A ‘cortijo’ is a traditional farmhouse typically found in southern Spain, but Cortijo Genesis is anything but ordinary. The new agro-tourism retreat and hotel is a ray of sunshine in the hills of Andalucia, the vision of a Belgian family chasing nature, tranquillity and Iberian light.
To renovate the old property, co-owner Valentina Geyer, a reiki and equine therapy practitioner, enlisted her sister Victoria-Maria Geyer, a self-taught Brussels-based interior architect and designer. Known for her use of vibrant fabrics and unusual patterns, Victoria-Maria filled the rooms indoors and out with modernist antiques and her own designs, carving out intimate areas and sweeping open-air spaces.
Common spaces are drenched in colour. The reading room has vermilion bookcases and a hand-painted rainbow ceiling. Terraces are strewn with hand-woven rugs, painted chests and antique barrels topped with bright cushions. Local ceramic tile covers a coffee table, water feature and kitchen backsplash.
The private bedrooms are named after gemstones and suited up in gem tones to match — from Citrine, done up in energising yellow accents, to Lapis Lazuli, with its stress-reducing deep blue linens. Guests are invited to take part in holistic therapies, sport, swimming and donkey walks, or host their own relaxing retreats. Writing, yoga and fermentation workshops are on the calendar for summer and autumn.
