Hunting for Spanish Treasures

Capital magazine - July-Aug 2007

Surrounded by hazelnut groves as far as the eye can see, Mas Passamaner, a luxury three-storey boutique hotel near the Spanish city of Tarragona, provides the perfect base for exploring nearby wine regions and archaeological treasures. Spanish author and architect Domenech Montaner designed the 1920s modernist country house, about 100km from Barcelona. He gave it its Moorish influences, arched windows, shutters and charming Juliet balconies. A few years ago, architect Angel Garcia Puertas was commissioned to transform it into a boutique hotel, taking it back to its former glory albeit with a stylish, contemporary interior.

With 11 guest rooms in the main building, a ground-floor annex was added to provide another 13 guest rooms which open out to the garden and swimming pool. The hotel also has two Royal suites with their own private swimming pools. As well as a gym, tennis court, putting green and heliport, the hotel facilities include a luxurious spa with saunas, Vichy shower, massage rooms and beauty salons. The restaurant, La Gigantea, is overseen by chef Joaquin Koerper, whose Girasol restaurant in Alicante has two Michelin stars. His cutting-edge food, presented on cool white crockery, is reason alone to make the trek from Barcelona.

Mas Passamaner is ideally located for enjoying some great food and wine experiences, as well as other attractions. Torres, one of Spain’s biggest wine producers, makes the most famous of its Chardonnays from its Milmanda vineyard, a 15ha property surrounding the 11th century Milmanda Castle. The castle is open to visitors, and there is a small vineyard museum, but for tastings it is best to visit the Torres winery in Penedes. One of the most beautiful products created in the region is Forum vinegar, produced by Cellers Puig Roca and exported to Australia. It is made by a solera system using French oak barrels previously used for storing wine. There is also a Reserve vinegar called Flavius, the Roman-inspired names having come about because the property borders the Via Augusta, an ancient Roman road.

Tarragona still has many relics from the time when it was the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Citerior, including the Circus, amphitheatre, Forum and walls and towers. Nearby there is a Roman aqueduct and following the route of the Via Augusta, there is a Roman arch, villa and other archaeological treasures. The Priorat region which rises up behind the coastal strip south of Barcelona offers excellent game cuisine and big red wines with character and elegance. It has some of the most dramatically situated vineyards in Europe, with terraced vineyards cut into the steep hillsides up to 800m high.

One of the natural attractions in easy reach of Mas Passamaner is the Ebro River Delta, which offers short boat cruises along the river to the point where it flows into the Mediterranean. The prolific bird life includes numerous flamingos. Much of the surrounding area is below sea level, making it ideal for producing rice. The Cambra Arrossera rice co-operative in Amposta exports its Bomba, or short-grain, to Australia under the Montsia label. The co-op’s Montsianell rice is used in the paellas at Ristorante Miami, a good seafood restaurant in the attractive fishing port of Sant Carles de la Rapita. It is fascinating to watch the fish auction held here every day except Sunday, in the late afternoon when the boats come in.

Those lucky enough to be in Tarragona between January and April should not miss la calcotada, a wonderful feast where bibs are donned and revellers consume enormous quantities of calcots, spring onions whose growing process is deliberately interrupted so that they end up looking more like a cross between a spring onion and a leek. The onions take on a milder, sweeter flavour, which becomes heaven-sent when they are cooked over an open fire and served with delicious Romesco sauce. The feast is said to have originated in Valls in the late 1800s, and it is here that it can still best be experienced, with many of the town’s restaurants and farmhouses specialising in it.

Some of the fishing villages along the Costa Daurada, the 216km stretch of coastline which stretches down to the Ebro Delta, have become tourist meccas, especially in the high season between June and August. Sitges, a coastal resort between Barcelona and Tarragona, is very much a tourist haunt but still manages to retain a delightful charm with its lovely old buildings and beautiful church perched on the coastline. One of its most popular restaurants is Al Fresco, run by Marilyn Hood, who draws on her Australian background to add a unique touch to the excellent local produce.

Barcelona itself is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, with a bohemian Gothic quarter, the delightful La Rambla pedestrian street, the superb Boqueria food market, the architectural masterpieces of Antoni Gaudi and more than 50 museums showcasing permanent collections of works by artists such as Picasso and Joan Miró. The city inspired much of Picasso’s art. Host city of the 1992 Olympic Games, Barcelona is a three and a half hour drive north of Valencia, which is in the headlines this year because of a certain yacht race. Host of the 32nd America’s Cup, Valencia is a popular port of call for many Mediterranean cruises.

FACT FILE

Mas Passamaner is 98 km from Barcelona and 15km from Tarragona, Spain.
Address: Cami de la Serra 52, 43470 La Selva del Camp, Tarragona.
Ph: + (34) 977-76 63 33
Wallpaper* City Guides, launched last November by Phaidon Press and Wallpaper* magazine, are a must for design-conscious travellers. The pocket-size guides ($12.95) feature great cities from around the globe, including Barcelona.
For information on traveling in Spain:
www.spain.info
www.barcelonaturisme.com
www.turisvalencia.com
An excellent way to get to know Spain better is to stay at Paradors, luxury, state-run hotels set in unique locations.
For package and sightseeing tours in Spain, or to make independent travel arrangements, contact the Greece and Mediterranean Travel Centre on 1300 661 666,www.greecemedtravel.com or Tempo Holidays on 1300 558 987, www.tempoholidays.com

© Christine Salins

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