Hotel that withstood volcano eruption on La Palma reopens
17 July, 2024Meliá Hotels International has announced the reopening this July of its iconic Sol La Palma hotel, located in Puerto Naos, next to the port of Tazacorte, in the south west of the island. The establishment thus consolidates its position as a symbol of excellence, resilience and solidarity a thousand days after the eruption of the volcano that forced it to evacuate its customers in record time.
On 19 September 2021 the eruption forced the eviction of 650 people from the iconic hotel, including guests, employees and their families. It was the largest evacuation ever carried out on La Palma (Canary Islands), and was completed in just 45 minutes, relocating everyone temporarily to an emergency overnight pavilion, from where they were transferred to two Meliá hotels in Tenerife.
Situated on an ancient lava tongue formed after the 1949 eruption, the area of Puerto Naos was not buried by lava, but was isolated and affected by residual emissions of toxic gases after the catastrophe. The hotel, operated by Meliá with apartments attached, is owned by Atom, and both the property and the operator have been committed to reopening from the outset.