Hektor: A Vegan Island Retreat in Lanzarote | Bert Pieters

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Welcome to another episode of the World Vegan Travel Podcast! I’m Brighde, and today, we have a truly inspiring guest joining us—Bert Pieters. Bert is the chef, farmer, and host behind Hektor, a unique vegan guesthouse located on the breathtaking volcanic island of Lanzarote, Spain.

In this episode, we dive into Bert’s journey from a fast-paced career in advertising to creating a tranquil, plant-based retreat that seamlessly blends art, agriculture, and sustainability. We’ll hear about why Lanzarote, with its striking landscapes and rich energy, became the perfect place to bring this vision to life.

Bert also shares how Hektor offers more than just a stay—it’s an immersive experience, featuring beautifully themed suites, delicious plant-based cuisine, and even rescued animals that add to the charm. We discuss Lanzarote’s natural beauty, its commitment to sustainable tourism, and why this island is an ideal destination for eco-conscious travelers.

So, whether you’re a vegan traveler, a sustainability enthusiast, or simply someone looking for a unique travel experience, you won’t want to miss this conversation. Let’s get started!

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Transcript

Brighde: Welcome Bert. Welcome to the World Vegan Travel Podcast. 

Bert: Hi Brighde, how are you? 

Brighde: I'm really good, thank you. And I'm really happy to have you on to talk about your unique, I want to say vegan, accommodation, in a unique and special part of the world that I think a lot of Europeans enjoy and go to, but maybe not so many people from outside of Europe. And that is, Lanzarote in Spain. So before we get started talking about this as a destination, your incredible accommodation that you have there, would you mind giving us a little bit of background as to what brought you to this point? 

Bert: I think we decided tomove to Lanzarote four or five years ago in the midst of the pandemic, changing career paths from the rat race of advertising to a more slow and quiet life up in a volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean. It was quite a quick decision. I think we decided in two weeks to move and set up a plant-based vegan guesthouse, and so it started from there. 

Ah, fantastic. Why were you interested in Lanzarote? Why did you decide to go there? 

We had two options, very contrasting options. One was Lanzarote and the other one was mid to North Sweden. I think one of the reasons why we came here, is the high level of energy on the island. The very possibility to live very close to nature still. It's quite a specific climate, and at the same time, it's definitely for Europeans. It's a unique place within the European Union, because it's actually Africa. Because it's one of our few volcanic islands we have. So it's a unique and very energizing place to live. 

Brighde: I love it. I love it. Thank you. So tell us about your accommodation that you have created, not just for vegans, for anyone who wants to join. Tell us what the accommodation is like. 

 We have a guest house with five suites on a farm, in a small farmer village in the center. We combine actually three main pillars. That's the farm is one, the arts is the second, and the third one is the plant-based vegan food. So it's a very sort of eclectic mix of things you might say, but they end up working really well together. It's interesting to see people coming here for the arts, get them in touch with the food. So it's the mix of those three things that make our place a bit of a unique spot on the island. Is it by the coast or is it more in the mountains? 

We're  

Bert: on the hills. But if you drive 15 minutes, you're at the closest coast. You can walk to one of the most famous beaches. It's never more than 20 minutes to get to the ocean. 

So we wanted the ability to be a bit more quiet, maybe slightly off the grid, although it's very accessible, but it's a bit of an odd place, I think, on first sight, I guess, but it works really well. 

Brighde: Lovely. And is it surrounded by forest? What is the landscape and the climate like in Lanzarote? 

Bert: Unfortunately. 

Brighde: Or where your place is? 

Bert: Unfortunately, the last forest of Lanzarote disappeared with a wildfire about a decade ago. So there's practically no trees. We have palm trees and fruit trees on the island, but there's no real forest left anymore. So we're at about 400 meters above sea level which means that, if the winters have some rain, because it's very arid, it can get quite green in spring. And then the rest of the year it's quite dry, which gives lots of browns and blacks, because it's a volcanic island, of course, with a lot of rocks and rock formations. We've got great views up here. You can see East Coast, West Coast, if you climb a bit on the hills, so it's a very open island in that sense. It has plenty of ocean and volcanoes, and different landscapes to see.  

