Only for this corner is it worth coming here
The best motivation to start a trip is to know that in the end a reward awaits you . If the path is none other than the one that leads to Santiago de Compostela and the reward is one of the best spas on the peninsula, like you want to get going more...
Now, it is true that to enjoy such a great plan, you do not need to dress as a pilgrim or walk the 107 kilometers that separate Tui (in Pontevedra) from Plaza del Obradoiro (according to the route of the Portuguese Way, which is the one that practically passes by the door of To Quinta da Auga ). This is the name of the hotel with a spa that is hidden at the end of the road . And for the record, the superlative is not free: A Quinta da Auga is part of the select Relais & Châteaux club.
To become part of the network, you have to be very, very special. And in this case it is: We entered an 18th century building that was formerly the paper factory that supplied the church and the University of Santiago... and today it is a hotel with the look of a British-inspired luxury mansion.
But you also have to strictly comply with the five 'c' of excellence: character, cuisine, calm, courtesy and charm (charm according to the French) . If we put ourselves in the shoes -and in the boots- of a pilgrim, the most interesting 'c' is that of the Calm down . And in this, A Quinta da Auga is unique.
The rest of the war...
SPA WITH VIEWS AND AYURVEDIC MASSAGES
In addition to very spacious rooms with Jacuzzi (with a decoration halfway between the classic and the rustic) you can wander and rest in its living room with a fireplace next to the lobby, a coffee bar and a restaurant that pay homage to local products, its own orchard, bamboo garden, squirrels and even a willow tree for outdoor ceremonies… And to top it all off: the spa.
Glazed and with views, it is recognized as one of the best in Spain. And some of the blame is on her dead sea floatarium , whose experience of floating and total relaxation is very close to what we feel when suspended over the waters of this saline lake; If you manage to relax and get away from it all, they'll have to come and get you out of the water. It catches you so much that you completely lose track of time.
And it's not convenient, if you don't want to miss a water circuit in its hydrotherapy pool, swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath, steam bath, ice fountain, contrast shower and essential oils and jacuzzi.
Dead Sea Flotarium of the Quinta da Auga spa
Sounds good. But if I were a pilgrim, I would be able to sell my soul for a good leg, foot and back massage. The ' Royal Special A Quinta da Auga ’ starts at the head and ends at the feet, combining the traditional amoratherapy and the fusion of eastern and western massage practices, from the pressure of the chakras and the spine, to traditional chiromassage and digit foot pressure. In case there are still reasons to convince, suffice it to say that in all their treatments they use high biological and organic cosmetics , and Ayurveda is one of the pillars on which they are based.
A Quinta da Auga is part of the select Relais & Châteaux club
PATH ALONG THE SAR RIVER
Water is a constant in this hotel, in every way, including hearing. And it is that the sound of water is common throughout the farm , a 10,000m2 forest full of ancient oak trees through which the sar river . The presence of the river explains the existence of a water mill that was formerly used to capture the flow of the river and use it in the manufacture of paper.
Today it only serves to contemplate it during a walk along the paths that surround the hotel and, incidentally, remember what this place was before it became the exclusive and extremely welcoming accommodation that it is today.
Spa to Quinta da Auga
And it is so thanks to the charismatic architect María Luisa García Gil and her husband, who bought the dilapidated building in 2003 and turned it into the wonder it is today. Part of the merit also belongs to her daughter, Louise Lawrence , the current director of To Quinta da Auga , an exceptional ambassador of Santiago de Compostela (although curiously born in Madrid) and the best hostess that a place like this could have... located, by the way, just ten minutes by car from Plaza del Obradoiro.
I say this for those who go on pilgrimage, who can always go back to let themselves be trapped by the peace and serenity of this place, because one is always left wanting more, even after reaching the end of the Path.
The river Sar lulling Quinta da Auga