Feb 1, 20172 min read

Lunch at Hotel El Lodge, Sierra Nevada

When you’re in Granada, don't miss the opportunity to visit the scenic nearby Sierra Nevada Ski Resort. Sierra Nevada, which means "snowy mountain range" in Spanish, contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3,478 metres above sea level. Since it’s just a 45-minute drive away from Granada, we decided to enjoy a lunch date at the best luxury winter-only hotel in Sierra Nevada called El Lodge.

It wasn’t my first time at this stunning hotel, I did visit El Lodge before a fire destroyed it in 2013, but I hadn’t been back here after they rebuilt it for winter 2015/16. And oh my, it’s even better than before! A luxury hotel with just 20 rooms and suites, built in beautiful Finnish wood and decorated by famed interior designer Andrew Martin is as good as it gets up there. And of course El Lodge has the only open air swimming pool in the Sierra Nevada with breathtaking views over the mountains. Even though I don’t ski, I do love après-ski part. And what a better way to enjoy it than in the finest hotel in this ski resort.

El Lodge offers as selection of restaurants and bars and for lunch the best option is definitely the Sun Deck, where you can literally ski-in from the slopes. The outdoor restaurant offers a fusion menu of Mediterranean food, pasta and barbequed meat, and the faux-fur throws, cosy fires, wine and not to mention the sun kept us warm throughout our meal although it was -5 degrees outside.

For starters we opted for the Bruschetta Toscana, which is a selection of Italian Bruschettas and we also had a variety of their Spanish Croquettes which were both excellent and very tasty. As for the mains, we wanted to try the ‘El Lodge’ BBQ Platter and I really love Risottos, so one of the mains had to be the Risotto with Wild Mushrooms, Seasonal Vegetables and topped with Parmesan. Add a bit of red wine and you can’t go wrong with these dishes. We finished our lunch with their famous Red Velvet Cheesecake and coffee and then headed back to Granada. All in all, like the food, the service at El Lodge was also impeccable and their funky chillout music is the perfect complement to your meal on the Sun Deck.