Denia holds some lovely memories for us. Over twenty five years ago, we rented a big villa with a pool and holidayed there with friends. None of us had very much money and a two week holiday was a big outlay, but we had such a great time. We have briefly re-visited since, and found the villa we had rented. Back in the day, it was one of the last villas before the land gave away to the slopes of the massif of Montgó, which forms the last spur of the huge Cordillera Prebética mountain range that runs across southern Spain from Andalucia to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It rises to 753m and dominates the skyline for a fair distance. Now however, villas encroach the mountain and it is a very different landscape. In our heads, we always thought that we were very close to Denia, but in reality, we realised that we were a good 10kms out of town – and so this time, we decided to try and stay right in the heart of things.
La Posada del Mar wasn’t the cheapest option we looked it, but its location, right on the sea front, was perfect and the hotel itself looked beautiful. And we were not disappointed. Situated at the foot of Denia Castle, the famous 13th century building, which was donated by the Spanish King James I to William of Cardona in 1243, has been painstakingly restored and renovated. Our room, with a small balcony overlooking the port, was modern and contemporary in design, with a natural palette. The sleeping/living area was huge, with subtle furnishings and lighting and accessories, giving an overall feeling of calm and relaxation.
However, for me, it was the communal/public areas of the hotel, which were the most amazing. With exposed stone walls, under-lighting and mood-lighting, historical artefacts and beautiful accessories, as well as the aroma of beautiful candles and diffusers, these areas were an absolute joy to discover.
Although we only stayed for one night, it was enough time to absorb lots of the design influences and the colour palettes. We have a clear idea of what we’d like our new home in Spain to eventually look like, but experiencing places like La Posada de Mar, gives us lots of inspiration. As well as creating lots of lovely memories…