Gran Hotel Nagari Boutique & Spa ★★★★

Don’t be deceived by appearances. That beautiful historic building you see before you does indeed conceal an establishment that is way ahead of its time. Just step under the stars, go through the glass passageway, and all will be revealed. Gleaming surfaces, futuristic furniture, holographic displays tuned to international news… Welcome to the future of five-star hotels!

Beam yourself up in the ultramodern lift to discover your sleeping arrangements. There are no futuristic pods here at the Nagari, only spacious bedrooms with massive beds, tastefully decorated with a touch of the Orient. Your home cinema can be viewed from both your bed and Jacuzzi bathtub. Turn the sound up as loud as you like, no one will hear: the rooms are completely soundproofed. The same goes for the PlayStation 3, available upon request at reception. Make yourself a great cup of coffee, or help yourself to something stronger from the mini-bar. Use the panel beside your bed to adjust the avant-garde lighting to your mood; all the equipment is state-of-the-art.

Follow the trail of rose petals (some traditions die hard) to your bathroom, shielded from your room by a large pane of glass. Step into the rainforest for the most wonderful shower you’ll ever have. Bask in the intense blue light that’s been proven to promote serenity and harmony as the water cascades down your body. Then slip on the bathrobe and slippers provided by the hotel, before heading to the spa.

The vast 750m2 spa occupies two floors of the 7-storey hotel. On the first floor, you will find the treatment rooms, each one a work of art in itself, setting the scene for a wide range of treatments from all four corners of the Orient. For a real taste of the future, ask for the ‘sieste’ treatment. 20 minutes of weightless slumber in their space-age bath worth eight whole hours of peaceful sleep. Perhaps this will be a standard household feature 100 years from now, until then only a select few can benefit from this state-of-the-art technology.

On the top floor you’ll find the Skyline, a fun-filled circuit of bubbles, jets, and cascades that will lift your spirits while getting you your daily dose of vitamin D. If the sun’s not out, it’s not a problem. A quick flip of a switch and a roof glides into place, shielding you from the elements as you take in the stunning views over the Vigo estuary. At night, the rooftop turns into a modern lounge bar to which people flock from far and wide to sip fantastic cocktails with their heads in the stars. Come back down to earth for a touch of vintage tradition in the Manhattan Bar on the ground floor and choose from a large selection of wines and delicious Spanish tapas.

In this future, rest assured that there will be no dehydrated food rations. There will, however, be a large choice of innovative creations that surprise the palate at every step of your meal in the Alameda XXI restaurant. The state-of-the-art kitchens cook up fabulous food, playing with textures and colours, producing flavours that burst in your mouth.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” At the Gran Hotel Nagari, even one-day-at-a-time is too fast. You will want time to suspend entirely. Perhaps someday, we’ll know how to do that, stretching and shifting time at our will. You can be sure that if scientists ever figure out the magic formula, the Gran Hotel Nagari will be among the first to exploit the new technology.