"Are you sure it's this way?" is the question that many will ask themselves when the navigator indicates to turn right to access the path that leads to Beatnik house.
As you advance along the narrow path and its fuchsia pink facade –or as they describe it, “pink camellia”– begins to appear between vineyards and cypresses, you will realize that yes, You are in the right place.
Nestled in the wine heart of the Rias Baixas, 20 minutes from Santiago de Compostela, beatnik house is the first destination hotel in Bonhomme Hospitality, a renowned hospitality group founded by the Galician-American Daniel Alonso Monteagudo.
All fuchsia.
Its three hectares of surface house a bucolic retreat made up of thirteen suites, six luxury yurts for glamping lovers, two restaurants, a cocktail bar, a winery and a vineyard.
In addition, they have igloosaunas from Estonia, a salt water pool and a very complete wellness program developed by therapists specialized in yoga, tai chi, physical therapy and a wide variety of massages.
GALICIAN SOUL, TRAVELING HEART
“If I had to describe the style of our designs and brands, I would say that we are pure joie de vivre, seductive, colorful, romantic, sophisticated and unpredictably classic” says Daniel Alonso, founder and creative director of Bonhomme.
And he continues: “We want Casa Beatnik Hotel to be a refuge full of life from where we can share our love for the history, the culture, the land, the sea and the people of Galicia”.
Daniel grew up between the United States and Galicia, the homeland of his parents, with which he has a very special connection.
The saltwater pool.
Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago and Santiago de Compostela, the Bonhomme business group owes its name to two of the main qualities that its properties strive to offer: “be humble and courteous”.
In French, bonhomme means be kind , a characteristic for which we strive to be recognized”, they explain from the group. Furthermore, Bonhomme is also the name of the street where Daniel grew up.
Bonhomme's latest project has taken its founder to travel to the deepest and most authentic Galicia to create an accommodation just as authentic (forgive the redundancy): Casa Beatnik, a country house located in the surroundings of the Ribera do Ulla and whose aerial view offers us a snapshot dotted with vineyards, farms and picturesque villages.
If we fly a little higher, the bird's eye view reaches to contemplate the exuberant mountains and coasts of the Atlantic region.
An exotic interior design where no detail is lacking.
WHAT IS A BEATNIK?
The term beatnik refers to a youth movement emerged in the mid-twentieth century on the west coast of the United States and characterized by its Bohemian life and his rejection of social conventions.
Casa Beatnik celebrates the spirit of that generation of bohemian freethinkers of the 50s and 60s, paying special attention to the legacy of Yves Saint Laurent.
“At Casa Beatnik Hotel we are constantly inspired by the French master and the sense of style, aspiration and rebellion of the beatnik generation to create an exotic escape with progressive, globally inspired food, cocktails and music,” the team explains.
The glassed-in patio of the hotel.
THE SECRET IS IN THE MIX
The house, formerly known as Pazo de Galegos, was once the home of Antonio Lopez Ferreiro, canon of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, founding member of the Royal Academy of the Galician Language, writer and responsible for the rediscovery of the reliquary that contained the lost remains of Santiago el Mayor.
Now, the building is reborn as Casa Beatnik Hotel thanks to the design carried out by Maison Bonhomme, the studio responsible for the creation of all Bonhomme concepts.
“The aesthetic is based on the sublime mix of three countries close to our hearts: Morocco for its sumptuous color scheme and passionate craftsmen, France for his music and artistic confidence and Italy for a dose of perfection and style to combine everything seductively”, they explain from Bonhomme.
One of the Casa Beatnik yurts.
The maximalist style of Casa Beatnik invites you to experience a journey through different cultures, textures, colors and materials at the same time that it breathes an air of mystery and attraction, as if it were the home of a hedonistic lover of aesthetics who collects treasures brought from his adventures around the world.
To carry out the intense transformation of the property, whose construction dates back to the 18th century, Maison Bonhmomme partnered with a talented design team made up of Luca Lanzetta Group, Popham Design, Molteni&Co, Antoniolupi, Sogni Di Cristallo Y Viccarbe.
The fruit of their work and collaboration is the fascinating collection of furniture and objects that we find inside the hotel, signed by admirable designers and master craftsmen of the 20th and 21st centuries.
"From Milan and Murano to Jaén, Tashkent and Marrakech" count from Maison Bonhmomme. And for sample, we have names like Patricia Urquiola, Vincent Van Duysen, Rodolfo Dordoni, Gio Ponti, Yaby Pushelberg, John Pawson, Foster + Partners Y soufiane zarib.
