Just half an hour from the stag parties and all-day English breakfasts of Benidorm lies a paradise nestled in the rugged hills of the Costa Blanca. If you’re not from the region, the likelihood is that you’ve never heard of it and it keeps an equally low profile in reality too, hidden away among trees and jungle-like vegetation. But once you’ve experienced a stay at Vivood Landscape Hotel, you’re guaranteed to remember its name forever.
Let’s start with the most important part: the location. The connotations of the Costa Blanca aren’t always the most favourable, having attracted swarms of foreign holidaymakers over the years and with them 60s-era tower blocks and British pubs. There are many lovely towns on the coast but few have been left unscathed by Spain’s tourist boom of yesteryear.
Imagine our surprise then to take a taxi just thirty minutes into the hills behind the most infamous of these towns and to find ourselves amidst some of the most beautiful nature we’ve experienced in many years of exploring this country. Jagged cliffs jut towards the sky, sprinkled here and there with tiny hilltop villages. In the middle of the green and grey landscape is a reservoir with water in the most brilliant chalky blue. It’s a view you’d expect to see in the Swiss Alps instead of right here, between the bustling cities of Alicante and Valencia.
Vivood Landscape Hotel opened its doors for the first time in 2015. The location had previously been an animal sanctuary and, as we’re driven in a golf buggy through lush forests, it feels oddly natural to imagine sharing this terrain with tigers and other exotic animals. Vivood was founded by architect Daniel Mayo Pardo who dreamt of creating a resort that blended seamlessly into its surroundings – and the first landscape hotel in Spain was born!
And the landscape truly is the be-all and end-all at Vivood; everything is designed to cast the eye outwards to the incredible views. It begins from the very moment you arrive at the reception and are invited to sit in front of floor-to-ceiling windows while you hear about the full programme of events on offer during your stay – all complimentary – from yoga to couples’ tantra meditation.
Vivood is an adults-only retreat with a strong focus on disconnection. Guests are invited to put away their phones on arrival (a disconnection box is provided in the room) and to fully immerse themselves in the carefully-designed escape experiences on offer.
There are three choices of room at the hotel: Suites, Premium Villas, and Pool Suites. All offer complete privacy and panoramic views of the landscape, but the villas and pool suites have some important added extras. We opted to stay in one of the iconic villas. It’s a two-storey structure with a living area on the top floor and the bedroom and bathroom down a flight of stairs below.
The living room looks out onto the pièce de résistance: an incredible private terrace area with a heated jacuzzi pool and sun deck. A clever metal structure borders the deck on either side, offering complete privacy without hindering enjoyment of the spectacular mountain views. Carefully-planned amenities make this a fully functional space: plug sockets on the sundeck to listen to music while sunbathing; an outdoor shower avoids the need to trail wet feet to the bathroom; a raised lounging platform in the jacuzzi for added comfort.
Downstairs, the bedroom keeps the focus firmly on the most important feature: a huge bed in the middle of the room faces towards a panoramic window the size of one entire wall. Regardless of which room you opt for, all enjoy vistas of the mountains beyond, but the Premium Villa has the added bonus of two different vantage points on each floor.
Vivood has all the gadgets and amenities of the most extravagant bachelor’s pad: the window blind also doubles as a giant projector screen on which guests can watch a selection of pre-loaded streaming sites, administered from the bedside tablet. We take full advantage of this, enjoying some Netflix on the gigantic screen from the comfort of our bed in the evening before raising the blinds and sleeping with a much more impressive backdrop in the form of a pitch black sky covered in stars.
The bedroom leads to a small dressing room and, on the other side, a bathroom with another exceptional feature: a panoramic rain shower, ensuring that guests don’t miss the views, even for a moment while showering.
Like everything at Vivood it’s perfectly planned to enable full enjoyment of the surroundings in complete privacy.
An array of little luxuries are waiting in the bathroom, from the standard shampoos and soaps to less obvious extras such as lip balm, hand cream and multiple vanity kits.
Back upstairs, the living room is a serene space in which to relax with a book or take advantage of some of the amenities on offer. Tablets provided on both floors are pre-loaded with entertainment apps that allow you to play music throughout the whole villa on a sound system, control lighting and heating from any room, or watch television in whichever room you find yourself.
We headed straight for the best seat in the house: the heated jacuzzi pool on the villa’s sun deck. It’s a glorious sun trap with plenty of space for two to stretch out and take in the quiet and sounds of the surrounding nature. From the sun deck you can see all the way to the Guadalest reservoir, and if you’re feeling a bit more energetic you can follow a 5k walking trail from the resort directly to the turquoise waters, where it’s possible to swim.
The rooms at Vivood are so spectacular that it’s perfectly acceptable not to want to leave them at all. However, the hotel itself has plenty to offer and is definitely worth exploring. In addition to the menu of wellness activities, there are two outdoor infinity pools. The water isn’t heated so it was just a little too cold for a swim during our visit in April (and too tempting to stay in the warmth of the jacuzzi) but they will no doubt provide the perfect antidote to the oppressive heat of August in Spain.
The hotel has two restaurants on site, both specialising in slow food made with high quality, local ingredients. At Vivood there’s a strong emphasis on health and wellbeing, and the restaurant offering is reflective of this with fresh produce and health-conscious options.
While the resort is secluded, it’s also just a short walk to the nearby villages of Guadalest and Benimantell, both of which have a decent choice of restaurants if you prefer to dine out.
Breakfast is served in the hotel’s panoramic restaurant – all earthy tones, natural materials and full-length windows that blur the lines between outdoors and indoors.
However, flexibility and comfort is key at Vivood and guests also have the option to dine in-room. You can even channel your inner Influencer and opt to have a ‘floating breakfast’, served in your private pool for a small additional fee.
And what would a luxury adults-only retreat be without spa time? Once again, Vivood goes totally above and beyond the standard hotel spa offering.
The speciality is the 5 Elements Ritual – a nature-based circuit of treatments including a sauna (fire), hammam (earth), thermal pools (water), salt water flotarium (air) and finishing with a restful swim (ether).
It’s a special experience but also one that comes with a relatively steep cost. If you’re looking for something a little less extravagant, there is a good range of massages, treatments, and couples’ experiences to choose from.
In keeping with the theme of seclusion, each room is offered one hour of complete privacy in the spa’s panoramic pool (pre-booking necessary). If you thought the views from your own villa were impressive, this is just next level.
No matter how few wellness activities you choose to partake in or how indulgent your meal choices, it’s impossible to leave Vivood and not feel completely rejuvenated. Perhaps it’s the mountain air or the connection with the landscape, or just that wonderful feeling of someone having anticipated your every need before you did.
It’s a truly exceptional experience and, unlike many luxury hotels at its price point, is one that really provides value for money.
Our advice? Upgrade to the Premium Villa or Pool Suite. We promise you won’t regret it.
We stayed
in Room 30 – one of the Premium Villas with private jacuzzi, priced from ~€500 per night with breakfast
For the best rates, including early bird discount, book directly through Vivood’s website
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