Refurbishing naturally, Cape Reed for El Oceano Beach

Holidays by the sea on the Mediterranean Costa del Sol coastline, halfway between La Cala de Mijas and Marbella. The El Oceano Beach Hotel & Restaurant is located in a delightful position and the revamped restaurant terrace designed by Cape Reed underscores its natural charm.



Mixing and matching renewable and long-lasting - intrinsically sustainable - materials that engage with the site they are used in: this is the philosophy of Cape Reed, which has been working in the building industry with natural materials for years.



Their latest work in Europe is on the Costa del Sol for the El Oceano Beach hotel & restaurant. This privately run boutique facility has a modest selection of rooms and focuses strongly on dialogue with the landscape, buffered by the materials and clear choices in the architectural design.

This forms the backdrop for the makeover of the terrace - the hotel's showpiece famed for its waterfront views. Cape Reed's design team opted to keep the spatial balance and preserve the comfort of natural shade by constructing a natural timber gazebo structure with specially selected poles of hardwearing and low-maintenance Eucalyptus and Saligna wood slats. They whitewashed it all to underscore the Mediterranean feel. 

The ancient Phoenicians - famous timber traders in the Mediterranean centuries ago - inspired the concept of the Cape Reed design team. This refurbishment respects both the environmental setting and the prevailing atmosphere - its genius loci. As the hotel's motto says: “Right by the ocean, close to perfection”!

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Cape Reed
Location: Hotel El Oceano Beach
Year: 2015-16
Images: Courtesy of Cape Reed