Kinedomus Bienestar is a place to relax and learn what wellness is

Last weekend, Pedro and I packed an overnight bag and headed north on the A1 highway from Madrid towards Burgos. We were going to spend the night in the country in a hotel, that we found thanks to the easy navegation of the website Escapada Rural. The hotel had no televisions,it had gorgeous views of the River Duero, and a professional spa! And, after the crazy couple of months we´ve had moving house, getting everything organized, travelling to New York and Málaga respectively, this weekend escape was more than needed!

After driving past Aranda del Duero, the nearest town, and passing several fields and bodegas, there was a tiny sign (watch out for it, especially if you are arriving after dark!) indicating the winding gravel driveway to KinedomusBienestar. We parked our car in front of the box shaped building with a huge window looking out over an outdoor pool. Out of the corner of my eye I spied a sign that read “KinedomusBienestar. Have you discovered real Wellness?” I remember thinking:“probably not, actually”. And with that, we walked down the path marked by metal trellises and a picket fence.

The front door opened to the sound of a cow bell, and when I looked up, there was a real cow bell hung across the threshold to alert whichever member of the staff was on duty at the moment. We walked inside, and I was immediately struck by the smell of something between vanilla and strawberries in the lobby. Everything was decorated in natural wood tones, and Samuel (Samuel) soon appeared at the desk, trailed by his adorable three year old daughter in tow. We were informed of all the different services the hotel offered. We were entitled to a breakfast buffet the following morning from 10-11am, and if we chose, we could have dinner at Kinedomus, but we would have to decide before 18h because they had to prepare it.

For lunch, we were given several recommendations both in the nearby village and in town (Aranda). Then we were told about all the spa options. Samuel´s wife, Marta is a certified physical therapist, and she along with another woman give professional massages to compliment the spa circuit that is offered. There were bathrobes and flip flops available for a fee if you neglected to bring your own, and all you had to do was book the massage time. We were lucky, and there were a few times available, but it is recommended that you book the massage ahead of your stay, for availability´s sake.

Samuel then showed us the cardio room, as well as a room for pilates, which we were free to use, although there were no formal classes being offered during our stay. Upstairs we found the dining room with gorgeous rustic furniture, and the sitting room/library. Here we found two oversized leather chairs, one facing the large glass pane window with a view of the pool and the countryside, and the other facing the bookshelves. There was also a comfortable leather couch, and a large coffee table with different brochures explaining where we could go, and different attractions. Speaking of attractions, when we were asking about places to eat at the front desk, Samuel kindly offered to show us a touristic route including various towns and sites nearby. He took the liberty of printing out the Google maps to get us from point A to point B, and even printed some touristic information for each site. This was above and beyond any brochure. The library area also held a long desk with 2 computers where you could briefly check your email if you so desired.

Our room came with a huge key, and we opened the door to see a canopy bed, a stand alone bath tub, and a gorgeous old desk in the corner. The room was the perfect mix between modern, rustic, and decadent. I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to take a bath in the tub and test out that bed. The details are important, so I should mention that the bedspread was gold and on the top rested a single flower (granted, it was a fake flower…but really, to this city girl with allergies, I´m not complaining!) The balcony opened to a view of the Duero River, and the green countryside. It was the opposite of our busy neighborhood in the center of Madrid, and miles away from the Manhattan I had visited only a week and a half before.

Before going anywhere, we were told to wait in the library for our touristic itinerary that Samuel had so graciously offered to print up, and as we were sitting on the sofa, we were greeted by Marta, Samuel´s wife and partner. She explained that she was also from Málaga (small world!) and we began to talk. As we chatted, some of Samuel´s friends, other guests, joined us, and we enjoyed a drink as we got to know one another. I mention this because the atmosphere in Kinedomus is very familiar and welcoming. It’s the sort of place that if you want to interact with the other guests, you have the opportunity to do so both in the common areas and at the spa and exercise zones.

That afternoon, after having lunch in a local restaurant, Pedro and I were scheduled for the spa. The spa area is similar to many hotel spas, with a bed of rocks to walk over several times, a pool with different water jets and cascades, as well as a jaccuzzi, sauna and freezing out door pool. Samuel explained how we should move through the spa, with different recommendations. Among them we should really try to go from the sauna into the freezing cold pool. Mind you, we were in Burgos in April…the water was practically frozen! When it came time, however, we gritted our teeth and were glad to have hopped in the arctic pool after the heat of the sauna. The whole experience was very relaxing, complete with soothing music playing over the loud speakers. The only problem that might come up is the fact that the spa itself is rather small, so if there are a lot of guests, you might feel somewhat crowded.

From the spa we decided to relax in our room, taking a bath in the stand alone bath tub and then a short nap on the very comfortable bed. We didn´t miss the television for one minute of the relaxing afternoon. For dinner we headed to Aranda del Duero, which is located only about five minutes from Kinedomus, and was very easy to find.

The next morning the buffet breakfast was what you would expect, featuring baked goods like muffins, croissants, and pastries, as well as wheat toast, yogurt, cereal, fruit, lunch meats, and juices. In the background you could hear a recording of birds chirping and that along with the view of the fields outside made for a calming start to the day.

We had an enjoyable stay at Kinedomus Bienestar not only for the obvious reasons of the hotel´s amenities, but also because Samuel felt more like hosts than business owners. You could tell that they really cared about doing things the right way, making their guests feel completely at home, and contributing in every way possible to the feeling of relaxation and wellness. We ruskommend a visit to Kinedomus Bienestar with a Golden Boquerón because this is a place that you can truly escape the hustle and bustle of city life, and come to relax, rejuvenate, and connect with yourself and your partner. The only possible drawback is the price, but then again, if you choose to have a weekend of wellness and relaxation, I would say that 100 euros/night is very reasonable. Rusko certainly enjoyed his stay.