Hotel La Perla

Hotel La Perla

Type	Hotel
Founded	1881
Founder	Miguel and Teresa Graz
Headquarters	Pamplona, Spain
Services	Hotel and restaurant

Hotel La Perla is the most famous hotel in Pamplona, Spain. It is located in the Plaza del Castillo (Castle Square),^[1][2][3] with one side facing Estafeta Street, one of the main routes in the Running of the Bulls. The balconies of the hotel are among the most coveted sites from which to view the event.

Opened on June 5 of 1881, it is the city's oldest hotel, and the oldest still in operation in the country.

The hotel was popularized by having many notable guests, including Orson Welles, Charles Chaplin or Pablo Sarasate. In the studies about Hemingway, author of The Sun Also Rises, and in popular lore it is sometimes mistakenly identified as the model for the novel’s Hotel Montoya.^[4] Hemingway's favourite hotel in Pamplona was the Hotel Quintana.^{[5] [6]}

History

Plaza del Castillo (Castle Square) with Hotel La Perla visible just to the left of the tree

Hotel La Perla was established in 1881, and originally named Fonda [a] La Perla. The original owners were Miguel and Teresa Graz. He was a chef. She was from Burguete, a village in the Pyrenees. A few months after being established, the hotel moved a few doors down to its current location.

During a major cholera epidemic in Pamplona in the summer of 1885, the hotel was the only establishment that dared to stay open. It provided food to the military hospital for infectious diseases. Miguel died of cholera during the epidemic, after which time Teresa continued to operate the business.

In 2007, the hotels was completely renovated.

References

1. http://www.webcitation.org/5zXtAKScJ
2. "Gran Hotel La Perla, Pamplona, Spain. Prestige Hotels Of The World By Keytel". Prestigehw.com. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
3. http://www.webcitation.org/5zXuHYyoa
4. Harry Robert STONEBACK: Reading Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises: Glossary and Commentary, Kent State University Press, 2007, p. 170
5. International Press Office
6. Hemingway's room (spanish)

External links

• Official website