Alma Pamplona

Just about any place on earth could be described with some variation on “land of contrasts.” But it’s actually a pretty fair description of Spain, in at least one important way. It’s hard to think of another country that has held on to so much of what’s traditional, while at the same time fervently and unapologetically embracing what’s modern. It’s a tendency on display in Spanish cooking, where you can find innovative molecular gastronomy and a traditional workman’s paella lunch within yards of each other. And it’s on display in hotels like Alma Pamplona, where an unapologetic modernist hotel stands on the fringes of the historical city of Pamplona.

If these interiors contain any nod at all to the rural Navarre countryside it’s in the materials, the hardwood floors and the rich grains of the furnishings. But texture aside the rooms and suites are as clean-lined and contemporary as can be. And this isn’t the sort of boutique where the good looks crowd out the creature comforts. King beds are standard throughout, and the technology is state-of-the-art.

The hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, La Biblioteca, serves some of that “land of contrasts” cuisine we were talking about, and the lounges take lounging a bit more literally than most: rather than bustling bars they’re sedate spaces with views of Pamplona’s countryside. Guests wind down further by the pool, and the prospect of a spa treatment may leave some of us feeling almost dangerously tranquil.

How to get there:
Alma Pamplona is 12 km from Pamplona Airport(PNA). Many guests choose to arrive by train - it takes about 4-5 hours from either Madrid or Barcelona. Once you have arrived in Pamplona, it takes just 10 or 15 minutes to reach the hotel from the airport or train station.