The Cookbook Hotel is reborn: haute cuisine with a Mediterranean soul in Calpe
With just 16 carefully renovated rooms, the hotel shuns large formats to consolidate a totally personalized service, becoming a gastronomic and relaxation destination in itself.
Two tables and one chef: the universe of José Manuel Miguel
The true driving force behind this relaunch lies in the kitchen. The hotel's culinary offerings are led by the prestigious chef José Manuel Miguel, the only Spanish chef to have impressed the Michelin Guide, earning the coveted award on both sides of the border (in France and Spain). His signature style and culinary identity are expressed throughout the hotel in two distinct yet complementary spaces:
Beat: France and the Mediterranean in 360 degrees
It is the hotel's flagship fine dining establishment, awarded a Michelin Star and two Repsol Suns. Beat's culinary offering continues to be built upon an impeccable dialogue between French technique and Mediterranean soul. This duality is perfectly synthesized in its now-iconic menu sequence, which features a journey between butter and extra virgin olive oil.
The big news this season is the opening of the kitchen to the dining room. "We want the customer to experience gastronomy from every angle, to have a real connection with what's happening in the kitchen, and for the dining room to interact more with it," explains José Manuel Miguel. To complete the experience, sommelier Miguel Terol manages an exceptional wine cellar that balances renowned local wines (such as Pepe Mendoza and Óscar Mestre) with cult labels from Bordeaux and Burgundy.
Komfort: The bistro of charcoal and rice dishes
Awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand, Komfort is the resort's more casual and edgy side. This bistro-style restaurant focuses on pure Mediterranean cuisine, where grilled meats, local produce, and rice dishes meant for sharing (like the red prawn rice) reign supreme. Dishes reinterpret tradition with signature touches, such as their unique all i pebre made with lamb sweetbreads, or the white prawn from Calpe with celeriac garlic sauce, sherry ice cream, and apple.
Real sustainability and well-being with KM0 DNA.
The cuisine at The Cookbook is more than just a meal; it draws directly from the surrounding environment. The hotel has its own vegetable garden and works closely with the Calpe fish market. In fact, guests can enjoy personalized experiences such as private visits to the fish market and the local Fishermen's Guild, or excursions to exclusive wineries and olive oil mills in the region.
The hotel's commitment to the region extends to sponsoring a beehive in the Montgó Natural Park. This partnership not only provides the organic honey served at the à la carte breakfasts, but also gives life to the hotel's welcome gifts, which include mead, artisanal candies, and natural soaps.
Soon, wellness will take another step forward with the reopening of its spa under the concept The Salt Collection, a comprehensive program of disconnection and stress management conceived from the epicenter of the KM0 of the Calpe Salt Flats.
The spearhead of AR Hotels & Resorts
The renovation of The Cookbook is the natural consequence of the demanding quality standards of a property that is already preparing its application to become part of the prestigious international association Relais & Châteaux.
This project reinforces the strong commitment to haute cuisine championed by the AR Hotels & Resorts group on the Costa Blanca. Just a five-minute drive away, its sister hotel, AR Diamante Beach, boasts an impressive culinary offering: Audrey's (Calpe's first Michelin-starred restaurant, thanks to Rafa Soler), and the Amas and Onami spaces (an exclusive Mediterranean-Japanese kaiseki bar for only eight diners), both led by chef Diego Laso.
The Cookbook Hotel demonstrates that true contemporary luxury is no longer measured by ostentation, but by authenticity, respect for the product and the ability to give the diner an exquisite break.