Summer Snacks
My favorites of the season (so far) + four dream summer escapes
It’s been hot and sticky in Barcelona, and our AC is on the fritz, so forgive me if this week’s newsletter is a bit all over the place. But with August already halfway through and summer slipping by, I wanted to take a moment to shout out some of my favorite seasonal adventures so far, plus spotlight a few dreamy Spanish escapes to inspire any last-minute vacation plans. The list is a bit of a mixed bag: I’ve got souvenirs mixed in with my top-rated beaches, a memorable meal, Shakira’s Cantabrian beach house, an art installation you shouldn’t miss if you’re headed to Sevilla, and more. Vamos.
Favorite Trip
In late spring/early summer, Philippe and I made a break for San Sebastián with some friends. I know I’m wayyy late to the San Sebastián fan club, but seriously—is there a better city in Spain?! The food is mind-blowing, the beaches are stunning, and I couldn’t get over how lush and spongy-green everything was. It got to the point where even the Spaniards in our group were like, “Wait, why don’t we live here again?” Highlights of our trip included the unbelievably delicious pintxos at Bar Prontxio, the sit-down dinners at Taberna Ganarias Jatetxea and Arenales, breakfast/coffee at Simona Specialty Club, and our bike ride along the coast to see Eduardo Chillida’s Peine del Viento (Comb of the Wind) sculpture. We didn’t make it to the Balenciaga museum or the Tabakalera cultural center, but alas—next time (and there will be a next time!).
Favorite Rainy-Day Activity
At Barcelona’s Música a Ciegas, participants file into a pitch-black room outfitted with high-fidelity surround-sound speakers and slouchy sofas to listen to a single record from start to finish. I’ve been twice, and it ranks as one of the trippiest, most goosebump-inducing musical experiences I’ve ever encountered— seriously. Since the owners are Argentinian, they do a great job of spotlighting homegrown legends including Fito Páez and Charly García, but most of the programming is dedicated to more mainstream favorites like Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Lana del Rey, etc. I wish there was a monthly subscription; I’d go all the time!
Favorite Meal
I’ve written about Casa Taberna before, but nothing could have prepared me for actually dining at this family-run gem in the tiny medieval town of Pedraza, just a 40-minute drive from Segovia. While the restaurant is technically part of a boutique hotel, it feels like a rustic, locals-only spot straight out of an Almodóvar movie, with wooden beams, campo-style tables and chairs, gas wall lamps, and walls adorned with black-and-white photos and bullfighting posters. A few tables on the front terrace offer views of the town’s atmospheric main square. My friend and I devoured the silky steamed artichoke, followed by the truffle-infused huevo a baja temperatura and grilled leeks topped with shaved Roncal cheese—all perfectly paired with a glass of the crisp, zingy house white. I’ve eaten at so many wonderful restaurants lately (other faves include FoFo, near Barcelona, and Trèsde in Madrid), but this is the meal that lives rent-free in my mind.
Favorite Beach
A tough call, but my top picks this season are El Golfet on the Costa Brava, near Palafrugell, and Macarelleta on Menorca’s southwest coast. Both are hike-in calas with dramatic cliffs and turquoise waters. That said, I’m still obsessed with the 6.5-km-long sandy beach in Roche, Cádiz, which is wedged between the Atlantic and gorgeous ochre-hued cliffs.
Favorite Shop
Compared to the neighboring beach town of Sitges, Vilanova i la Geltrú doesn’t have a whole lot going on*. But it’s worth the journey alone to check out Passeu, Passeu (visits by appointment only), a stellar design store founded by graphic designer Oriol Hurtado and art restorer Lucía Sánchez. The gallery is packed with 20th-century Spanish and Italian furniture and design objects, with treasures by the likes of Miguel Milá (RIP) and Paolo Piva. If I didn’t have to lug things back on the train, I’d have already done a major haul.
*Some friends spent a few months living in Vilanova i la Geltrú this year, and they raved about its sleepy seaside charm. One of their favorite finds was Viavi Vinoteca, a wine bar/shop run by a former sommelier at the Spanish embassy in Mexico City.
Favorite Beach Read
Admittedly, I’m not reading anything in Spanish at the moment—I’ve been too busy devouring Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s “Long Island Compromise” and Janet Malcom’s “In the Freud Archives.” However, I’m planning to dive into the newly released novel “Los Días Ligeros” by Madrid-based author Yolanda Guerrero on my upcoming trip to Asturias. It’s a story of friendship and female complicity, set against the backdrop of Franco’s Spain. Personally, I’m most interested in reading it to learn more about Madrid’s historic Stella Swimming Pool-Club, a real-life location that serves as the protagonists’ go-to hangout. Although the pool has been closed since 2006 and is now in a derelict state (hello, business opportunity), it was once an oasis of fun, excess, and freedom, where Hollywood stars like Ava Gardner mingled with Spanish footballers, the American soldiers based in Royal Oaks, and world-class performers such as Antonio Machín and Xavier Cugat. I’m fascinated by its history (which you can read more about in this El País article), and the novel also seems like a perfect mix of froth and page-turning intrigue. I’ll report back!
