Time passes for everyone and its wear and tear leaves its mark on everything that is ephemeral. Even historical monuments can deteriorate over the years if they are not cared for as they deserve. In 2006, Casino Taoro decided to close its doors in the municipality of Puerto de la Cruz, on the island of Tenerife.and finished its operation in a place with a lot of charm.
The Grand Hotel Taoro It was dedicated on December 22, 1890. Its purpose at that time was nothing other than to serve as accommodation for visitors who came to the Canary Islands from all over the world. The French architect Adolphe Coquet laid the foundation stone for a majestic building that, together with its gardens, captivated the whole of Spain.
With the arrival of the 20th century very close by, the complex became the first major hotel in Tenerife and the world first luxury building to open its doors in the country. Her legend says she shaped a before and after in island tourism, to the point where she put on the map a town of just under 5,000 people of which she could be the great flag bearer.
Illustrious Hispanic historical figures such as Agatha Christie, Joaquín Calvo Sotelo or King Alfonso XIII came to pass through the inn, and members of foreign nobility such as Duke Edward VIII, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer or the kings of Belgium. Not for nothing with over 15,000 square meters of space and more than five years of construction.
The central body was ready in the year of the inauguration, but the two wings, designed to culminate in a U, did not finish their work until 1893. The Taoro had more than 210 luxurious rooms, a dining room for a hundred guests, a large lobby, a library and a billiard room. Also built into it first tennis court in the Canary Islandsas well as French and English court gardens.
Once its activity begins, the number of visitors to Puerto de la Cruz will increase tenfold, although shareholder investment will also double, based on what was originally planned. The tensions in turn-of-the-century Europe envisage only a transfer of ownership into German hands, eventually returning to their original owners with no escape for anyone.
Finally, after many setbacks, it is the Cabildo de Tenerife that survives with the operation of the Hotel Taoro and In 1979 the conversion to the casino began. Since gambling was allowed after the end of the Franco dictatorship and online casino presence is still a long way off, Casino Taoro was active for 27 years, until 2006.
Then those responsible for the games room decided to move it to the Lago Martiánez complex, where it would coexist as a holiday town with many other leisure facilities. And the Taoro had no choice but to close and be forgotten. In the case of a historic building, not even basic care was taken into account. And that he could now return.
New remodeling plans
Thirteen years without knowing anything about Gran Hotel Taoro or Casino Taoro. Tenerife Municipal Council has made efforts to publicly advertise its lease, but there have not been many proposals. He remained on deaf ears up to four times. Renovating a place like this is quite a hassle for any business, and the industry has been the main contributor to the island’s economic prosperity for more than a decade.
However, In 2019 the Hotel Tropical Turística Canaria appeared with a good plan and that he meant it too. Work started in early 2020 and the exterior of the old casino received a new atmosphere. It seemed like the Taoro was coming back to life until the pandemic and ensuing crisis wiped it out again.
Due to the extraordinary panorama of the health emergency, the promoter requested and was granted a postponement of what was agreed with the government authorities. But once that moment in Spain is over, 2023 is the year of the return of jobs in Puerto de la Cruz.
The aim of the Tropical, thanks to an investment of around 30 million euros, is to once again reach the luxury hotel category and achieve these five stars. In Tenerife it already has other references of this type such as “Las Terrazas de Abama Suites”, making it a guaranteed real estate agent to entrust with the keys to ancient Taoro.
Also, the location couldn’t be more ideal. It is high enough to offer a full view of Puerto de la Cruz and the Atlantic Ocean. Canyons, sandy beaches, wastelands and cones formed by the eruptions of the La Horca volcano (15th century) surround the Parador.
Now it remains to be seen what exactly it will be used for and whether the work of its initiators will bear fruit. The Taoro has never stood out for being a project that has been too economically sustainable since its inception and that aura could haunt it in an uncertain time like the one we live in. At the moment it only remains to be seen.
