Eric Nadler
Google
My wife and I have spent the better part of 20 years traveling the world. Sadly, without children, this has been our most treasured shared passion. During our travels, we usually use an agent and have historically been connected with many of the world's most luxurious properties- Four Seasons, Aman, Ritz, Park Hyatt, Singita and on and on. Although we had been in a few gorgeous "boutique" hotels, they had been the paucity of our experience. After coming to Casa Beatnik, I am not sure if I can enjoy the aforementioned properties in the same way again.
I will start with the food. The morning coffee, the morning wellness drink, the cocktails at the pool, the cocktails in the evening bar. Each were carefully curated and special. Nothing was routine or not carefully thought out. Also each was prepared with care and exceptional. Literally every single one. Then, I learned that the ownership group got its start in restaurants and upscale bars in Chicago. It figures and it shows. The food was just as exceptional. I like to think of myself as a blueberry pancake connoisseur - Ihop (still awesome), Ritz sunday brunch in Paris, Four Seasons Tokyo had been my favorites historically but these were AMAZING. I had them everything single morning of the 5 days and still dream about them. The lunches we had were exceptional (we had two) and the three dinners were magical. The kitchen had been trained I learned by the group from Chicago and everything was just incredible. They had Oysters in iberico ham oil flamed at table side. They had me at Normandy (French) oysters and Iberico ham. I didn't think you could combined them, but whoever had that idea was a genius. The food was easily comparable to any Michelin establishments or fine dining establishments we had been at. A++++++++
The room was fantastic. We were right above the lobby. It was large, it was quiet (I took naps each day) and I could not hear anything. It was gorgeous and each room is a little different than the others. It made it even more special.
The staff were exceptionally attentive. We were even lucky enough to meet the chicago family that designed it. They are lovely and so friendly. We didn't even know they were there and it was such a pleasant surprise when another guest mentioned they designed and owned it. We have to try their chicago places on our next visit.
Lastly, what brought us to Galicia?? We had been to Spain 15-20 times over the years (we obviously love it). We love the food, the culture, the fact that 6 year old children and 80 year old grandparents start dinner at 11 pm, the fact we are expected to nap each afternoon. What is not to love. That being said, we had never been, nor necessarily heard much about Galicia.
We have been missing out. It had incredible seafood (which we love and I am from Boston). It had wonderful beaches that were within 30 minutes, the town was remarkable and I learned all about "El Camino" which it turns out is not just the sequel of breaking bad or a bad-ss car, but one of the world's most important and substantive pilgrimages. When visiting the the Church of Santa Maria in Santiago, you really can appreciate the grandeur of both the city as well as its importance spiritually to many within the world. It is breathtaking.
The hotel has its own wine and vineyards and we spent each morning walking with coffee in the vineyards before we began a hike (short walk) to a portion of the Camino. Then I would play tennis (I met someone on property who enjoyed it as well) and the day they couldn't play I used the ball machine which is on the premises. It was awesome.
To summate, Wow. The hotel was magnificent. The food was literally perfect - breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was certainly NOT routine hotel food. The grounds of the hotel had enough biomes - amazing pool and lounge area, yoga area, walking through the vineyards (we even had sundowners there one night with a cigar), sauna, tennis, great hiking, etc, etc etc, but Galicia was also a hidden gem .
We cannot wait to go back ASAP and next time one week instead of just 5 days
