The Grand Hotel in 1920
The Belle Epoque . Those golden years in which optimism was a general feeling, elegance reigned and art was the only flag.
At that time, a Mondariz thermal town was able to bring together personalities such as Isaac Peral, John Rockefeller II, Isabel de Borbón, the Archbishop of Westminster, Miguel Primo de Rivera, the Sultan Muley Haffid or the Infante Augusto de Braganza, who shared the same ambition: to enjoy the summer under the natural philosophy of Salutem per Aqua.
The Mondariz Spa in 1898
Galicia , that land whose beauty is dominated by the green of its spectacular nature and, above all, for Water. who has had the opportunity to bathe in its sea , he knows that feeling that cold that runs through your entire body is just a way to make you feel more alive.
who has walked through the bank of one of its rivers , you will have realized that sometimes happiness is found in something as simple as listening to the force with which the water emanates. and who has left caress by its mineral-medicinal waters That is a real lucky man.
And what better place for delight than the Mondariz Spa. Its bathhouse was built in 1880 and the Grand Hotel in 1900, competing with the great spas of Baden-Baden , in Germany , Y bathroom , in London . The level of spa bathers who came to Mondariz every summer turned the Gran Hotel into an international social, political and cultural centre.
“The Balneario de Mondariz is **one of the oldest spa towns in Europe**. Its beginnings are romans , who already used the mineral-medicinal water in this area -which they called Villa Burbida - to prepare your body for battles and recover afterwards.
The Castreños and Celts , who inhabited the nearby Castro de Trona , were devotees of baths in the springs of Mondariz ”, tells **Amalia Gallego, communication director of the Balneario de Mondariz**, to Traveler.es.
This Galician spa town has been receiving visitors for three centuries
The founders of the Mondariz Spa were the Peinador brothers , the first Spanish hydrologists, who were committed to natural medicine and located in the area 110 springs with medicinal properties.
This temple of relaxation, located in Pontevedra , was and is the favorite destination for all those looking to spend their summer vacations health and welfare. But not only that, it has also been the meeting point par excellence for Spanish celebrities and from all over the world.
“ It was a meeting place , in the Belle Époque, of politicians, writers, thinkers and people from the world of culture. The Nobel José Echegaray baptized the Mondariz Spa as the Palacio de las Aguas ”, tells us Amalia Gallego.
Visit of the Infanta Isabel to the Gran Hotel in 1915
“An anecdote that we love to tell is that Emilia Pardo Bazan she met here every summer with her gang of friends, including Rosalia de Castro, Manuel Murguía and Pérez Galdós , with whom she had a long affair. The writer she cooked for them in the kitchen of the Grand Hotel” , reveals Amalia Gallego to Traveler.es.
“Another story is collected in the book The memory of water by Teresa Viejo , where she tells that in the Balneario de Mondariz, in the 1920s, the first mixed tennis tournament was played. In What your eyes hid from Nueves Herrero there is a whole chapter dedicated to the thermal village. Also, the Marchioness of Llanzol She spent a whole summer here in her attempt to get pregnant, since at that time it was said that our waters had that power, "continues Gallego.
Women's tennis tournament at the Balneario de Mondariz
These Galician springs have been creating magic since the mid-19th century, when the cult of the body and seeking the fountain of eternal youth became a necessity for the elite of that time.
In 1873 its waters were declared of public utility by the Spanish Government, recognizing its medicinal properties. from discoveries as surprising as fortuitous.
Palacio del Agua, the spa of the spa
“Balneario de Mondariz is a traditional thermal town, active for three centuries, which has adapted its treatments to the needs of the 21st century. We have traditional thermal treatments such as baths and mineral-medicinal water jets, inhalations for respiratory problems and mud and mud treatments.
In turn, we also have body and facial beauty treatments, carried out with advanced technologies and natural cosmetics ”, explains Amalia Gallego to Traveler.es.
Although nothing compares to the impressive parties enlivened by the Baccarat quartet , which comes expressly from ** Paris ** to the spa every year, this legendary place has maintained its essence and continues to be visited by numerous celebrities.
“Being such a quiet thermal town, where they also say that stress is cured, many celebrities come. Our hotel is distributed in three historic buildings and discretion is guaranteed ”, us Gallego comments.
Shall we disconnect?
“Regular clients are Alessandro Lecquio, Macarena García, Alex de la Iglesia, Carlos Bardem, María Castro, Alex González, Carmen Martínez-Bordiú, María Monsonís and Teo Cardalda, Miriam Díaz Aroca, Belinda Washington, José Mota, Amaia Montero, Manuel Carrasco, Rodolfo Sancho, Cayetana Guillén, Mar Flores, and I could go on”, adds Amalia Gallego.