About
Finca Botánica
Our Canarian finca is a lovingly renovated rural home in the heart of Lanzarote. Located in the sleepy farmers village of Tao, the once family home, is now open to groups of up to 10 people with the intention of providing a space of restoration, connection and reset.
Tao, Lanzarote
The heart of la Isla, Tao is an unassuming place to land on. A traditional “campesino” village within the lava fields & jable of Lanzarote. The village is quiet yet celebrated and is famed for it’s lively “Sociedad” (Village hall & kitchen) & ‘Lucha Canaria’ history. Tao serves as an important cultural reference point for the island and it’s a privilege to open a door of refuge for those who wish to immerse themselves in the heartbeat and soul of Lanzarote.
House in the campo
Created over 27 years with an intention of nourishing a local minded and global community and celebration of culture, art and food.
Built
Originally in 1800, restored with love and patience from 1998 by Benn & Zoe at age 25.
Who are we?
We are a couple, Benn & Zoe, with now adult children, deeply rooted on the island we officially called home at 18 years old, in 1992.
We’ve always connected to each other and the communities around us through our respect and interest in artisan practices, the arts, nature, culinary cultures, local architecture, movement and differences in living.
We immigrated to the island in 1992 to be closer to the wind as Benn was competing as a passionate windsurfer at the time. And Zoe’s zest for life was affirmed by the islands naturally feminine pace and appreciation for nature, plant life and local identity.
Our shared passion for restoration saw us open an antique furniture shop, we renovated historical ruins, opened a bespoke carpentry workshop, introduced people to some of the islands most precious works of architecture in need of loving owners and finally, revived a cultural hub and restaurant called La Cantina which become our primary love and focus for 15 years, with three additional food and art hubs alongside it.
In September, 2024 - we retired from the restaurant world completely and focused on the remaining build and decorating on our truest longstanding love, Finca Botánica, the home we built from ruins over the course of 25 years.
Our kids are now grown up, and this home was built to be lived in actively, with intention, movement and was created to be a nurturing force. We’ve seen it up to this point, but always knew at some point, we would want to open it’s doors for other people, creatives, families, artists and thinkers to enjoy and live in.
Our somewhat restless need to always have a project has meant we completed the renovation of the Finca last September and almost immediately moved out. We found the first ruin we ever viewed as we were first falling in love with island, and there it was, in the same place, same state, but just about affordable for us to buy and restore the way we always dreamed of, 30 years later. Our love for restoration runs as deep as to see us move into the building site as we do it up… It allows us to live and breathe in the spaces we are creating. That seems to be our way.
So we’ve opened our doors to Finca Botánica in Tao with the intention of it becoming an expanded cultural hub, place of respite, connection and wellbeing. And occasional refuge for us when the cement dust gets a little too thick!
We are so pleased we are able to open the doors to our lifelong love, and grateful to all the people on the island that have helped us carve out this botanical sanctuary and vision. Thank you to all of our vecinos over the years for putting up with our music filled antics, loving us unconditionally & raising us as we raised our children, and now grandchild.
