Hotels are for the summer

From North to South, there are different types of hotels that adapt to the different personalities and preferences of their guests. Choosing accommodation becomes a question that goes beyond a simple location or the number of stars. The decoration, the smell, the lighting, the comfort in their rooms or their sophisticated gastronomic proposals are details that, increasingly, concern more and more travelers. We leave the city (and the heavy routine) to throw ourselves into enjoyment and relaxation. We do it with the excitement of finding an accommodation that makes us disconnect, to reconnect. An imposing 18th century manor house capable of capturing the magical essence of the island of Menorca, a quiet and calm luxury hotel with the largest swimming pool in Ibiza, a well-kept boutique hotel in a small Asturian village where the writer Rubén Darío slept back in 1905, the delicious gastronomic hotel that Michelin Star chef Pepe Vieira has launched in the middle of the Galician forests or the Malaga accommodation with the largest Spa on the Costa del Sol, where Princess Diana of Wales stayed in the nineties.

It’s time to travel and discover the most desirable hotels in Spain! Which one do you choose? Difficult choice!

SON VELL, THE MOST AUTHENTIC MENORCA

An imposing 18th century manor house, located in the south of the magical island of Menorca, becomes the perfect refuge for lovers of calm and absolute disconnection. Silence, here, is assured. This estate of more than 180 hectares, twenty minutes from the port city of Ciutadella and overlooking the sea, has been built through a delicate restoration process that has managed to respect the identity of this place for which it seems that time has not passed. VESTIGE SON VELL has thirty-four rooms, distributed between the main house and the traditional lambranza buildings, decorated with antique furniture and precious pieces of contemporary art. Here, it is possible to practice yoga and pilates at sunrise, enjoy a relaxing massage or a swim in its beautiful pool, an open-air cinema session at nightfall or fun horseback riding.

Its gastronomic proposal? It is inspired by traditional Menorcan cuisine, a tribute to the most popular recipes prepared with local products of the island. It has four gastronomic spaces, two bars (with more relaxed proposals) and two restaurants “Sa Clarissa” and “Vermell” (red in Menorcan), where the diner will find a perfect gastronomic mix between the most emblematic Menorcan dishes and original influences from countries like France or England.

OKU, THE RELAXED LUXURY OF IBIZA

When you step into the imposing lobby of OKU IBIZA you enter a new conception of luxury, a quiet and restful luxury. This well-kept accommodation, located a few meters from the renowned Gració cove, has become one of the most acclaimed of the busy Pitiusa island. It has 184 rooms, of different typologies, which are articulated around its main pool. It is not just any pool, it is the largest pool on the island. Fifty meters long, perfect for swimming or enjoying a cocktail while soaking, where the music of its resident DJ’s plays throughout the day. The fun, here, is assured. The rooms, which feature interesting ammenities from the New York firm Le Labo (its recognizable fragrance ‘Santal 33’), are built with a Mediterranean interior design in earth tones and completed with original pieces by artist Steve Tepas.

Breakfast, one of its best-kept secrets, is served on the terrace, with pleasant live music, an extensive buffet and a menu of hot dishes served on the spot. In addition, the hotel has a Japanese fusion restaurant, a proposal signed by the renowned chef Mark Vaessen, where diners (who do not have to be staying) can enjoy such delicious dishes as their Japanese wagyu gyozas, their black cod with miso honey and polenta or their original oysters.

GRAN HOTEL BRILLANTE, BETWEEN THE SEA AND THE ASTURIAN MOUNTAINS

This small boutique hotel, located in a historic building from the early 20th century in the beautiful Asturian village of San Esteban de Pravia on the banks of the Nalon River, is the perfect choice for those who love summers in the north, far from the high temperatures. This accommodation, surrounded by the sea and the characteristic greenery of the Asturian mountains, offers guests the interesting experience of sleeping in the same building that the renowned writer Rubén Darío chose to stay in back in 1905. The ‘Gran Suite’ of the hotel, very spacious and with the best views of the Nalón estuary, takes the name of the Nicaraguan writer, as a tribute. The emblematic GRAN HOTEL BRILLANTE has only fourteen rooms, all exterior and overlooking the port of San Esteban, built with noble materials and full of details of classic style decoration.

Its first floor has a restaurant, presided over by an imposing black marble bar in the “Art Deco” style, carefully restored, where diners can enjoy long and relaxed breakfasts or an interesting menu (available for lunch and dinner) in which local products become the absolute protagonists.

PEPE VIEIRA, GASTRONOMIC HOTEL IN GALICIA

Located in the far west of Europe, in the Galician town of Poio, PEPE VIEIRA RESTAURANT & HOTEL becomes the ideal accommodation for those seeking to connect with nature and the most sophisticated gastronomy. Many call this Relais&Chateaux “Landscape Hotel”, located on a 12,500 square meter property, it consists of fourteen sheds (original light cubes) literally enveloped by the native nature and the breathtaking views of the sea. Completely integrated with the surrounding landscape, it has an immense garden with a swimming pool, solarium area and even an organic vegetable garden. This gastronomic hotel also offers a long breakfast in five steps, an experience that aims to strengthen the relationship between the roots, the rural environment and gastronomy.

Don’t forget to visit its two Michelin Star restaurant, a gastronomic proposal inspired by the most authentic Galician cuisine and prepared with the best local products of the area. Chef Pepe Vieira makes the diner discover Galicia and its origins through a journey full of meaning, as each dish tells an interesting story. Many have already baptized his cuisine as “A última cociña do mundo”, which rescues almost forgotten recipes and condiments with a powerful vocation: the transmission of culture.

THE ZAMBRA, AN ICON ON THE COSTA DEL SOL

The reopening of this hotel represents the rebirth of one of the most iconic accommodations on the Costa del Sol, the former Byblos. LA ZAMBRA, located in the town of Mijas just half an hour from the city of Marbella, became one of the favorite hotels of the international jet set and royalty of the late twentieth century. Princess Diana of Wales, among other famous faces, chose it to stay during one of her visits to Spain in the nineties. It has the largest Spa in the area, 2,000 square meters in which the guest will find a large water area with jacuzzi, sauna, Turkish baths and twelve treatment rooms, perfect for disconnecting and relaxing. The hotel has 197 rooms, all of them with terrace and views of the golf course or the mountains, decorated in soft tones, natural materials and contemporary design furniture.

Its gastronomic proposal? It has four gastronomic spaces. “Bamboleo”, a fun tribute to Julio Iglesias (for years, a regular customer of the hotel); “Palmito”, an appetizing proposal that focuses its cuisine on the best known Mediterranean and international dishes using local products; “La Bartola” which embodies the spirit of the classic Andalusian beach bar and “Picador”, a ‘Neo tavern’ with a sophisticated atmosphere specializing in Spanish tapas and with a wide selection of wines and champagnes.

Editor: Álex de la Rosa

Álex is a journalist and a reference in the world of gastronomy, creator of the successful blog “Que no me la den con queso”.