L'Hostal de la Gavina

L'Hostal de la Gavina Review

Orson Welles, who used to spend weeks at a time here, called this the finest resort hotel in Spain. Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne, Peter Sellars, and Sean Connery have all tasted the hospitality of La Gavina. Opened in 1932 by farmer-turned-entrepreneur Josep Ensesa, the original hotel grew from a cluster of country villas into a sprawling complex of buildings of extraordinary splendor. Guest rooms have marble floors, Oriental rugs, oak paneling, and ebony wardrobes inlaid in ivory. (The hotel employs craftsmen who do nothing but restore and care for the museum-quality furniture.) Adolfo Florensa, the last architect to work on La Gavina, added the elegant sea-water pool and terrace; the view of the Mediterranean from here is sublime.