,000 euros.
The rehabilitation concluded in mid-2019, but the tender for this shelter with capacity for 22 people ran into the change in the Mayor’s Office and the subsequent pandemic, which has delayed its conclusion until 2022. The mayor of San Juan de la Rambla, Ezequiel Dominguez (PSOE)announced in mid-April the beginning of the bidding period for the exploitation, through lease, of the new Mazapé hostel for the exercise of rural hostel activity, in addition to the gofio mill of Pico de La Grieta and surroundings of both spaces. “Thus fulfilling the commitment to rescue the old Mirador del Mazapé building from ruin thanks to a comprehensive remodeling that gave it a new use more in line with the environment and the needs of the municipality,” he explained.
That period ends this Monday and in the Rambler Consistory They trust that the process will be completed satisfactorily so that this facility can be commissioned before the end of the year. For the mayor, “that the hostel for hikers begins to function shortly, together with the attraction of a gofio mill converted into a museum, would be a milestone for the local tourism sector and would become a a key resource for the development of our visitor attraction strategy».
The Ramblero City Council promotes the lease of the Mazapé rural hostel, next to the Pico de La Grieta gofio mill, which will offer a service that does not exist in the region.
is anticipated an initial 10-year contract, with the possibility of extension for annual periods up to a maximum of 20 years. This building has an area of 284 square meters distributed in five bedrooms with capacity for 22 hikers, dining room, toilets, reception, storage room and laundry, as well as several garden areas and a large car park. Situated in the protected natural area Los Campeches, Tigaiga and Ruizis located in the middle of several trails of great importance that run through the Ruiz Ravine and link the coastal area with the mount and the Teide National Park.
The Pico La Grieta gofio mill, restored in 2014, is also included in the tender. It is one of the few mills that are preserved in the area and used water as an energy source. It has a warehouse, an auxiliary room and a cistern, as well as an adjoining farm made up of orchards and terraces that surround the area. Located in the upper part of the Barranco Ruiz park, next to the access to the neighborhood of La Ramblahas a recently restored entrance that connects it with the park and with the path that runs along the ravine.
