Please tell us how this exceptional rental apartment project came about.
There has always been a lack of high-grade rental apartments in Sierra Nevada, and we perceived this situation as an opportunity for our company. We knew we were taking a considerable risk with a product which nobody else had tried, but it turns out that we weren’t mistaken. A significant number of visitors to Sierra Nevada demand up-to-date quality, not only in their rental accommodations, but in levels of service. The seem to appreciate our philosophy of “treat your clients as you would like to be treated yourself.
What type of company are you? Are you granadinos?
Yes, we’re Granadinos from the north of the province, the village of Castril. We’re a family business, four brothers and sisters, all liberal professionals from different sectors. We’ve always felt drawn to Sierra Nevada, and finally decided to go into business up here. It’s a lot of work, but we’re accustomed to that.
What distinguishes Apartamentos Galatino from the rest of the rental accommodation available in Sierra Nevada?
In the first place, we’re distinguished by the characteristics of our apartments. They’re ample, with space enough for a pleasant stay, and they feature carefully-thought-out details in terms of furnishings, linen, kitchen equipment, etc. They have abundant hot water, enviable vistas and easy access to the lifts. And while we’re on the subjecvt of access, they also have the most direct access of any lodging in Sierra Nevada. Thanks to the new traffic plan in the village, our guests are not only the first to arrive, but also the first to leave. Of course, all our apartment rentals include a garage space and a spacious private ski room.
Do you feel that your apartments have something really innovative to offer in Sierra Nevada. What exactly is it?
Quality!
Let’s talk a little bit about Sierra Nevada. There are a lot of wonderful mountains, many ski stations. What makes Sierra Nevada so special?
Apart from its undoubtable qualities as a ski station, Sierra Nevada stands out for its proximity to the fantastic city of Granada, with all that entails: the Alhambra and the rest of the cultural and architectural monuments, a rich cultural life, restaurants, walks... Granada is simply incomparable. Sierra Nevada in itself is a national par, recently designated a “reserve of the biosphere.” That is to say, a unique setting. Not only that, but it’s also the southernmost ski station in Europe and the sunniest. There are many days in the season when we ski in shirtsleeves Of all of Spain’s excellent ski resorts, it is also the closest—30 minutes-- to the city—and what a city!
Sierra Nevada is famous for its lack of parking and traffic snarls. Is there anything new in this department?
It is true that traffic has been a problem in Sierra Nevada for many years. But now the station management is reorganizing the entire system of traffic flow in the village. The investments are now in place to solve the entire subject of transport within the village. And in the not-too-distant future there are plans for a new teleferique directly from Granada up to the Sierra. That will eliminate many cars from the village, and will make a massive difference.
The eternal problem in ski resorts is: How do we entertain non skiers. What does Sierra Nevada have to offer in this respect?
Sierra Nevada offers all of the services and attractions of a world-class ski resort: a wonderful restaurant offering, night life, health and sports club, etc. But what makes our Sierra unique is, without a doubt, the city of Granada just half an hour away. There, as everybody knows, “todo es posible.”
We’re familiar with Sierra Nevada’s winter offerings. But what can the Sierra offer summer visitors?
Evidently, Sierra Nevada’s delicious summers have been the great unknown for travellers from other parts of Spain and abroad. But now, with the new economical flights which connect Granada with the U.K., Germany and Italy, we have a fresh opportunity to captivate those new clients who come to Granada in summertime. The Andalusian summer is very trying for them. But now they have the possibility to stay in Sierra Nevada, where summer temperatures rarely pass the mid-20’s and nights are actually chilly. From here, in half an hour, they can drive down Europe’s finest ski resort access road to Granada and take advantage of all of its fabled attractions. When their day of touring is over, the zip back up the mountain to enjoy the cool evenings.
Where does the name “Galatino” come from?
“Galatino” refers to the Duque San Pedro de Galatino who, along with the engineer, Juan Santa Cruz, was the person who initiated tourist activity in Granada, with a great vision of the future. Santa Cruz designed and supervised the building of the Sierra Nevada highway, for many years the highest paved road in Europe, and the Duque de San Pedro was responsible for building the Hotel Alhambra Palace and the Hotel del Duque, as well las the Sierra Nevada tram line, which took visitors up there from Granada across more than 20 kilometers of dramatic Sierra Nevada mountainscape. All of this pioneering activity took place during the middle of the XIXth century, demonstrating the fantasrtic vision these two men had of the touristic possibilities of Granada, its city, province, sierra, and coast. The name “Galatino” of our apartments pays homage to this seminal figure in Granada tourism.
Where do your clients come from mainly?
For now our clients are primarily Spanish. They come from the Levante, from the rest of Andalusia, and of course from Madrid. I say “for now” because we are beginning to note more visits from other European clients, beginning with Portugal. We find the Portuguese to be excellent clients. Then we are also seeing some British, Germans and Italians, many of whom arrive via Granada’s new economical airways. These clients are going to be an important market for us, as soon as we are able to reach them with our message and our offerings.
How have all of these guests reacted to this new type of lodging in Sierra Nevada provided by Apartamentos Galatino?
They have reacted very positively to our apartments. They are surprised by our quality levels in all aspects of the operation. We get compliments on how cozy and welcoming everything is, from the installations and equipment to the very human treatment which we offer them at all times. Then there’s the views, which also help. In all, our guests have a very positive impression of their experiences with us in Sierra Nevada.