The surrounding gardens were created and conditioned with more than 4,000 tropical and native plants, among which olive trees up to a thousand years old stand out.
Acclaimed chef Marcos Campos leads the kitchen at Tribu.
ARE YOU MORE OF SUITE...
Casa Beatnik's thirteen suites have been individually designed and range in size from 20 square meters of SmallKing at 80 of TheChapel, going through the Medium Suite, Large, Corner and the suites with balcony Queen Balcony and King Balcony.
Each suite is a small as well as an exquisite cabinet of wonders where we find bedding and towels from Valerie Barkowski, handmade tiles by PophamDesign, hand blown glass chandeliers and lamps Sogni di Cristallo and beds, armchairs and bedside tables of the aforementioned Gio Ponti, Rodolfo Dordoni and Vincent Van Duysel.
In the bathroom, the products of Claus Porto They wait carefully placed on the sinks and bathtubs of Roberto Lazzeroni and Mario Ferrarini.
… OR YURT?
For guests who want to enjoy an original stay without losing an iota of comfort, the luxury yurts of the hotel are a good option.
Thanks to its structure and design, coming from Kyrgyzstan, the yurts are equipped to welcome guests during the four seasons, They have king-size beds. Soho Home, bed linen and bath towels Valerie Barkowski, thick wool blankets The Fenn, fireplaces and woven esparto rugs.
Both the reservation of the suites and the yurts includes Wi-Fi throughout the property, free parking, a daily session of tai chi at sunrise and another of Vinyasa yoga at sunset. (Guests must be 18 years of age or older with a maximum of two guests allowed per suite or yurt.)
The Chapel Suite.
TRIBE: FROM GALICIA TO THE WORLD
The multicultural journey also continues when we sit at the table. In Tribe , the chef Mark Fields has elaborated a love letter to the Atlantic that has already triumphed on the other side of this ocean, specifically in the Porto restaurant in Chicago, endorsed with a Michelin star.
tribe is an ode to the flavors and products of Galicia –with Mediterranean touches, from North Africa and South America– that will vary with the season. Thus, from July 20 to October 16, they have created a series of tasting menus with ingredients brought from the sea and the forest of the area, as well as from the best Galician producers and distributors.
cooked on coal and firewood, Tribu's proposals are elaborated with preservation techniques such as smoking, curing, pickling and drying.
Galician blonde cow, seafood, game, vegetables and of course, wine. The winery, like the whole concept, is a mixture of tradition and experimentation where you will find surprising and daring proposals. Don't miss out on their inventive and colorful cocktails either.
Tribe Restaurant.
OPEN UNTIL SUNSET
In addition to Tribu, the hotel has three different spaces to have dinner or a drink gathered under the umbrella of Beatnik Country House: The Living Room, The Terrace, or The Cabin.
the living room was designed around a 300 year old lareira and to a cocktail bar shaped from a single block of Angolan granite. The terrace It offers an outdoor patio and an indoor patio with a glass roof, fireplace and DJ playing at sunset.
Finally, next to the saltwater pool we find the cabin, ideal for weekend brunch or alfresco dining. There are also weekly dj sessions.
Galician soul, nomadic spirit.
SILENCE, RELAX
the section wellness is another of the strengths of Casa Beatnik, which has three types of facilities created specifically for the hotel: the igloosaunas, the Kyrgyz yurt and a Bedouin-inspired esparto grass tent.
The igloosaunas are handcrafted in Estonia using techniques from centuries ago and incorporating fir wood on the outside and poplar on the inside. When leaving the sauna, wait a spring water shower of the mountain, suitable only for the brave.
In the Kyrgyz Yurt, Built in Devon, yoga classes and massage sessions take place.
The yurts of the hotel, to live adventurous (luxury).
BETWEEN VINEYARDS
The Casa Beatnik winery and vineyard encompass more than one hectare of the almost three that occupies the property and are directed by Juan Carlos Alonso Y Rodrigo Méndez from Forjas del Salnes, one of the best wine growers in Galicia.
Casa Beatnik produces a variety of grapes 100% from old Albariño vines, finished in French oak barrels. The vineyard also hosts the grape known as Cascón, whose vine is over 400 years old: "Our Cascón vine, which is over 400 years old, produces an average of 75 kilos of grapes each year, which we transform into a very special red wine, served exclusively by pipette in our Tribu restaurant," they comment from the hotel's winery.
Deep Galicia has a new and exotic treasure waiting for us to discover it, the only problem will be the desire to stay to live among the vineyards and wake up every morning with the song of the birds.
More than 4,000 plants populate the hotel's gardens.