VIVOOD Landscape Hotel & 5E Spa

Sleeping in a suite hung on the hillside

VIVOOD is in Benimantell, on the road from Guadalest to Alcoy, about two kilometres from the Castell de Guadalest. It is not one building: it is 35 independent suites and villas, wood and glass modules raised above the ground and spread across an 84,000 m² estate among olive trees, pines and a great rock wall. Each has a floor-to-ceiling window towards the valley, so the landscape is the first thing you see when you open your eyes. It was founded in 2015 by Daniel Mayo, an architect who previously made self-assembly wooden houses, and its website presents it as a hotel intended for adults.

There are four categories and the difference lies in the exterior. The Double Suite is the simplest: a minimalist space with the window and the terrace. The Pool Suite adds a heated jacuzzi. The Premium Pool Suite has a lounge terrace with a heated outdoor jacuzzi and mountain views. The Premium Villa is the largest and the only one with a private heated pool. All have a Queen or King bed, a rain shower with a view and climate control.

The spa, the pools and the meals

The 5E Spa is at the foot of the rock and offers a five-stage circuit: sauna with a cold plunge, hammam, bithermal tunnel, a salt-water flotarium and the infinity pool looking at the valley. It is open Monday to Sunday from 11:00 to 20:00. If you book on its website with the flexible rate, access to the spa pool is free. Massages, rituals for two and the Spa Night, two hours with the spa closed just for you at sunset, are paid separately and requested in advance.

For eating you have two restaurants. The Panorámico, for guests only, serves seasonal Mediterranean cooking with views of the valley and is where the Breakslow breakfast is served at the table. ConTemple, the fine-dining one, is open at midday Wednesday to Sunday and admits outside customers with a reservation. There is also a bar by the pools and room service. In the Premium Villa you can order the floating breakfast, served in the private pool, 24 hours ahead and with a €15 supplement.

Before you book

Check-out is at 12:00. The website does not publish check-in time, so ask if you arrive early. Nor does it say anything about dogs: if you are travelling with yours, enquire first. Booking on its website has advantages that they announce themselves: free cancellation on all rates and spa access with the flexible rate. You arrive by car: from Alicante it is about 50 minutes via the AP-7 and Benidorm; the hotel also offers a private chauffeur transfer that picks you up on arrival (the Alicante AVE station is about 50 minutes away).

The Castell de Guadalest is five minutes by car: if you go up early, you cross the San José tunnel before the coach tours from the coast. The MASOS winery is a step away, also in Benimantell. For a full night as a couple, see the Guadalest couple's getaway.