We love taking part in different, original and unique projects. Today we are talking about photographer Irene Vélez. One of the her projects is called Miradas de mujer, whose latest blog, “Los tesoros del Califa”, is dedicated to us, interviewing some of the women of our staff.
Miradas de Mujer “is a space where you can discover life from another point of view. Sometimes, our eyes can remember but not seeing. It is a challenge for us to take a step back and show a little piece of life from a more personal and informal perspective”, she says.
In collaboration with the writer Ana Gamero and photographs by Irene Vélez “we want you to be able to look through our eyes, through our eyes”.
The article begins with a brief review of the origins of the Califa, founded by “a Scottish in love with the most beautiful town in Spain, James Stuart, and a vejeriega with a sharp eye and a delicious smile, Regli Álvarez…. A crazy dream that today has become Vejer’s hallmark and whose name resonates as a synonym of experience for the senses, as a journey into history, as an immersion in the flavours of the Middle East, as food for the mind, a pleasure for the body, a disconnection for the soul, as a journey towards the essence of life”.
The text continues with an overview of the group’s female staff.
“From Toñi and Nuria at reception, to the service and catering staff, from Ana Durán, the young director of the company’s hotels, to Desireé Di Nitto in the group’s marketing and communication department – it is curious, 85% of the group’s employees are women – they all feel like members of the same family, the one founded by James and Regli and of which they are now also an integral part with an enviable degree of involvement, which undoubtedly explains the unprecedented success of this project”.
The first of the interviews is about Ana Durán, our hotels director.
“We want to be number one and keep our position as a tourist reference and that’s means hard work and many new ideas, that all of us discuss as a united team”, says Ana.
It is an honour to work in a place like this and despite the responsibility, to have managed to get people to identify Vejer with El Califa is a great satisfaction because we always talk about the Califa together with the town, with its natural environment, the beach, its history and its culture. We have created a perfect symbiosis.
The text then goes on to briefly mention all the group’s establishments. “In fact, the Califa has become an obligatory visit when you go to Vejer, whether to rest and disconnect in the Hotel La Casa del Califa, Plaza 18, Las Palmeras del Califa, the Hotel Madreselva or the holiday homes of the group, Califa Casas, to delight in the dishes with Arabic reminiscences in the restaurant El Jardín del Califa, where you find Regla to welcome you with her tender gaze and her frank smile, to eat in Corredera 55, to have a piquislabis in Corredera 55, or to have a piquislabis at the Hotel La Califa, where you will find Regla to welcome you with her tender gaze and her frank smile, eat at Corredera 55, have a piquislabis at Califa Tapas or Califa Express, stop by the Tetería or relax at the Hammam, without a doubt a fantastic route that transports you to the Middle East and gives you an experience of total disconnection.
Desirée Di Nitto, head of marketing and communication at the Califa Group, is the second of the interviewees.
“She says that she is in love with Vejer and works every day to promote news and company experiences through the different media channels and social networks. A job she is passionate about in a place as privileged and charming as the Califa”.
That’s more, the journalist and marketing expert tries to promote the Califa experience as sum of many #happymoments. She says that “at the Califa we go a step further and take our tourist offer towards human treatment and the search for sensations that go beyond sleeping in a place or eating a dish, but rather a more complete experience, which consists of soaking up history, flavours, aromas and experiences”.
At the end we find a summary: “All this is the Califa, a project that born on the basis of fusion with nature and that, based on passion and teamwork, has become a real treat for the senses, a commitment to authenticity, a return to the essence through attention to small details, proximity, the flavour of slow-cooked cuisine and history in every corner. And that is, without a doubt, together with the human team that sustains it, its greatest treasure”.
Check out the whole article on the photographer Irene Vélez website (Spanish version).
Boudoir project
Irene Vélez creates the Boudoir project, as she explains it is much more than a shooting, a journey of self-discovery to accept the woman you are: sensual, beautiful, daring, authentic, unique. A very personal gift.
A fantastic interior journey in which we have proudly took part in through different scenarios of the Califa such as Plaza 18 Hotel, La Casa del Califa or Las Palmeras del Califa.
About Irene Vélez
As she defines herself “I don’t take pictures, I tell stories, I let myself be overwhelmed by the feelings of people in love, I dive into their lives, I let myself be infected by their happiness and then, I open my eyes, big and wide, like a child and then I feel… their looks, their moments, their emotions, their souls, like mine. They are my boyfriends, my girlfriends”.
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