DIEGO'S HOTEL CRUSH

We chat with our dear CEO and co-founder, Mr Diego Calvo, about the latest hotels he absolutely adores. With the Mediterranean Sea as a backdrop, we take a trip with this restless wanderer to the places that have made an indelible impression on this travelling hotelier.

By Laura Martínez

Let's start with one of the hotels that occupies a prime spot on Diego's radar: La Minervetta. "I went on a wonderful trip with my girlfriend along the Amalfi Coast: Amalfi, Capri, Positano, Sorrento... and it was precisely this last place that we fell most deeply in love with. The reason? A hotel called La Minervetta. "This boutique hotel on a small cliff in Sorrento is a real gem. Its owner, Marco de Luca, is passionate about interior design, art, and design... and that passion is present in every corner. His fascination with Ettore Sottsass is reflected in a kind of altar in the lobby, where there is a large table with a huge variety of vases, glassware and colourful objects designed by the Italian. La Minervetta also has elements such as the famous Ultrafragola mirror by Sottsass for Poltronova and the fantastic Carlton Memphis colourful bookcase. "The hotel's exceptional location, with the sea in the foreground, makes the furnishings (inspired by American vacation homes, with elements such as the Adirondack chairs in white, red and blue) look infinitely more striking. Calvo raved about the breakfast, served in a kitchen/lounge where you can make your coffee in a huge, colourful mug made by a local artisan. "I really liked the hotel shop, where they sell Assouline books, design objects and merchandising."

Photos: La Minervetta

Moving on from Italy, we head off to Greece, which Diego visited for the first time at the end of summer 2023. "I really wanted to see Athens, so the capital was the first stop on this wonderful trip. We chose two hotels with a lot of character, Mona and Shila, designed by Eftihia Stefanidi and her team from the interior design studio House of Shila. Shila is located in an ethereal 1920s building in the Kolonaki area, the heart of Athens. "It has that elegant and sensual touch, with a very particular and familiar atmosphere," says Calvo. "Mona is in Athens' most vibrant neighbourhood, Psirri, and lends itself more as a space where artists can converge and meet. Art is everywhere; I love that you can buy the artwork hanging throughout the hotel and the clothes hanging in the wardrobes." The charmingly chaotic Athens is visible from Mona's rooftop, which can be rented for events and meetings. Another highlight is the speakeasy in the basement, which has an industrial feel.

Photo 1: Mona Athens / Photo 2: Shila Athens

From Athens, we take a boat trip to the island of Santorini, the second stop on Diego's Greek odyssey: "We were amazed by the Kivotos hotel, located in the Imerovigli area, facing the Aegean Sea, and you can see the island's volcanic caldera very close by. Santorini is the result of a massive volcanic eruption that destroyed much of the ancient island's territory and led to the creation of this geological caldera (crater) that Diego tells us about. "Kivotos pays homage to the island's origins; the room we stayed in imitates the shape of a volcano, with lights that recreate a lava effect, and although white is predominant on Santorini, the hotel is dark grey in colour, like the first houses that were built on Santorini. The owner, Philip Michopoulos, is utterly devoted to the island, and everything at Kivotos seems designed to pay homage to it. "Our room was simply spectacular - complete with sauna and indoor pool - and the hotel’s restaurant, Mavros, is a feast for the senses. Philip has one of those places you always want to return to."

Photos: Kivotos Santorini

Our next stop is the fantastic Hotel Corazón in Mallorca’s Sierra de Tramontana mountain range, another place you’ll long to return to. Situated between Deià and Sóller, this idyllic palace was renovated by the Moredesign studio in conjunction with its owners: London photographer Kate Bellm and her husband, landscape designer Edgar López. "This Mediterranean oasis is my greatest discovery this year. A small 12-room hotel with one of the most beautiful receptions I’ve ever seen. The reception counter is a piece that the artist Jasmin Bawa sculpted during her artistic residency, and it recreates the shape of Kate’s favourite rock. Corazón extends over the Mallorcan mountain range, filling it with cactus gardens and a vast organic vegetable garden, the mainstay of the restaurant’s menu. "The hotel’s merchandising has all the details that I love: hand-painted ashtrays, matches, Kate’s photography books, jewellery from local artisans, hotel T-shirts and sweatshirts..." The rounded shapes are characteristic of the Mediterranean, the pool overlooking the Tramontana, the fabulous breakfast, the dreamy bed with mosquito netting in the Baba Royale room... It’s impossible to choose just one thing."

Photo: Hotel Corazón

We complete our hotel tour on the Costa Brava at the Hotel La Bionda in Begur. "La Bionda is one of my favourite hotels; every detail is taken care of with great attention. Carla, the owner, has done a fantastic job with the interior design and restoration of this 17th century building by Quintana Partners Studio. Everything about this place is a highlight, but I’d like to mention the tranquillity it exudes, the wonderful reception with Wes Anderson touches, and the bathtubs in the rooms (what bathtubs!). Man, I could stay here to live." If we are talking about the Mediterranean, Catalan singer Serrat already said it all: "You leave, thinking to return, you are like a woman, perfumed with the scent of tar, who is longed for and loved, who is known and feared... Oh!

Photo: La Bionda