Enjoy, luxury and culture in one place
They have passed through him Ava Gardner, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Gregory Peck or Maria Callas. It has also received princes and princesses, presidents and international personalities who found within its walls the ideal place to enjoy Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with the comforts and discretion of a luxury hotel.
We are talking, of course, about Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel recently awarded as Best Historical Luxury Hotel in Europe and Best Cultural Luxury Hotel in Southern Europe at the World Luxury Hotel Awards 2019. Both recognitions highlight the history, cultural value and tradition of this centennial accommodation, which has an extraordinary artistic heritage from the 19th and 20th centuries recently restored.
It is not only the oldest hotel in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, but also in the Canary Islands: saw the light in 1890 and is ever since a capital emblem. Its privileged location in the Ciudad Jardín residential area, in the very center of Doramas Park, made it a tourist and social reference point, especially in the late 1950s and 1960s.
The establishment was acquired by the City Council in 1923 and, in 1951, the new building designed by the renowned Grancanarian architect Miguel Martín-Fernández de la Torre , whose seal is preserved to date.
a historic facade
CANARIAN ARTISTIC HERITAGE OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURY
Now, the historic Santa Catalina hotel – a member of the Architectural and Cultural Heritage of the Canarian capital and one of the most significant examples of the regionalist architectural movement of the 20th century – reopens its doors thanks to Barcelo Hotel Group , responsible for a careful and Rigorous renovation that succeeds in extolling its original British identity and preserving its 19th and 20th century artistic heritage immersing the guest in an experience of five stars Grand Luxury.
The hotel keeps its history alive thanks to a project to restore the works of art that house some of its most significant rooms. The rehabilitation process has included the treatment of 19th century canvases and murals made in the 1950s of the last century.
Most of the works are signed by one of the great muralist painters of the Canary Islands, the renowned artist Jesus Arencibia . His name is added to that of other great masters of the archipelago who left their mark on him, such as Manuel Martin Gonzalez , considered one of the best landscape painters of the 20th century, and santiago santana , the last living exponent of the Canarian indigenous style and recognized as an adopted son of the capital of Gran Canaria.
Santa Catalina, a Royal Hideaway Hotel also pays homage to its Canarian roots with a spectacular set of mural pieces, the work of the renowned Canarian painter Fernando Alamo , adopted son of the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and 2014 Canarian Fine Arts Award winner. The works of the contemporary artist serve as a transition between the classic and historic part of the hotel and the new covered terrace that opens onto Parque Doramas.
The hotel is an authentic pictorial gallery
CANARIAN ART ALSO IN GASTRONOMY
The island and artistic spirit is also reflected in its gastronomic offer: its restaurant Poems by Hermanos Padrón take your name from pictorial project Poem of the Elements, of the renowned artist from Gran Canaria Nestor Martin-Fernandez de la Torre , brother of the architect.
Starting from the work of the modernist painter, the chefs Juan Carlos and Jonathan Padrón, only chefs of Canarian origin with a Michelin star and two Repsol soles, have managed to transfer the essence of some of the artist's most iconic paintings to gastronomic creations that not only stand out for their flavor, but also for their attractive presentation.
Poemas by Hermanos Padrón delves into the combinations that link art with cooking, betting on a fusion of international and Canarian flavors from the sea, land and nature.
These cultural and artistic merits, as well as the privileged location of the Santa Catalina, are just two of the many reasons why it is considered an absolutely extraordinary hotel . You can discover the rest yourself in the following gallery: