Cap Sa Sal – The Five Star Hotel from the Francoist Dictatorship
Cap Sa Sal was promoted in 1963 by Josep Andreu Miralles, son of Dr. Andreu – the founder of the Metropolitan Hotel. Quoting the media of the time: “the construction of the best hotel in Spain and perhaps in Europe has been completed”. And so this luxurious edifice was the host for tourists from all over Spain, Europe and the world.
Spectacular shows were organized here by renowned artists and brands, conferences and pretentious dinners. One of the first to enjoy its hospitality was the actor Rock Hudson, accompanied by a 22 year old Spanish blonde named Maria. Then, in 1966, Soraya, the former empress of Persia stayed here at the invitation of Carmen Polo de Franco, wife of the dictator Francisco Franco.
But behind its glamor there were financial losses due to the winter months when the hotel was mostly empty and so in 1971 Cap Sa Sal was sold for a lower price than the money invested by the Andreu family. The new owner was a group of businessmen from Girona and Barcelona. Among those the proprietor of the coastal town Empuriabrava. The hotel went through a series of modifications, including an attempt to be transformed into a casino. But all failed and its glory ended in 1978.
Today the hotel no longer exists. The original building is an apartment complex. Few call it home, others a remnant of the 60s Brutalist architecture, and for some is a remainder of the intriguing times in the era of a dictatorship.
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