Who’d have thought mere minutes after arriving at the 5-star Caro Hotel in the heart of Old Town Valencia I’d be involved in an intriguing conversation about vampires.
Chatting bar-side with friendly concierge Alejandro Cendal about legendary immortal creatures while sipping a tasty welcome cortado was a memorable beginning to an enjoyable three-night stay in this chic 26-room hotel.
Opened 13 years ago by two brothers, Juan Emilio and Gustavo Bru, the Caro is located on an historic site where a Roman Forum housing charioteers once stood more than two thousand years ago. The brothers have cleverly transformed such historical elements into striking features, thus creating a blend of minimalist contemporary design with preserved historical features such as arches, walls and mosaics. Interestingly, fragments of ancient stone throughout the hotel include pillars on the back wall of the cosy ground-floor bar.
Rooms at the Caro bear an intriguing set of names, from The Cat’s Room to the Gothic Tower to the Templars Room. My companion and I stayed in room 26, named The Marchioness Vantage Point, an apt title as it overlooked a narrow splash pool with decking in an enclosed wood-floored courtyard with metal garden-style seating and tall lamps, ochre-slate roofs of nearby homes and loquat, paradise and several Madagascar dragon trees.
Nordic in design, our room reflected clean lines and muted tones balancing warmth and simplicity, an uncluttered ambience with a deep respect for space and light. Not minimalist for show, but for comfort. Wood facade over one wall, painted dove grey, added a touch of naturalness while sunshine pouring in from a large open window bathed the room in radiant light. Heavy dark drape curtains meant sleep was undisturbed.
Furnishings included a large flat wall TV with a range of channels and a circular table and two seats. A free mini-bar was paired with complimentary coffee which is delivered straight to guest rooms. The hotel also generously offered vouchers for tapas and drinks.
Bath and shower were entwined together behind a glass half-door, with toiletries by Lalique. The toilet was housed separately. Slippers and fluffy robes hung from the wall and a hairdryer, mini sewing kit, nail file and hairbrush were among the other bathroom accessories.
Our double bed, close to the ground, meant falling into bed was an easy matter after a long sight-seeing day and thankfully my bedside table, which in some upscale hotels can be very small, was ample enough to accommodate books, glasses and drinks. A bright rotating wall light made reading easy. The hotel also offers a pillow menu, soft and hard varieties with feather, latex and cervical as choices.
Breakfast is served in the hotel’s elegant basement with a glass ceiling permitting plenty of natural light to flow in. Here the central feature is the remains of an 800-year-old Islamic wall, as well as a statue of a stone angel, which Sonya, our server, says jokingly helps out when things get busy. The overall color palette is black and white with fragments of vividly designed tiles lining one wall. One of several rooms here houses shelves of books.
A generous buffet, including Valencia’s iconic orange juice, is complemented by a made to order menu ranging from omelettes including the local Spanish version combining potato and onion, as well as eggs Benedict and Florentine. There are also various toast options such as the traditional cured paprika sausage (sobrasada) with brie cheese. A variety of crepes are also offered, with salmon, cream cheese and dill, York ham and maple syrup with bacon.
It was in a separate part of the basement area where we were treated to a culinary dream of a ‘Brot’ tasting menu one evening at the Xanglot restaurant created by talented owner-chef Sandra Jorge, brot meaning a plant sprouting or budding. Our evening kicked-off with Sandra’s unique cocktail, a family recipe comprising Cointreau, tequila, grapefruit, vanilla cream, jalapeno and tahini sprinkled on a slice of grapefruit.
As for the diverse, impressively presented food, it was deserving of a full article which I will duly write. But to give you an idea of the sheer quality, openers, of which there were many, ranged from traditional Shumai Chinese dumplings to beef tongue smoked on a Japanese barbecue. Mains included delicately cooked fillet of corvina fish and lasagna with goats cheese with brandade de bacalao, an emulsion crafted from salt cod, olive oil, and usually potatoes. Of several delectable desserts, one was a highly-imaginative blend of corn mousse, white chocolate, miso, feta cheese and elderflower. I sense it won’t be long before Xanglot enters the Michelin world of culinary art.
A special advantage the Caro Hotel enjoys is its convenient location on a narrow street in the Seu-Xerea neighbourhood of Valencia’s Old Town. This means it is within walking distance of many of the Spanish city’s main highlights including Túria gardens a few hundred yards away, the 13th-century cathedral, La Seu de València, the modernist El Mercat Central, one of the largest markets in Europe, and Plaza del Ayuntamiento square.
For a modern hotel with vestiges of ancient history integrated within its walls, and close to some of Valencia’s most attractive sights, the Caro Hotel is hard to beat.
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