Ben Lambers and Tatjana Quax of The Netherlands-based Studio Aandacht (and two of my favorite designtripper correspondents) just returned from a road trip through Spain, where they went in search of the “authentic Moor spirit.” The week-long trip to Carboneras led them through places like Gerona, Alicante and the lovely Peniscola (where they crashed in big commercial hotels, mostly), but their final destination was the El Dorado–an old throwback hotspot from the days when shooting films in this part of Spain was the thing to do.

“The barron landscape formed the ideal backdrop for westerns and movies like Lawrence of Arabia. You’ll find signed pictures of moviestars on the walls of the restaurant everywhere because the man who founded this hotel was a famous, retired setdresser who fell in love with the region,” says Ben. It’s since been sold to a new owner, which Ben thinks helped it lose some of its soul. “But with a bit of imagination, you can still see Raquel Welch comming out of the surf in her bikini. Stroll along the windy boulevard or visit the nature reservoir with it’s abandoned goldmines and scorchingly hot ghost towns.” Enjoy their beautiful photographs!