Brighde: I see. So, could you talk a little bit, or give us a put a picture in our minds of what the rooms are like, and maybe tell us about the services you offer, obviously, you provide vegan food, but what is that like? 

Bert: So we've got five suites. They're all different. They're all theme based. One of them is based on memories, our memories. It's full of memorabilia of our families and things we found here when we moved into the house. Then one is about discovery. It's a black and white suite with a pitch black bedroom. And plenty ofnew kind of arts and new kind of furniture. Then we have a studio room, a suite that is dedicated to the North, to Scandinavia. One that is dedicated to the green of Lanzarote, which is a very typical color because most of the windows and doors on the island are green. We have one room that is fully dedicated to that. And the last one is about graphic art. Coming from agency life, we couldn't leave our collection behind. All the rooms have, by now, works from artists that resided here, which makes it interesting as well, because they've changed all of the time. So that's one part of the island of Hektor. Another part is the farmland, of course. We've got about 20,000 square meters of farm, which we are regenerating. It's a working process.  

Brighde: That's a tall order. Well done for that. 

Yeah. It's on a hill. We climb up to the highest level, about 18, 19 meters above the house. So it's a challenging job. So that's the second part. We've got vegetable gardens. We've got about 350 new trees planted in the last couple of years. So it's growing step by step. And we noticed that more and more people start walking through the land as well, which is really nice for us. And a third part is, of course, our breakfast. It's real classics like egg benedicts, and pancakes but all in the vegan way, which makes it fun for people to experience that plant-based or vegan is actually quite nice, and doesn't have to be a huge step. Because, to be honest, 90 percent of our visitors aren't vegan at all, so it makes it fun for us to be able to have them,or to send them off with the idea that it's way less of an effort. And you also have, like a small sanctuary as well, right? 

Bert: We have some rescued animals. It changes because we're being offered rescue animals all the time. We've got a donkey, Sylvester which is a Majorera actually, a local breed. He was rescued from a 20 square meters stable where he lived for the first five years of his life. Yeah, he's really nice. If you give him a carrot twice, he'll bray when he comes home. I know when guests are giving him carrots because I first hear the car driving up the parking and then the braying, so I know, ah, he's been bonding with them. We've got three sheep, a duck who rules the sheep. A couple of neighborhood cats and a couple of our cats, a dog. We were hoping to adopt pigs anytime soon. Yeah, we're gradually growing. 

Brighde: I love it. I'm looking at your website now on my other screen here, and it feels like it's really in the countryside. You said it's in a small village. Given that, I don't think you offer dinner, is that correct? 

Bert: No, we don't offer dinner. I'd say at the moment, but, no, we don't offer dinner. 

Brighde: Yeah, that's entirely reasonable, you do whatever you want in your accommodation. But, something I'm curious about is, do people have to have a car to get to you so that they can go and enjoy their other meals? Or do they just eat something in their room at meal times, other meal times? 

Bert: There's small kitchenettes in the room. Most people have a car. Although we have a couple of guests who perfectly well manage doing it without a car. Lanzarote is an island that is oriented versus tourism. So taxis are super well available. It's not really big. So you get from North to South in about an hour by car. Which means that even getting a cab to drive you around is quite easy. It is possible, but most people come by car. 

Brighde: I see. Okay. As beautiful as your place sounds, I'm sure people do not just come to Lanzarote's. Especially from far away to go and stay at your lovely accommodation. For people who maybe are not familiar with Lanzarote, what are the big sort of things to do there? I know there's the beaches and it's a very nice summer destination for many Europeans, but I'm sure there's more to it than that. 

Bert: Yeah, there is. I think the first layer of Lanzarote will definitely be beaches, second layer is the volcanic landscapes, which then lead to huge vineyards. We have plenty of local wines, which are quite  

Brighde: famous  

Bert: by  

Brighde: Oh, wine! Interesting.  

Bert: Thethird layer will undoubtedly be the preservation of the island. It's a biosphere, so it's a completely protected island. One of the first of Europe, which means that architecturally wise, it's really quiet. Everything is quite similar. We're full of white houses with green doors, or blue doors. And then there's the work of César Manrique who was an artist from the, let's say, late 60s to 90s. It's really spectacular. So I think that those are the more well-known levels. Maybe adding surfing to that as the last one. It's quite a famous surf spot as well. And then there's so much to do that people have not discovered yet. It's a perfect island for hiking. There's quite a lot of sports. And it's a very mild climate. So even now we have in the daytime, easily, in the 20s with full sunny days. We have 15 rain days a year on average  

Brighde: We're recording this in January, listeners, by the way, so that is very mild. 

