Spa Resort

The use of hot springs in Cuntis dates back to the Roman period. The fact that Romans knew the power of Cuntis waters seems proved since many coins have been found with images of Nero and Caesar Augustus emperors in the fountains-bed.

In 1765, D. Pedro Gómez de Bedoya, describes in his “Historia Universal de las Fuentes Minerales de España” the “Caldas” (hot springs) of Cuntis, he had visited himself. He says:

“… the villagers do not say anything about this water having any particular use in the past, although I believe that it might be visited by its many virtues and because the Bath is not a new building. They do not know whether any tests or analyse have been made, and just me observed that, having sunk a silver coin, it became copper colour, a bit darker…”
The Bath Bedoya refers to is the origin of the current Hotel Balneario de la Virgen. Then, he says:

“…I was informed of many healings in this Bath, and distinguished villagers visited it as I could see when I was there, but I will only mention some of them. Joseph Roma, blacksmith and from S. Pedro de Lantaño – five kilometres from Cuntis – came to the Bath in 1760, disabled by an old and painful rheumatism which he had treated with all methods and medicines he found, even putting the doctors on the spot: he was in the hot springs eight days and he entirely recovered his health…”

In 1832 the Chief Doctor Mr. Manuel Jacobo Fernández Marino refers to the use of a thermal jet and hot thermal jet in Baños de Santa María (Virgin baths).

Mr. Pedro M. Rubio says that in 1853 the average of sick people who went to these thermal waters is around 1000. Isidoro Ortega makes a report of Cuntis hot springs in 1865 and says the Bath house of Mr. Castro “… is tiled with Valencia tiles, apart from a relax room with newspapers and licit plays…”.. Nowadays, this building is called Balneario del Castro.

In 1881, an important work is done in Balneario de la Virgen, adding individual marble baths (some of them still in use nowadays), collective basins, jets and hydrotherapy systems. In 1908, the facilities are enlarged with another building next to the old one. The current dining and living rooms of the Hotel belong to this building.

In 1944 and 1969, there were more enlargements of the Hotel until reaching 180 vacancies.
In 1998, a new building is done, in the lands of the baths called Barreiro, totally devoted to spa therapy. The old building (joined to with a tunnel) remains as hotel.

DESCRIPTIVE VIDEO OF FORNIÑOS SPA RESORT