Hotel Balneario Vichy Catalan

Our history started in 1881 when Doctor Modest Furest i Roca discovered the waters that flow from the spring called “Puig de les Ànimes” on a visit to Caldes de Malavella, and decided to make it the site of what would be his life’s project: building a spa. 

In 1883 the waters were officially declared to be of Public Interest, making their reach much greater, and after that they were given the name Vichy Catalan. Some years later, in 1900, Dr Furest founded the Vichy Catalan company, along with Buenaventura Blay Milà, José Ferrer Torralbas, José Serradell Amich and José Vías Camps as investing partners, three Catalans who had made their fortunes in the Americas.

The story of how sparkling water is created starts with rainwater filtering into the subsoil. On the way down it meets another flow of high-temperature water rising from a depth of over 2000 metres. This combination results in the natural carbonisation of the water, which is enriched with numerous salts and minerals that are valued both for external application and internal use.

It was not until 1891 that work started on the foundations of the Hotel Balneario Vichy Catalan, and it was officially opened on 12 June 1898.