Bert: Yeah, it's really mild. Although we think it's a chilly winter because last year's at Christmas, we've always had 25, 26 degrees. This year, we're like four or five degrees below that. It's very good winter, very well known as a winter destination as well in Europe. So it's year round interesting and it changes year round as well. So very diverse, also visually. I think that makes it very special as well. You go from the North, which is very volcanic through our area. Rural farming, you get in the desert, you go in the wine district, a new volcanic area, and then a red desert at the end. It's six or seven landscapes in an hour drive, which makes it really impressive. 

Brighde: Something that maybe we should have made clear at the beginning of the recording is, the location. You said it's part of Africa, and I just had a little look on my map here. Really, it's very far South. It's kind of on the same line as the, disputed border between Morocco and Western Sahara, and it's quite remote, actually. I guess that explains the climate, a little bit. And, something I was curious about is, how do most people get to Lanzarote, which is part of the Canary Islands. 

Bert: As part of Canary Islands, most people come by plane, Either directly, I think, from Europe. Practically every country by now has direct flights to Lanzarote. Internationally, you fly to either via Tenerife or Gran Canaria or through Madrid or Barcelona and then fly in. But there's plenty of ferries too. There's daily ferries between the islands, and I think there's four or five ferries a week from the mainland to the islands as well, which we took, actually. When we moved here, we came by car from Belgium and drove all the way through the south of Spain and then took the ferry to Lanzarote. It takes about 30 hours. It's a long trip by boat, but it's worth the trip because you get the real experience, like you introduced where we are located. It is really down South. It's quite far from the mainland of Europe. To experience that, and to know that it's, I think, a valuable thing if you're on the island. 

Brighde: Yeah. I'm just having a look, and for listeners that don't know, there are quite, I don't know whether you would call it an archipelago of islands, but, there's like Tenerife just next door, there's La Palma from the recent TV show that I think has been a big hit. There's Fuerteventura as well. It sounds, it really does look like the Europe version of the Hawaiian Archipelago. 

Bert: Yeah. I think that's why the comparison is sometimes made there. It's eight big islands, with three ones close to each other. So Lanzarote, La Graciosa, which is now officially added to the big list. But it's quite small. Fuerteventura, which is one long, very impressive desert. Tenerife with the highest mountain of Spain actually. The Teide is the highest.  

Brighde: Really?  

Bert: Yeah. And it's also the highest cliff from close to the ocean. It's a very impressive mountain, very impressive volcano, with about three thousand something meters of altitude on an island. Franconaria with the one of the biggest cities of Spain. And then next to them you have, next to Tenerife, you have La Gomera, which is really nice as well, but it's one big crater. Traveling there is quite up and down, and La Palma, which you know from the series, and which is here.  

Brighde: I did watch  

Bert: it.  

Yeah. I haven't because when we moved, the eruptions were actually, which the series was inspired by, were actually going on. And I visited it this September. It's a beautiful island, and, the works, getting it back in shape, or close to be getting finished. But if you look at what massive impact those eruptions have. They're all different. Every cannery island has its own style and its own highlights, and they're very easy to travel between. So there's flights daily, several flights daily between every island. 

Brighde: I love it. So of course, the Canary Islands are very popular for beaches. You said that was one of the biggest draw cards. But what about hiking and really getting into this stunning nature that the Canary Islands have got to offer. 

Bert: This is quite a famous hiking route going from the north of the Canary Islands all the way down to the South. It takes about a month if you want to do it. So it's quite a long trip. So it starts here in Lanzarote. It actually walks about 200 meters behind our door. And that's one of the famous routes. I think the most well known islands for hiking will be La Gomera and Tenerife because they are a bit more, they have more trees. So there's a bit more shade. If you come hiking on Lanzarote, you have to be a little more experienced as a hiker because you're most of the time in the sun. So it takes a bit of training to get used to that. I can show you hikes where you won't walk into anyone and meet at least five deserted beaches on the way. So it is really impressive. There's great things to see by foot on the island which unfortunately, or luckily, a lot of people don't do it this time. I'm not quite sure what to think because I love it to go for a hike for 15 kilometers and not meet anyone. And that's still possible here. 

