Hotel Olom, Cadiz – Boutique Brilliance Under The Andalusian Sun

With memorable views of Cadiz Cathedral, sleek rooms adorned with local art, the destination restaurant ‘ettu’, an informal alfresco tapas place on the cathedral square, stunning roof terrace with pool and the Aleph Cocktail Club, and even a wellbeing fitness area, Hotel Olom has all the ingredients to create a memorable boutique stay.

Bathed in extraordinary, brilliant sunshine, Cadiz is a city of light. It is also the oldest city in Spain, one of most ancient in Europe, with a rich history created by the Phoenicians, Romans, and Moors. Hotel Olom, a boutique hotel in the heart of Cadiz’s extraordinary old town, is a place that brings together this evocative history, with the contemporary vibrancy of the city, writes Andrew Forbes (The Luxury Editor.)

This intimate hotel certainly punches above its weight with not only stand out food and beverage and stylish design, but a welcoming, polished approach to hospitality.

The team are young, dynamic, and bursting with enthusiasm. The warm personal welcome was enhanced with lovely amenities waiting in the room including a bottle of local wine and artisan cheeses. Throughout the stay the team were attentive and genuinely friendly.

Our winter sun stay at this on-trend hotel was a spontaneous decision, but turned out to be one of our most memorable city breaks of the year.

The art of Andalucia

The 14-room Hotel Olom, under the direction of the talented Jorge Rodriguez Garcia of Origen Global Group, takes its name from the Phoenician LM’ / or L or M / meaning eternity and infinity, which is evocative of Cadiz as the eternal city. This new boutique hotel brings combines art, gastronomy, and culture of the region, and is a showcase of Andalusian creativity, and the contemporary style of Cadiz.

This artistry is shown not only through the hotel’s art programme, supporting artistic performances of music, theatre, dance, and cinema… in and outside of the hotel, but also through culinary creativity with the choice of two gastronomic spaces.

A taste of Cadiz

El Patio by Olom – guests’ gastronomic indulgence begins with breakfast in El Patio. Table service includes a selection of artisan breads, cheeses as well as fruit and yoghurt. Hot dishes are prepared to order including Eggs Benedict with local pork or homemade pesto, or maybe a South American dish, ‘ Chilaquiles’ echoing Cadiz’s history with the continent.

Momento – Opening out on to the city’s Cathedral Square is ‘Momento’ offering guests, visitors, as well as locals a menu of seasonal dishes, contemporary light bites, tapas, and drinks under the shade of parasols and palm trees, steps from the Cathedral.

Aleph Cocktail Club – Start the evening in perfect style with cocktails at the rooftop bar, the Aleph Cocktail Club, enjoying signature concoctions like the exotic Viva Mexico cocktail paying homage to the flourishing trading routes between Andalucia and the Americas that began in the 16th century.

Ettu – For destination dining, the hotel has ettu, by renowned Chefs Alvaro Vela & Luiti Callealta. The space is contemporary and stylish, opening onto a garden terrace. The ethos of the restaurant is to celebrate the culture and produce of the area. This is reflected in all aspects of ettu, including the artisan ‘botijo’ water jugs, the handcrafted leather wallets for the cutlery and the artisan plateware.

The gastronomic menus feature creative, contemporary dishes using local, seasonal vegetables like beetroot and aubergine, and renowned local seafood as well as meat such as Spain’s prized pork.

You can read The Luxury Editor profile review of ettu restaurant here.

Room with a view

There’s something magical waking up to the Cathedral of the Americas. With a touch of a button on the guets room automation screen and the black out curtains draw open revealing the morning sunlight ricocheting off the brilliant white façade of the cathedral.

Each guest room, equipped with home automation for lighting, curtains, climate, music etc also has a vintage style vinyl record player, with access to a record collection. There are also pieces of original art by local talent – our room for example featured photography by Diego Periñan from nearby Jerez de la Frontera). 

Rooms have a relaxing minimalist style, with white walls, blond woodwork and pops of colour with the soft furnishings. Bathrooms are in striking dark stone with large showers and tubs – feels an indulgent and inviting place to relax.

Cadiz Culture

For lovers of art and culture, Cadiz makes a captivating destination, with a rich history told through archaeological remains, architecture, art, music and performance story telling at the Grand Theatre Falla.

In addition to the Cathedral, where you can climb the clock tower to get a bird’s eye view of the city, there are fascinating museums like the Museo de las Cortes de Cádiz (“Museum of the Courts of Cadiz”), and the Castle of Santa Catalina with temporary art exhibition.

What’s more, in Hotel Olom there is a wealth of art from some 90 artists and photographers from Cadiz. The collection has been curated by a committee, made up of Pablo Juliá, president of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Cádiz; José María Luna, director of the Public Agency for the Management of the Pablo R. Picasso Birthplace Museum, the Pompidou Centre in Málaga and the Russian Museum Collection; Ramón de la Rosa, coordinator of activities at the Contemporary Culture Space (ECCO); Carmen Bustamante, an artist from Cádiz; Miguelo, an artist from Cádiz, selected the 19 artists who, based on the hotel’s curatorial line: “time and eternity”.

The selected artists, who make up a diverse sample of contemporary art from Cadiz, are: Cecilio Chaves, José María Diez, Juan Escors, Celeste Fernández, Pablo Fernández-Pujol, Alejandro “Mika” Fernández, Marina Gadea, Ana Belén García, Alejandro Garófano, Julio González, Joaquín “Kiki” Hernández, Adrián Iovino, Enma Lápiz, Cristina Lopéz, Carmen Lupión, Diego Periñan, Eduardo Query, Iván Suazo and Lucía De la Torre.

Information

Grupo Origen is the vision behind this hotel, an international company, based in Mexico that is dedicated to the development, creation and operation of conceptual projects, architecture, and experiential operation, restoring historic buildings, remodelling buildings, or creating new project. Two of Origen’s most important projects are the Hotel Umbral, a Curio Collection by Hilton in the historic centre of Mexico City and its next opening, Edificio Ermita in Mexico City. With the opening of HOTEL OLOM, Grupo Origen seeks to bring new perspectives and experiences to the already rich tourism and hotel offerings in Cadiz.