This month (August 2019) sees the opening of Plaza 18, a new six-bedroom 'home-hotel' set in a former 19th Century merchant's house in Spain's gastronomic White Town of Vejer de la Frontera. The opening follows a two-year period of restoration by award-winning interior architect and designer Nicky Dobree. This landmark property, in Vejer's medieval quarter, redefines luxury and is tipped to be one of very finest boutique hotels in Andalucía.

For the interiors, Dobree took inspiration from the iconic building itself which dates back to 1896 and stands on the foundations of an ancient 13th century Arab house, “We have brought new life back into this Grand Dame by respecting its history and embracing a new chapter for the modern traveller,” said Dobree.  Using local craftsmen and organic building materials such as lime-based mortars, wooden floors, natural stone and marble, she was determined to preserve the spirit of the building. The original black and white floor tiles were therefore lifted and re-laid on newly levelled floors.  The Montera (large glazed roof lantern over the patio) was carefully dismantled and repaired to its former glory. And the stone staircase and balustrade were painstakingly restored. 

Nicky Dobree is synonymous with bespoke interiors across Europe and this, her first boutique hotel design, is no exception. Whilst the detail adheres to the classical principles of the property, there is comfort and elegance throughout.  The interiors are intensely layered and so inviting that guests can expect visual delight at every turn. Each of the six individual bedroom suites has a story to tell, having been personally curated with pieces from around the world. With a home-from-home vibe, Dobree's collective chic brings a timeless elegance throughout. Guests will leave feeling that Plaza 18 was the secret second home that they have always wanted.

Adjacent to the town's emblematic palm-filled Plaza de España, Plaza 18 offers its guests the choice of relaxing in the hotel's shady central courtyard, the large double-fronted sitting room with an imposing fireplace, on one of the breakfast terraces or on the large roof terrace with the most spectacular views. Views from the six en suite bedrooms (one of them also with a sitting room) reach across the town or look towards the nature reserve, the Parque Natural las Marismas, while the top floor suite has views that stretch to the beaches of the Costa de la Luz, 10kms away.  On a clear day the Tangiers coast of Morocco can be seen.

Plaza 18 is a joint venture with adjacent Hotel La Casa del Califa, Vejer's principal boutique hotel with which it shares a reception. The collaboration allows guests staying at Plaza 18 to be given access to all the facilities of La Casa del Califa. Among them is the Michelin Guide-recommended El Jardín del Califa with a lush palm-filled courtyard and stone vaulted dining rooms - consistently Vejer's most popular restaurant. Next year (2020) the Califa Group will also be opening a traditional Hammam in Vejer, something that has been absent from the White Town for several hundred years. The Califa Hamam will be a blend of the traditional Roman baths with a caldarium, tepidarium and a frigidarium, as well as a traditional steam room common to Moroccan hamams, and a domed atrium and massage room.

Widely regarded as being the best preserved of the 'Pueblos Blancos', Vejer is an historic town, made of turreted walls, flower-filled courtyards and ancient buildings. It has developed a strong gastronomic scene with a range of excellent restaurants and traditional cafés and tapas bars in which to while away the time.  Located in the province of Cádiz, Vejer is just 10kms inland from the Atlantic coast and the beaches of El Palmar and Cape Trafalgar.

Price: A double room at Plaza 18 (www.hotelplaza18.com +34956447730) will cost from €160 - €270 in low season.

Travel to Vejer: 54km from Jerez airport (45 mins. motorway all the way); 95km from Gibraltar airport; 158km from Seville airport; 210km from Malaga airport.

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PRESS ENQUIRIES:

For Plaza 18 and the Califa Group

Julia Spence, Natalie Postlethwaite or Hugh Collins

Julia Spence Public Relations

+44(0)1491 824524 / +44(0)7802 443113

juliaspence.pr@gmail.com

For Nicky Dobree

Nick Lee

niche pr

nick@niche-pr.co.uk