"It will open its doors in May and in addition to a spa, it has a golf course, chapel and mosque.
Its mineral-medicinal waters have been used since the 17th century and it functioned as a hospital during the Civil War.
With more than a century of history behind it, the Balneario de Guitiriz is facing a new life. The establishment, located halfway between A Coruña and Lugo , went from being a place of pilgrimage to “take the waters” to being transformed into a four-star hotel with a golf course, only to end up abandoned and a victim of vandalism.
The Iberik Hoteles chain has prepared it and will reopen its doors during the first half of May as the Gran Balneario de Guitiriz & Golf.
Its medicinal waters attracted people from all over Galicia, but the hotel, after passing through several hands, closed and its facilities were left at the mercy of vandals , who took anything of value they could find. It was put up for auction and had several owners , until Iberik Hoteles took it over.
In February 2022, work began, which involved an investment of 8.5 million euros to completely rehabilitate the building. They want to return the spa to its heyday and make it one of the benchmarks for thermal tourism at a national level.
Golf course, chapel and mosque
The Gran Hotel Balneario is located in the town of Guitiriz, Lugo. The building, with more than 9,800 square metres, is surrounded by 40 hectares of forest with pedestrian routes for hiking. In addition to the spa, its facilities include a 9-hole golf course , a chapel and even a mosque.
The four-star establishment will have 103 rooms spread over three floors. It includes five lounges, a function room, four meeting rooms, a dining room for events, a guest dining room and a cafeteria with an outdoor terrace area.
The 3,910 m² spa building has a thermal pool with a surface area of ??241 m², which also has a beach area and a thermal leisure area that connects to the indoor solarium area, a walking pool and cold bath, several saunas, soap massage rooms , beauty cabins and a gym. It also has a medical service, physiotherapy and a nursing station.
What was once the Grand Hotel's garage has been transformed into the Club House , a space used as a cafeteria and lounge area for guests.
It functioned as a hospital during the Civil War
The origin of the spa is the San Juan spring. Although the therapeutic use of the mineral-medicinal waters of Guitiriz dates back to the 17th century , they were first analysed in the mid-18th century. It was in 1902 when the waters of the “San Juan de Lagostelle Spring” were recognised by Decree of the Health Council and declared of public utility due to their characteristics. The fame of these waters led to the construction of the hotel, an original modernist building that was founded in 1908 and functioned as support accommodation for users of the thermal waters.
New life for the century-old Guitiriz Spa: after years of abandonment, it reopens as a four-star hotel
It is striking that the spa also has a mosque . The explanation is that during the Civil War the building was used as a hospital , it was called the “Guitiriz Indigenous Infirmary” and it received wounded mainly from the Asturian front, although many wounded Muslim combatants also ended up there . For this reason a place was built where they could pray. "
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