Spaniards in Thailand
It has a Basque restaurant. A Basque restaurant north of Phuket. Those from Bilbao are born where they want and they also put restaurants where they want, for example, facing the andaman sea . In this case it is Azumendi, led by Eneko Atxa, whose kitchen has three (three) Michelin stars. The idea is to turn Azumendi Thai into an Asian gastromeca. Eneko will give his recipes an Asian twist, because those from Bilbao cook as they please, of course.
** Iniala gave carte blanche to ten designers** (among them some Spaniards) so that each one could create a space. Some names: the Campana brothers, Joseph Walsh, Jaime Hayon, Lázaro Rosa Violán, Mark Brazier Jones and, with an important role, A-Cero. Ramón Úbeda, for example, used half a million Swarovski crystals to decorate a pool table (yes) . We don't understand it either, but in the context of Iniala it doesn't squeak as much as it does on paper.
Iniala gave carte blanche to ten designers
We read this and only one question comes to mind: But what are all these people doing so far away? Well, two questions: what is Iniala and why do we speak so familiarly of that place? Let's go by parts.
1) All those Spaniards are so far away because someone called them. It was Mark Weingard, a businessman and philanthropist who has decided to invest part of his fortune in building this sophisticated complex in Thailand. Weingard decided to bet very big with Iniala. The aesthetic should stand out from the prototypical luxury hotel in Thailand. The result is a space between futuristic, avant-garde and crazy , the playground for designers and architects. In addition, Weingard decided that he would donate 10% of the price of the villas and 5% of the rest to Inspirasia, a local NGO. That percentage, taking into account the stratospheric fees, is quite high. And here is the story behind Iniala. This and the promise of a unique project (and a nice check) did the rest.
two. The second question is half answered. Iniala Beach House is a very private luxury complex consisting of ten rooms spread over three villas, a penthouse, a cinema and a hotel for children . The price is high, but here we are not talking about money, politics, religion or love. This price covers:
- Transportation from the airport that includes avoiding the annoying immigration process
- Use of one vehicle per village up to 150 km
- Up to six hours of spa treatments per day. Little joke with this.
- All meals, plus picnics, plus barbecues at the villa.
- Two meals per week in Azumendi.
- Sports, aquatic and cultural activities.
- Canapés, non-alcoholic drinks and go-go beers
3) We speak of Iniala as one who speaks of a dear cousin because we are that worldly. Actually, he opens tomorrow and few know him yet.
We agree that it is rare. But also that we want to go, because here we are all weird.
Iniala: a very private luxury resort