The Lay Out: Louisa Kirk-Duncan's Volcanic Cave Pool By Architect & Artist César Manrique
You've never seen anything like this.
Louisa is senior level freelance consultant across brand, strategy and culture based in Berlin, Germany. She also has a Substack called HOTEL AMORE INC., a weekly newsletter with hot travel intel, fashion features as well as highly curated interior and artist introductions.
A deep researcher, she subscribes to about 120 Substacks and about 20 digital sites. Although it’s changed some over the years, when traveling, she says, “When I was in my twenties, I obviously always tried to save money, and as I would be out and about the entire day when traveling, I would optimize for price. Now, a special location, story, interior, particular architecture really catches me — I feel like I spend much more time in a hotel when traveling, so I want it to be nice!”
During 2021, Louisa and a friend were looking for places to visit and the island of Lanzarote within the Canary Islands, Spain was allowing tourists at the time. She was especially curious about the Lanzarote native, architect and artist César Manrique, and his “blending art and architecture in a way that feels both innovative and harmonious with the landscape.”
Mirador Del Rio, one of Manrique’s Lanzarote works.
She’s sharing the Jameos del Agua, which was partially opened in 1969 but completed in 1977, built into the Monte Carona, a volcano that erupted in over 21,000 years ago. Since its ‘77 opening, it’s expanded and now houses the museum called Casa de los Volcanes, a center for science and volcanoes. Louisa writes:
“From all the works I have seen from Manrique all over the island I was thinking the most about the Jameos del Agua, which is part of the Lanzarote’s network of Art, Culture and Tourism Centres (Centros de Arte, Cultura y Turismo, CACT) and an architectural work and public art piece designed by architect César Manrique.
This place is a unique complex of grottos, caves, tunnels and galleries formed by a volcanic eruption and respective lava solidification 3000-4500 years ago, which has been made up by Manrique into a subterranean garden and a building complex, named Casa de Los Volcanos. He understood the beauty of this place and turned it into something very unique.
There is a beautiful cafe with white stone walls which naturally merge with the volcanic stone to protect the structure. There are beautiful metal chairs and wooden tables and a burned orange sun sail.
Jameo is a term used only on the island of Lanzarote. It refers to the roofless grotto that is produced when a lava tube’s roof collapses. The first is reached through a steep staircase which leads to the incredible cave bar and restaurant, all with orange pillows on the beautiful chairs, white stone and dark volcano walls. (I have no idea why no guide was talking about these beautiful chairs!) The seating is to highlight the incredible view onto the underground salt lake, 7 meters deep and boasts 77 endemic species. The “blind crab” is one and is also the symbol of the center.
From the lake, you get through a path boasting an incredible amount of amazing plants to the highlight of the space, the white sea water rock pool. The colors combined from the dark volcano stone, the lush greenery of the palm trees and plants, the burned-orange umbrellas and the bright turquoise water with the white stone of the pool is very special. The color combination combined with the knowledge that nature had created this place through a volcano eruption which is both scary and beautiful and with the heat and wind of the sun is what makes it so memorable for me.”
How do you recommend enjoying it most?
“If I’d go again, I would come first in the morning hours to avoid the masses, bring a book and sit by the pool to read. You can also get something to eat at the cafe, I am not a 100% sure if you can bring it to the pool.”
Why you should go:
“I think Manrique’s work in Lanzarote is so special because he had such a strong connection to the country. The way he incorporated the building into nature and understood it so well, is very special. The colors within the volcanic landscape of Lanzarote make it outstanding.”
Some more about Louisa’s perspective and why you should follow her Substack:
“I love hotels which have strong connections to the world of art or architecture. The influence of my husband, who is an art dealer and owns the art platform Super Super Markt, is strong. :) We recently visited the Hotel Castell in the insanely beautiful Swiss village Zuoz which is filled in every corner with contemporary art famous artists such as Pipilotti Rist, Fischli & Weiss and Kippenberger. It was an incredible experience! Then there is also the iconic hotel 7132 in Vals, Switzerland, which is part of the most beautiful thermal baths in the world designed by the iconic architect Peter Zumthor. Just look at that. These places catch me because they are so special!
I very much value charming and small owner-led boutique hotels. I find that these places more often than not are led with more passion and love, which can make a real difference in how you experience a place
Every little detail of a hotel stay is part of how a traveler perceives the brand: I love when hotels understand this. I think the Villa Arnica in Bolzano, South Tyrol has been particularly good at that. My husband and I stayed there for four days for our honeymoon last year and didn’t leave the hotel pool the entire time, just waiting for the amazing snacks to come around every two hours and something to drink. Everything in this place was perfection, from the welcome email, to the pool snacks which were from the garden that surrounded us to the high quality shower gel (Susanne Kaufmann), really good playlists and the beautiful towels! I also love their entire visual identity, logo, typography - it’s all really good!”
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So good!!!! ☀️☀️☀️