Our history
Family, tradition and entrepreneurship
Pachico is a nickname like many others in the village; practically every family with roots here has one.
It is said that the custom of giving nicknames originated when a new doctor arrived in the village and, upon meeting a local woman and striking up a conversation, she warned him that it was customary in the village to give nicknames to outsiders. He replied that he appreciated the warning and would take precautions… and, naturally, they nicknamed him ‘Precautions’.
But let’s get back to our story. The nickname, Pachico, comes from Uncle Angelito, who, they say, used to be accompanied by a man named Patxi, so they referred to him as the one who goes with Patxi, and from there to Pachico.
Pachico was what we would call a bon vivant, very cheerful and sociable, who liked to interact with everyone. In a land of good wine, the logical thing to do is to gather around a glass, and if it can be taken directly from the calao’s tank, cool and delicious, all the better.
Pachico was a driver, as they used to say, ‘with the Opel’… he was also a cinema operator, before being replaced by his nephew of the same name, but what he really did best, which was not recognised at the time and caused him more than one argument, was public relations. All the outsiders knew him and sought him out to go for a drink or a snack in the cellar, which, incidentally, served to publicise the inn, which at that time did not even have a sign outside to identify it… those were the days when the best advertising was direct contact.
But the family’s history goes back further, to great-great-grandfather Perfecto Martínez, who in 1880 began the history of this hotel, which was then an inn, built for this very purpose in 1806.
Perfecto was an entrepreneur and, along with the inn, he had a wine, transport, petrol, soft drinks and soda business, and… well, anything new he could do with his three sons.
Evidence of all this activity can be seen in the files and photos they left us, from petrol contracts to travel costs and films shown; you can admire examples of this in the hotel’s décor and on social media. I particularly admire the impeccable calligraphy they produced with ink pens.
Five generations later, we continue the legacy, updating the facilities but not the principles that have encouraged the family to continue throughout all these years.