Villa Padierna: a corner of Tuscany in Marbella
Alicia Villapadierna is a communicative person, although she doesn't talk much. She expresses herself with her smile, with her eyes, with the delicate movements of her hands. Her husband, Ricardo Arranz, on the other hand, is pure energy and entrepreneurial determination. The yin and yang united in a large and well-structured complex called Villa Padierna , and of which the famous hotel is the coat of arms but not the only asset. Around the hotel there three golf courses, a gated and protected urbanization, a beach club by the sea and one of the most prestigious spas s of the Costa del Sol.
And then there are the works of art, the exclusive villas (one of them named Villa Obama so there is no doubt about who stayed here). My first impression upon entering the hotel lobby is one of attractive confusion: Am I on the coast of Marbella or in a town in Tuscany? The building, in pink stucco, with patios, lounges, corridors and rooms where works of art rest in careless carelessness that –they hasten to inform me– are authentic. “More than two thousand works of art between paintings , statues, classical columns, it is the living legacy of the hotel, a true museum through which our guests walk every day on their way to the restaurants, the pool or the spa”, says Ricardo Arranz with confidence as a collector.
The spa at Villa Padierna
The pink stucco acquires foundation and texture, the staircase of the central courtyard and its piano redouble elegance, the enormous swimming pool and its vegetation seem to invite the pleasure of lounging in front of a sunset glass in hand. At Villa Padierna, guests rest and the team works without missing a beat. Friendly, professional, silent people who are by your side almost before you ask a question or a wish. I don't know if they have been taught to read minds, but almost . A young staff that breaks the coast average and speaks five languages, especially English, and not as a rule but because “the golf courses that surround the hotel are some of the best on the coast. This, together with the weather we have, n makes you the favorite refuge of English and Nordic people with a good handicap or good desire . Our peak season for golf enthusiasts is October and November”.
Villa Padierna is a great hotel with almost ten years of life and an evident good health . The surroundings are embraced by an authentic chain of flats and houses built within Los Flamingos, a complex that belongs to Ricardo Arranz and that is dodging with more glory than pain the crisis that weighs down other places on the Costa del Sol.
Gold is part of the landscape, life and business
They say that in Villa Padierna the bar is not lowered . It is evident to me in the spa, which attracts fans from half the world eager for exclusive treatments. A walk through the gardens, a visit to the La Veranda restaurant (there are two more, with less gastronomic depth) make the commitment evident. The Marchioness of Villapadierna, dreamy with her cashmere fabrics, her next trip to India and her next collection, becomes a light presence, almost evanescent. Alicia moves a lot and not only from Marbella to Madrid.
Her passion for fashion and her love for her travels have created a delightful boutique with original pieces. . At Alicia by Villa Padierna there are textures, shapes and designs that take you far away. She is the name and ethereal soul of this place. Her husband puts the accents on what he is interested in highlighting, seeing, highlighting. I think together they make a good team. In honor of Alicia's mother, Alicia Klein, the annual Villa Padierna women's golf trophy is held. There are photos of the champion over the years: images of a very beautiful and elegant woman with a smile identical to her daughter's. In the photos golf is art and part. She on the field, she with sticks waiting for her turn, she sitting with other players, she with international celebrities in the sixties.
You will say that nine years is not a long time to forge a great story. But the fact is that here the story goes back a long way. Long before Ricardo Arranz built the Villa Padierna hotel, cultivated the golf courses, built a luxury development and helped maintain the good life on the Costa del Sol, there was the dream of a singular family and, being stricter, of two unique women. Mother and daughter, both called Alicia, determined to retain the past of their last name, introducing it through the front door in the 21st century. My impression is that it has been achieved and, if it serves as an example, Michelle Obama recommends Villa Padierna to her friends and collaborators. And for a hotel, what better advertising than word of mouth from its customers?
2,000 works of art in its corridors: is it Marbella or Uffizi?