Spanish mission-style dreaming — Photo courtesy of La Esperanza Granada
While the past two years have brought so many people hardship and suffering, and while the travel industry has had its own share of misery, out of the wreckage of the COVID-19 pandemic there have emerged some positive stories. This tale of a new hotel in Granada, Spain is one of them.
Christine Cunanan is a publisher and editor of the Southeast Asian luxury travel magazine Travelife. Her job takes her around the globe, with untold hours spent on airplanes and in hotels (her secretary informed her one year that she’d spent 225 days sleeping in hotels). Over the years, Cunanan has developed a penchant for boutique stays, and as she says, “The choice of a hotel can make or break a trip.” Thus, she has had ample opportunity to observe the fine details of luxury hotels and to critique the guest experience.
Christine Cunanan at La Esperanza — Photo courtesy of La Esperanza Granada
Right before COVID locked down the world of travel as we know it, Cunanan spent a week in the Pyrenees of Spain. A few weeks later, with the world closing as she flew into Tokyo, she fondly remembered her Spanish sojourn and had this spontaneous and impulsive thought to buy property in Spain. Upon landing, she went online and typed in “properties for sale in Spain,” and popped up this gorgeous mission-style hacienda on the outskirts of Granada. Within an hour, COVID be damned, Cunanan bought the property sight unseen and decided she would turn it into a luxury hotel.
Cunanan spent the following year turning the aptly named La Esperanza (“hope” in Spanish) into an eight-room intimate stay, hiring some of the best traditional artisans in Granada to transform the courtyard into a centerpiece of the property. Inspired by the famed nearby UNESCO-listed Alhambra palace, this grand open space is replete with intricate colorful tiles and a fountain, palm trees, and with low-laying architecture giving plenty of room to admire the eternal blue Andalusian sky.
Alhambra-inspired courtyard — Photo courtesy of La Esperanza Granada
Inside, the salon has been transformed from an empty barn to a cavernous gathering room with a warm fireplace, perfect for winter morning breakfasts. Personal touches from Cunanan include a handmade stone table inlaid with lapis lazuli and rose quartz, carved mirrors with bone inlay, and paintings of flamenco dancers, all part of Andalusian culture and Old World elegance.
Rooms here feature private patios, Moorish tiles and vaulted wooden ceilings. The master suite has its own living room, dining room and kitchen, as well as a Juliet balcony with double doors that looks out over the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains. And while you certainly won’t be in a hurry to leave, the resort does offer an array of activities that range from horseback riding trips to traditional flamenco classes, sommelier and wine tasting experiences, ski lessons in the winter and an assortment of private Andalucia trips and tours to ensure you’ll never be bored.
The inviting salon at La Esperanza — Photo courtesy of La Esperanza Granada
La Esperanza has become a member of the LVX Collection of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, and Conde Nast Traveler also named the property “the most romantic hotel in Granada,” a just moniker, as the hacienda overlooks the gorgeous Lecrin Valley, famed for its whitewashed homes and farms. The immaculate gardens, facade and large public spaces here are perfect for weddings, and La Esperanza has seen a steady flow of couples and families coming here to celebrate their special occasions.
Cunanan says that she’s received many letters and poems from newlyweds who’ve shared a magical experience here, one reading, “There can be no better name for this hotel than La Esperanza, for I was looking for hope at exactly this time and I found it here.”
All the right choices seem to have been made at La Esperanza. From small personal detailed touches, such as antique tapestries, a quaint library and a 1903 Bechstein grand piano sitting in the living room, to the outer amenities, like the inviting expansive swimming pool, tennis court and hot tub, all beckon guests to stay awhile and take it easy.
There’s also a yoga and meditation platform in addition to a wellness spa, and the property boasts five hectares of private gardens and forests to wander in. Not to mention, there are those dreamy Sierra views, gorgeous both by day and by night.
La Esperanza by night — Photo courtesy of La Esperanza Granada
And what does Christine Cunanan think the future has in store for La Esperanza Granada? She thinks we’ll be looking for more holidays amidst nature and with plenty of space – after being cooped up without either for so long – and that travelers will want to pamper themselves with luxury and beauty.
As she says, “Beautiful places make the mind calm and the heart joyful, and these two emotions have been in short supply during the COVID pandemic.” With its romantic setting and bespoke offerings, La Esperanza is certainly poised to ensure that our fanciest travel whims will be coming back wholeheartedly.
