The Lopesan Costa Meloneras Hotel (LCM) opened in the year 2000 and was, at that time, the largest on the island. With its classic, colonial design and proximity to the Faro, it was the evident inspiration for Consul Reed’s ‘bachelor’s pad’.
Alongside the nearby ‘Villa del Conde’ and ‘Baobab’ resorts, the real-world Costa Meloneras is owned by LOPESAN Hotel Group, which has a prominent presence in the Faro area. In fact, if you go there, you will see Lopesan’s flying fish logo everywhere (even on the food!). This is the same kind of ubiquitousness that the fictional NILSSON Group has in the novel’s world.
Despite my general dislike of the resort experience, I must say that all my stays at LCM—always for business reasons—have been excellent. That includes the room, the staff, and the overall facilities. For the avoidance of doubt, let me clarify that the sunbed rush described in the novel is a huge artistic license. Those scuffles, while well-documented in the Canaries, do not occur at any of LOPESAN’s high-end hotels. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a better-managed pool court than the one at LCM.
As a funny note, I had originally planned for Lund to visit the hotel’s renowned spa to book his neck massage and have his first contact with Yaiza there. Our hero’s initial boldness upon seeing the blond angel would have quickly turned to apprehension upon encountering the vagina-shaped door that once served as the entryway to the spa circuit (no kidding, you can still find it on Google). Acting like an overbearing host, Yaiza ended up forcefully dragging Lund inside the mysterious ‘opening’.
I ultimately discarded the scene when, amidst such evocative scenery, I found myself desperately needing subtext for my subtext.
The Fire Demon 