Brighde: Yeah. I'm just looking at the map here and there's quite a lot of natural parks there as well, and all of these kind of little, I'm guessing, mini volcanoes. It just looks like such a fascinating landscape and just wonderful to spend time exploring all of that. And the fact that it's in these islands, quite remote, means that it feels like a little bit more untouched than some of the other major resorts in Spain. 

Bert: It is very untouched, and I think Lanzarote is the best. Even the exception within the Canary Islands, because we don't have high rise, except for the capital where five levels is the maximum. Mostly, it's two or three levels of height, which is quite low. It is a very protected area. There's always a nature reserve pretty close, or a protected area pretty close. And there's quite some regulations which make that the island is visually calm, architecturally calm. We're one of the few places in the world where advertising is forbidden.  

Brighde: Oh, that's interesting. 

Bert: We don't have billboards on the roads. None. The last one is if you leave the airport and then you've seen it. So that makes it really, a totally different place to be at as well because a lot of people don't notice until you tell them. So sorry, I've given it away. It makes for a total different impression because you don't get distracted by advertising. 

Brighde: Yeah. We're just constantly being sold to, even when we are just walking out and about. What a nice way to have a break from that as well.  

I'm sure that vegans who come to Lanzarote would absolutely love to stay at Hektor and your farm, sanctuary, artistic retreat, all of the things that it is. Are there other experiences that vegans can have, it could be food, it could be something else. Are there other experiences that vegans can enjoy whilst they are on the island? 

Bert: It has quite a traditional basic cuisine because before tourism came, it was a very harsh island to live in, obviously. And that made for a lot of simple dishes, and plenty of them are actually vegan from lentil soups to famous papas arrugadas to fried peppers. So this, in tapas wise, is practically every restaurant, even if they don't know they have vegan options, has these vegan kind of things. And then, lately we've seen that a lot of restaurants are starting to offer more vegan options, which is really nice. All of our main restaurants, or even highlight restaurants, have vegan options. There's a new place opened in Arecife, La Lapa, which has plenty of vegan options. Theres a famous Japanese style restaurant in Puerto del Carmen, Canmore, which has always have vegan options. Our friends of Palacio Ico, hotel close by. We often go there to eat. Offers vegan options and then practically every bar, and, or restaurant at least has something. And if you ask, it's really nice people on the island, so they'll fix you something if you ask for it. 

Brighde: love it. I love it. That's great. 

Thank you so much Bert, for taking the time to be on the podcast and share with us. It's yet another little vegan, I want to say, hotel, but accommodation, bed and breakfast experience. It's interesting in Europe, this concept is becoming more and more popular, and I know that there are a few vegan accommodation options on some Spanish islands like on the Balearics for example. But to know that there is one in the beautiful Canary Islands is just so cool. So thank you so much for creating this opportunity for vegans and non-vegans. If people wanted to stay at your accommodation, and enjoy the space around there, would you mind telling people how they can find you, and what is the best way to book? 

Bert: Sure. First of all, thank you for having me. The easiest way to book is just to go to our website. If you go to Hektor, with a K, dot es, you can book straightaway there. If you have questions, just send us an email at hola@hektOr.es. So that's pretty easy too. And that's the quickest way to do it. We're there. Send us a message through Instagram if you want, hektorlanzarote, so we can help you from there. 

Brighde: I love it. And just to reiterate for listeners, Hektor is H E K T O R, so Hektor. es full stop. All right. Bert, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to be on the podcast. I can't wait to come and spend a little bit of time in this really special place that I've never been to. Thank you for all the work that you do, offering shelter for these lovely rescued animals, and I hope you continue to enjoy the few months left of the off-season. 

Bert: It's quite busy right now. 

Brighde: Oh, okay. Oh, yes, you said in wintertime it's busy. 

Bert: In a couple of months we'll be in an off-season, or a little less busy season. Thanks for having me, and I hope to meet you soon here. 

Brighde: Thank you.