Inspector Visits: Terra Dominicata, 3-Key Hotel Outside Barcelona
"A visit to Terra Dominicata, one of only five 3-Key hotels in Spain, does not begin like that of any other 3-Key hotel I’ve visited as an Inspector. This is not La Reserve in Paris, or Casa Cipriani in New York. I’m not ushered into a Hausmannian palace or greeted by a liveried doorman. After arriving here — in the midst of the mountainous Catalonian countryside a twisting two hour drive from Barcelona — I’m sat down, softened up with a cocktail, and told everything I cannot do. To say it’s a unique introduction to a hotel of this caliber is an understatement. In one of two main hotel buildings, both restored, centuries-old farmhouses that were once ancillary to the 12th-century monastery up the road, I’m told not to overuse my shower in order to save water. I’m told that lighting is kept sparse at night so as not to perturb the animals that live in the surrounding natural park and to preserve the starry skies. I’m told that my room has no television and only essentials — but that I’m welcome to trade in one of my own books for a new one from the estate’s massive collection." - The MICHELIN Guide
