Monday 30 March 2015

A Family Bussnes


The hotel has been running for many years as a small family business.
Here is a little about the personnal that make this special place the way it is.



Joann Burch

As you walk through the main door, Joe will probably be waiting for you, ready to greet any new guest, taking pride in making sure the place looks beautiful with the help of freshly cut flowers from her garden. If you need any ideas on where to go or just want to talk about what you would like to do, Joe listens carefully and will give you advise on how to make the most of your holiday. Her many years as a chef & restaurant manager are very useful assets for the kitchen team, where she helps and shares her experience on how to make the most of the seasonal products. Her favorite place and company is when she is gardening with her cats. Her motto: Relax & enjoy every moment.



Nigel Burch

Nigel has spent many years working in food production, specifically on growing vegetables. Nowadays he makes the most of his time so that he can keep fit and have opportunities to enjoy walking and continue exploring Asturias' huge potential for walkers. This has led him to cherish in depth knowledge of what the region has to offer walkers and how to run a small scale diverse farm. His general management work in the hotel is combined with advise for guests on walking opportunities that offer unique experiences of all the different landscapes Asturias has to offer.


Samantha Burch

Sam is one the Chefs at Hotel Posada del Valle's very special Kitchen. Her mission and joy is to be able to satisfy everyones food needs. She loves experimenting, however this doesn't stop her from being very organized. She enjoys baking and preparing vegetarian and vegan meals, and all she needs to do is close her eyes and she can see what vegetables are ready to pick in the garden. When she is not in the kitchen, you will probably find her gardening, felting or working on a new DIY skill. She also loves to escape and go for a walk, admiring the countryside, making the most of the mountains and coast.


Andrés Caso

Andrés brings to the kitchen his personal take on Asturian flavors, through his playful and creative knowledge of traditional cooking. He is a perfectionist that always takes pride in the presentation of food. Cooking is not his only skill, he loves mending many things, creating things and sometimes just for fun. He loves playing mind games, solving puzzles or his favorite hobby that he recommends to all the guests; simply relaxing and having a good time.


Mari Carmen Gutierrez

Mary Carmen is quite our own Mary Poppins, she does a bit of everything and is always ready to greet guests with a huge smile. Full of energy, she is up early before breakfast and her many years taking care of the hotel give her knowledge of all the little secrets of the place. She knows every single hidden corner, how everything works and is always willing to solve anything. Whenever it is the right moment she is off dancing or spending a great time with her family. She has lived many years in Collía and is very proud of it.



Patricia Gutierrez

Patricia is cheerful and always ready for action with a gentle presence, she is happy welcoming and accommodating guests, also helping in the kitchen and taking care of the rooms. She adapts well to the unforeseen, giving welcolme support. She loves working in a friendly environment and certainly contributes to it with a smile and a joke. Her passion is her son, Carlos and she shares her free time between her hobbies: music, literature, cross-stitching and having a coffee with friends. Patricia loves the area where she was born.."sometimes you don't have to go very far to discover new places, you can just wonder around the beautiful Hotel farm"




Lidia Fanjul

Lidia's down to earth attitude to learning makes her the ideal teacher to help people discover new talents learning Spanish or new art techniques. Born in Asturias, in the city of Aviles, she now lives in the countryside, where she can develop her passion for nature and traditional culture. You can meet her in one of our Language immersions or Art workshops. She loves helping others feel comfortable while exploring and doing new things. When not at work she enjoys painting, spending time with friends and travelling. Her holiday recipe is to find the right balance between exploring new places and taking the right time for yourself.



Sebastian Burch

If there is a course going on, or you go for a walk round the farm you will probably meet Seb in one of his many versatile roles. Passionate about ecology and self sufficiency, he works part time on the farm, helping his father out with the endless tasks there always are on the land. Also a bit of an IT geek he works on the website and on-line marketing, but he is most happy when he is organizing and facilitating non formal learning experiences. A passionate believer in communities power of change he enjoys new projects and playing with ideas and solutions that care for people and planet. When it comes to discovering new places his motto is: take it slow and be mindful of how the landscape makes you feel.

Tuesday 17 February 2015

The hotel through the season

The hotel in early February with snow on the Sueve Mountains behind the hotel
Asturias (and the whole of the North of Spain) is a region where the weather changes a lot. Not only does it change according to the seasons but it can also change in a short period of time. However the seasons and the weather are what helps give Asturias that magical scenery and special feeling at any time of the year.


The farm in March
So here are a few photos of the farm and the hotel throughout the year. 

The hotel in April 

Our wild flower meadows in May

Enjoying a drink outside the Hotel in July

Autumn at the hotel.

Thursday 22 January 2015

Visiting a Major Cider Producer

"Escanciando" or pouring cider from the vat for everyone to try
With the idea of finding new activities and experiences for our guests to enjoy whilst staying at the hotel, we’ve started visiting a lot of different places so as to be able to recommend what’s available and what each guest might enjoy best.

Cider made from 100% asturian apples
Asturias is famous for its cider; the region’s major drink. For people who want to see how it’s made traditionally we always recommend them to visit the Ruta del Sidra y Queso, a fabulous two hour tour talking about cheese and cider followed by an excellent lunch.

Walking round the instalations at Sidreria Cortina
The original wooden presses in the background have now all been replaced by hydraulic presses.
But it’s also possible to visit a larger scale producer of cider and taste the cider straight out of the vat. Last week we visited Sidrería Cortina in Villaviciosa, they are well organized and we had an interesting tour. After the tour it’s possible to have an excellent menu of the day in their restaurant next door.

Pouring cider from the vat
Explaining why asturian cider has to be drunk as soon as it is poured.
Visits to Sidreria Cortina are on a daily basis in July and August and twice a week the rest of the year. 

The original wooden Vats


Look out for our new information sheets at the hotel with all sorts of exciting activities and experiences waiting for our guests to enjoy

Welcome

Hotel Posada del Valle is a small hotel in Asturias Northern Spain surrounded by its own organic farm and where we are passionate about organic farming, food, and sustainable livelihoods. In this Blog those of us who live and work at Hotel Posada del Valle open a door to share with all of you who are interested in what we are doing.