Favorite Town
Begur is such a quaint, pretty, almost Provençal-looking town, with its high-up perch, honey-colored stone buildings, and imposing 16th-century fort. My sister, best friend, and I spent hours strolling around, popping into stylish shops like Begu-u, Kumade, Dana Taboe, and refueling at the excellent third-wave coffee shop Fitzroy Cafe. The beaches in Begur are spectacularly beautiful, with Aiguablava and Sa Tuna topping the list, and my I’ve heard great things about the clifftop parador.
Favorite Exhibition
While Philippe and I were in Sevilla for a wedding, we managed to squeeze in a visit to Delcy Morelos’s site-specific installation at the CAAC’s Las Cuevas Monastery, a 25-minute moto ride from Sevilla’s center. I’m so glad we did; it’s an exhibition I’ll be thinking about for many months to come. Morelos—who captivated audiences at the 2022 Venice Biennale and had her first U.S. solo show at the Dia Art Foundation last fall—uses maize, cassava, and other plants that Christopher Columbus brought back to Europe to create mounds of damp earth and moss-covered drapings that dwarf the cathedral’s grand halls, filling the soaring space with a sticky, fragrant humidity. It’s a powerful statement about the omnipotence of nature and a stark warning against human arrogance. If you’re traveling to Spain in the coming months, don’t miss these other standout exhibitions.
Favorite Souvenir
I wanted to buy everything in Menorca’s chic new Hetra store, but with my luggage lost en route and only a small purse in tow, I walked away empty-handed. Still, I’m dreaming of their beaded Aynié evening bags, chunky gold necklaces by Bernardita Things, and handpainted cover-ups by Bolazo Argentina. What I did buy in Menorca: herb-laced fleur de sel from the island’s only active salt flat, which has just reopened after a decades-long closure. I’m a sucker for a good story (and great branding), and this salt has jazzed up all our summer cooking.
Summer Dreaming …
Shakira’s Cantabrian Vacation Rental
Isabel Fernández and Javier Javaloyes are the Madrid-based, husband-and-wife duo behind Wishome, a portfolio of soulful, personality-filled villas and vacation rentals across Spain. The collection comprises some seriously beautiful properties, but the one that’s gotten the most hype is Rumoroso, a four-room, terracotta-roofed house in the Oyambre Nature Reserve, with views of the Cantabrian Sea and the Picos de Europa. According to El Mundo, it’s where Shakira retreated with her kids after her split from Gerard Piqué. Rates start at €995 per night (all inclusive), but a girl can dream …
A Chic Campsite
Earlier this year, the revamped Alfacs campsite in Alcanar, Tarragona, earned the prestigious FAD Architecture and Interior Design Award—the longest-running and most renowned accolade of its kind in Spain and Portugal. It’s the first time a campsite has ever received this designation. Led by the son of the original owners, the ambitious renovation drew inspiration from a range of influences, including La Ballena Algre campsite in Girona, architect Alberto Ponis’s cliffside homes in Sardinia, and the so-called “relaxation” style of the Costa del Sol’s first tourist complexes in the 1950s and 60’s. The four-million-euro makeover has resulted in 24 prefabricated pinewood cabins (from €99 per night), a seafront swimming pool, a supermarket and restaurant, and manicured grounds that blend in with the surrounding Ebro Delta Nature Reserve.
Burgos Beauty
Everyone (apparently!) knows about Landa (from €150 per night), the legendary roadside restaurant turned castle hotel off the A-1 motorway. A less-known but equally as stunning Burgos property that I’m dying to visit is El Priorato de Trespaderne (from €107 per night), which reopened a few years ago after a sensitive restoration. The former 16th-century monastery is now a 7-room hotel with light-filled interiors, period furniture, and original stonework, all overlooking the Sierra de Tejeda. It’s the perfect base for exploring the area’s Romanesque architecture, hiking trails, and natural wonders (see: the Pedroza de Tobalina waterfall). Plus, the weather in Burgos is known to be about 5 degrees cooler than Madrid in the summer, making it a great escape from the heat.
Mallorca’s Legendary Hotel Formentor is Reborn
Mallorca’s iconic Hotel Formentor has finally swung open its doors after an extensive refresh by the Four Seasons, and it looks, well, a bit underwhelming if I’m being honest. For those unfamiliar, this hotel was once one of Spain’s most legendary boltholes, frequented by literary greats like Jorge Luis Borges and Mario Vargas Llosa, as well as movie stars such as Jane Birkin and Audrey Hepburn. (If you haven’t seen this documentary about the hotel’s history, I strongly recommend watching it.) Now, the property feels a bit scrubbed of history; the interiors are bland and kind of reminiscent of FS’s city hotels. Anyway, a bit of a bummer, but maybe it’s better in person.