Pintxos, X
Chic Spanish swimwear, a buzzy new restaurant in Ávila, and a road trip itinerary from the Basque Country to Galicia
Hola!
In this week’s newsletter, my friend and fellow travel obsessive Olivier Heuchenne—the Mallorca-based owner of Insider Villas—shares his travel diary from a recent road trip through northern Spain. He and his family spent a week bouncing between the Basque Country, Cantabria, and Asturias, even squeezing in a day trip to Galicia. They ate their weight in fresh seafood, checked into some seriously fabulous stays, and walked a stretch of the Camino de Santiago. Reading his travelogue has me plotting a trip north before the summer crowds descend.
Before we dive in, a few pintxos to kick off this week’s edition:
The Netflix doc I can’t stop watching
I’m flying through the Netflix documentary “Una Vida Bárbara”—the rags-to-riches story of Spanish actress Bárbara Rey, once crowned “the most desirable woman in Spain” and allegedly the mistress of King Juan Carlos I. It’s juicy, scandalous, and delightfully bizarre (she joined the circus in the ’80s). Beyond the tabloid drama, it’s also an unflinching look at gender-based violence during Spain’s transition to democracy. Highly recommend.
The Ramón Masats exhibition so good, I saw it twice
The Ramón Masats retrospective at Fundación Foto Colectania in Barcelona is so good I went twice (and even bought the catalog). His black-and-white images are a portal into another Spain—crowded bullfighting arenas, laborers with weathered faces and tattered clothing, church pews packed with solemn worshippers, and the glamourous parties of 1960s Madrid, where figures like Yves Saint Laurent and the Duke of Windsor were part of the scene. One of the standouts is his iconic “Seminario”—one of the first photos by a Spanish photographer to be acquired by MoMA and later referenced in Pedro Almodóvar’s “La Mala Educación”—featuring a goalkeeper mid-dive, frozen in the air as he defends the net. See the show before it closes on May 25.
Explore Andalucía with the head of Ottolenghi Test Kitchen
Since my last newsletter, a ton of fabulous group trips have popped up. The one I’m most tempted by: pastry chef Nicola Lamb is teaming up with Milli Taylor, head of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, to host a culinary retreat at Taylor’s family home in the foothills of Málaga from August 13-17. Expect market tours, tomato masterclasses, sherry tastings, and plenty of feasting. Bookings open this weekend!
In Ávila, two under-30 chefs are redefining Castilian cuisine
A few weeks ago, I caught up with my friend Nina Derham, a publicist who represents some of Spain’s most storied hotels. She tipped me off about Caleña, the newly opened restaurant at Ávila’s La Casa del Presidente, a hotel set in the former home of Spain’s first democratically elected prime minister, Adolfo Suárez. Led by 24-year-old Diego Sanz and 28-year-old Cristina Massuh—both alumni of Michelin-starred kitchens—Caleña has quickly become a weekend magnet for madrileños eager to try their contemporary take on Castilian stews and fire-cooked dishes. Definitely adding this to my next weekend getaway list.
A chic (and sun-safe) Spanish swimwear find
With my ruddy, sunburn-prone skin, I always feel like an ugly duckling on Spain’s bare-all beaches—so I was thrilled to discover Seabass, a sustainable swimwear brand based just outside Barcelona in Castelldefels. Not only do they make UPF 50+ suits that are actually stylish, but they’re also a B-Corp certified company, which makes me love them even more. Plenty of fashion editors from Elle and L'Officiel have already caught on, and now they’ve opened a showroom overlooking Port Ginesta Harbour, where you can swing by, meet the founders, and try on some styles in person.
From Pintxos to Pilgrims: A Week in Spain’s North with Olivier Heuchenne
“We kicked off our trip in Bilbao and started the drive west, winding through rolling green hills and past dramatic seaside cliffs, with glimpses of the Picos de Europa in the distance. The scenery alone was enough to make us want to pull over every few minutes. Our first stop was Lastres, a quaint Asturian fishing village where we had lunch at El Escanu, a no-frills seafood joint right on the water. It’s the kind of place where locals sip cider for hours and the seafood tastes like it was pulled straight from the sea that morning.
From there, we drove an hour and a half west to Palacio de Figueras, a beautifully restored 16th-century palace-hotel set on a UNESCO-protected estuary that straddles Asturias and Galicia. The Spanish owners went all in on the restoration, bringing in art historians, museum curators, artisans, landscapers—you name it. Every detail is immaculate, from the French-style gardens to the grand, suite-like rooms with deep soaking tubs and restored 18th-century chandeliers.
Everyone says you have to visit Spain’s north in the summer because of the weather, but being there in the winter gave it a whole different feel—long walks on empty beaches, cozy nights by the fire, dips in the heated outdoor pool.
The best part of staying at the palace was how much there was to explore nearby. We hiked a stretch of the Camino de Santiago, which passes close to the property, and if you’re into surfing, Tapia de Casariego—one of Spain’s top surf spots—is just 15 minutes away. We opted for side trips to the lively port of Ribadeo and the picturesque town of Castropol, as well as a drive to Playa de las Catedrales—one of Spain’s most beautiful beaches, famous for its massive vaulted rock arches and sea caves. The trick is to time your visit with low tide (between 3-5 p.m.), when you can actually walk between the formations.
The food in this part of Spain is next level, but our best meal of the trip was at Cofradía de Rinlo, just ten minutes from the palace. This tiny seafood spot is famous for its arroz caldoso, a rich, soupy seafood rice that we’re still thinking about. We also had the freshest shrimp we’ve ever tasted, paired with a crisp local white wine. If you go, grab a table upstairs for the best views—but if you’re just stopping for a quick bite, the standing bar is the move.
After two days, we turned east toward Cantabria, where we checked into a villa called Rumoroso, set right on Oyambre Beach. This place is the perfect beach house: direct access to the shore, 4-7 bedrooms, and sweeping views of the Cantabrian Sea. It’s also perfectly located near the charming towns and villages of San Vicente de la Barquera, Lamadrid, and Los Llaos, all worth a visit.
One of the best surprises of the trip was Caviedes, a tiny hamlet where we had our second-best meal of the trip at Casa Cofiño, a family-run, rustic stone restaurant that felt like stepping into someone’s home. The food was classic Cantabrian comfort—warming mountain stew, homemade rellenos (Cantabrian-style meatballs), and an excellent, well-curated wine list. Apparently, people go out of their way to eat here, and after that meal, we understood why.
After six days in the north, we circled back to Bilbao, where we made a last-minute stop at the Guggenheim Museum. The Hilma af Klint exhibition was wrapping up, and it was absolutely worth it. We ended the trip with a long lunch at Victor Montes Jatetxea, a Bilbao institution since 1849. Fun fact: this is where the Guggenheim Museum was literally signed into existence, with Frank Gehry, art historian Thomas Krens, and director Juan Ignacio Vidarte all sitting down to make it official. A fitting final stop before heading home.”