Robert and Edda Kofler are from Vienna, but they have lived in José Ignacio, in the department of Maldonado for years. His arrival in the country was no accident. As Kofler told The Observer, the family frequented the area and the place “stole their hearts.” “We were captured by the natural beauty of this part of the world”added the Austrian.
But the Koflers don’t just live in José Ignacio. There, they are the owners of Posada Ayana, a 17-room bed & breakfast based on rest and relaxation criteria. Each room is at least 45 square meters with private gardens and ocean views. In addition, they are “bathed in natural light”, with floor-to-ceiling windows on at least two sides of the room. Public spaces also follow that pattern with a large terrace that overlooks the gardens and the ocean.
Its aim is to offer a place where guests feel at home; the same feeling they had when they went to José Ignacio for the first time.
What’s more, They decided to open the inn as a spa service. They understood that there were very few hotel offers in the area and, in 2020, they entered the market. “We found the perfect place located steps from the beach. So I knew I wanted to build something to share with people.“Kofler said. This is how Posada Ayana was born.
A special design
The idea behind Posada Ayana is to offer its select guests a relaxed hospitality with the glamor of the French Riviera of the 60s but in José Ignacio in 2020.
To achieve this, and at the same time respect the style of the surroundings, the owners chose to build with national materials, which implied a much higher investment.
This was not an obstacle, quite the opposite. Kofler said it was “very important” to them that the inn have a “local base.”
Each piece of furniture is of local origin from Uruguay -especially from Montevideo and Punta del Este- or from Argentina. Also, most are old pieces restored from the 60s.
Posada Ayana is also sustainably built. They worked “tirelessly” to achieve a space made from environmentally friendly pieces.
More public
Robert and Edda, along with their daughters Felice and Koko and a small group of Uruguayan employees, operate the property. During the last two years they have dedicated themselves to serving mainly locals. This, as a consequence of the closing of borders due to a pandemic. Currently, they feel as if they are getting “slowly back on track” after overcoming all the obstacles that the job entailed during 2020.
Looking to the future, they hope to receive more international audiences. Furthermore, since they inaugurated the Ta Khut Skyspace, an installation by American artist James Turrell that has given Posada Ayana more worldwide notoriety within the intelligentsia of the art world and beyond.
Courtesy Posada Ayana
Skyspace by artist James Turrell at Posada Ayana
They made a millionaire investment in this project and hope to see its fruits. “I am excited to see all nationalities walk through the doors of Posada Ayana,” said Kofler.
The inn features South America’s first skyspace by artist James Turrell, adding a special dimension to the guest’s experience that is close to the spiritual. Within this structure you experience a feeling of absolute serenity or a transformative renovation.
The Austrian family is already encouraged to dream of a sister property of Posada Ayana in some other “paradisiacal” part of Uruguay.
