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The Heirloom Hotel

Though close to glitzy Marbella, this Andalucían farmhouse offers a laid-back retreat shaded by olive trees and magnificent palms. Designed by the late Jaime Parladé, the richly layered Alcuzcuz aims to evoke the 19th-century house built by the eminent decorator’s great-grandmother that once stood in its place
Sitting room in Alcuzcuz
In the sitting room, a round table is covered with a 19th-century chenille cloth. Behind it is a screen given by the writer Gerald Brenan to Janetta, which was gifted to him by Virginia Woolf

Within the close-knit world of decorating, this Andalucían farmhouse turned boutique hotel attracts pilgrims keen to get the creative juices flowing. While close to glamorous Marbella, the Alcuzcuz estate (WoI Oct 2012) is on an entirely different spiritual plain.

Some 30 years ago the estate, home to his aristocratic family for six generations, came into the hands of the late Jaime Parladé. Parladé numbered among Spain’s most eminent interior decorators, having chalked up stylish homes across Europe, but his work on Alcuzcuz is perhaps his apotheosis and can still be discovered by guests today. 

On the site originally stood a 19th-century house built by Parladé’s great-grandmother that burned down several decades later; it wasn’t until the 1950s that his father chose the same spot for a new residence. Though the current structure may not be steeped in history, the land certainly is, and the new farmhouse has come to be a cherished family home. This sense of kinship and reverence for the past can be felt in the decorator’s approach. Though a designer of his renown was bound to flex his muscles, Parladé resisted grandiosity. The overall feel is quite personal – for what is now a hotel – and private. One senses instinctively that the many paintings, books and objects strewn artfully throughout are either heirlooms or knickknacks gathered in a life spent decorating.

The panelled ceiling in the library was designed to disguise three unattractive beams. Photograph: Ricardo Labougle

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The unobtrusive table in the library, for example, topped with a lamp and miscellaneous barware, actually came from the Tangier home of the fabulous, if troubled, American socialite Barbara Hutton. Pieces with fascinating provenances like this mingle with European antiques, family portraits and photographs. The effect shares DNA with the unpretentious but richly layered language of English country-house style, albeit with a distinctly Andalucían edge. A fleet of Howard sofas helps to reinforce this Anglo-Spanish impression.

The Moorish bedroom was originally a chapel that attracted pilgrims for its plaster statue of San José. Photograph: Ricardo Labougle

These kinds of interiors can rarely be created to order. Although apparently effortless, they are the culmination of decades of travel, collecting and creative experience, forming rich tapestries of not just one life, but many. Pulling this off requires genuine interest in each object and its place within a home, and it is no wonder Alcuzcuz has become a point of reference for those who spend their lives pondering décor and its effective execution. Rejecting grab-bag consumerism, this approach is instead laced with a common cord of history and culture.

The 19th-century hillside farmhouse was home to interior designer Jaime Parladé and his wife, Janetta, an artist. Photograph: Carlos Caceres Lavergne 

The coral-coloured farmhouse enjoys the backdrop of dark foliage, which includes olive and citrus trees. Photograph: Carlos Caceres Lavergne 

Every grand country house needs an equally enthralling garden, and those at Alcuzcuz were entirely designed by Jaime and his wife, Janetta. After undoing some of the previous inhabitant’s choices, the couple set about laying down a meandering suite of outdoor rooms that take the form of wide, open lawns and cascading terraces. Though formal in its planning, the garden has a similarly travelled and gathered feel to the house. Take the planting of trees. In keeping with the region, guests can find shade beneath cypresses, olive trees and magnificent palms, taking us from the Mediterranean to North Africa. Clean, classical hedges box in beds of plentiful buds, while explosions of red, pink, purple and white bloom alongside twisting pathways that lead to vignettes punctuated by sculptures and statuary. Most special of all, the gardens boast foliage-tinged views out to the Alboran Sea. 

Doors lead out to shady terraces. The fresh vegetables eaten here are harvested from the surrounding gardens. Photograph: Carlos Caceres Lavergne 

Carlos Caceres Lavergne 
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So far, little mention has been made of Alcuzcuz’s current incarnation as a hotel; that’s because it really doesn’t feel like one. But a hotel it now is, run by Parladé’s nephew Andres. There are six rooms, some with separate entrance halls and private terraces; others with high, domed ceilings and large fireplaces. All have picturesque views over the grounds and landscapes beyond, but the views have tough competition from the furnishings within, which are elaborate and intriguing. 

Breakfast here, served on a sun-dappled terrace, is exactly what you would want it to be in such a setting. Tables overflow with bread and olive oil, jams and pastries, eggs and jambon. All washed down with freshly squeezed Spanish oranges and hot coffee. At lunch, the hotel can whip up hampers to be enjoyed on the nearby beach or while exploring the countryside. Later, head next door to the Alcuzcuz Gallery, where dinners inspired by Andalucía and Morocco are cooked following old family recipes. Don’t forget to pop back during the day, as the gallery is also home to an antique and homewares shop that stocks treasures from around the world and pieces manufactured to Parladé’s own designs.

The working end of the kitchen is lined with hand-painted Spanish tiles, while the dining area has Victorian chairs and a table covered in vintage chenille. Photograph: Ricardo Labougle

Staying at Alcuzcuz is as much a lesson in interior design as it is a holiday in the sun. The home was a passion project and testing ground for a master decorator, one whose clients ranged from Diana Ross to the Duchess of Alba. Despite this, the hotel is no shrine. An enchanting setting and generous Mediterranean hospitality keep Alcuzcuz among Spain’s most captivating retreats. 

Hotel Alcuzcuz Restaurante, Dehesa de Alcuzcuz, A-397, Km.42, 29679 Benahavís, Málaga, Spain. Details: alcuzcuz.es