Is wellness becoming a destination?
Plus, craft vs. scale. And, join expats and locals for tapas around Madrid.
🏔️ This week on connection: Craft vs. scale. Destination wellness and Deepak Chopra. The life sparked by a restaurant, hotel, and house. Hospitality concepts doubling as art galleries. Plus: new events.
Madrid: Join an intimate group of expats and locals on June 12th at 7:30 PM for a stroll through tabernas with Bon Appétit contributor @maxrosenberg1.
Think of it as a walking dinner party with strangers... who won’t stay strangers for long. Limited spots available - sign up here.
Dare to connect,
Andy
NEW HERE? WE’VE BEEN EXPECTING YOU
Welcome to Casa Cinco, a home for people reimagining connection to ourselves, others, and the planet. It starts with our weekly curation of resources, events, and reflections. But it doesn’t end there...
💌 GOING ON AT CASA CINCO
Lately, I’ve been sitting with the tension between craft and scale, growing increasingly skeptical of the quality of our work when we’re just told to go, go, go.
But as my father often reminds me: we’re in business with people. And people deserve time. Attention. Care.
That care often requires us to slow down - the riskiest thing to do in a world obsessed with speed. It can feel like being left behind. But I’m starting to believe, more than ever, that slow is care. Slow is craft. Slow is kind.
I came across a quote this week that brought this home in the most human sense possible. From James Clear’s newsletter, quoting investor Rick Buhrman:
“... our oldest son, Theo, who just turned seven, spent the first six months of his life in several NICUs... I don’t know exactly why Theo survived, but I know that a major part of how he survived was because for several decades leading up to that moment, numerous nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, doctors, surgeons had committed themselves wholeheartedly to mastering their craft...
And I know that in the moment, it wasn’t necessarily viewed as kindness.
But maybe in some sense, the kindest thing that all of us can do is to pursue something radically that in some way is in service to others, because you just don't know how it's going to change the trajectory of human life.”
At Casa Cinco, we believe that how something is built matters just as much as what it becomes. We’re not here to scale for the sake of scale. We’re here to create spaces, relationships, and moments of connection that are crafted thoughtfully, intentionally, and lovingly. That is our craft. And we choose to handle it with kindness.
So if you, too, are building something with care - consider this your quiet, unrequested permission to take your time. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your craft.
That care - quiet, steady, human - might just save someone’s life, in whatever way that looks for you.
🌍 CURATING CONNECTION
Did anyone else do a Deepak Chopra course during the pandemic? Just me? It seems this man now has his name everywhere - but speaks to our need for something to believe in. Now, he’s joining Appellation in opening a luxury destination wellness hotel in Utah. What I like: A more holistic view of wellness entering hospitality, with the help of Chopra’s wider practice. What I’m concerned about: the paradox behind ‘destination wellness’ as a paradoxical concept - isn’t it all about the journey?
I’ve shared this before, but resurfacing for inspiration: the Sunny app aims to fuel a more socially fulfilled life through personalized insights, interactive tools, and guided activities. Tech for good, good? I sure hope so. You can join the waitlist on their website. Plus: Sunny operates as a nonprofit.
Over the weekend, I visited Casa Taberna in Pedraza (an hour and a half drive from Madrid). The concept is impressively similar to The Bull in Charlbury (an hour and a half drive from London). A house. A hotel (or rather, a few rooms). A restaurant. It might seem like a simple idea, yet when executed well - like these two - it becomes a beacon for the surrounding town. Life flows in: visitors, commerce, children, seniors, dogs. Everything smaller towns need to thrive.
Is anyone doing this systematically? Or is this kind of place still a one-off? For context: The Bull is part of a larger group of London pubs.
Rio Restaurante, in Bogotá, doubles as both restaurant and art gallery through a partnership with SGR. I love the vibe - it feels like you’re having a drink at your art-savvy friend’s place. Plus, nothing like a few glasses to encourage art buying. It makes me wonder - why don’t more hospitality concepts double as galleries, or vice versa? And no - “more work” isn’t a valid answer. The least work is simply doing nothing in the first place.
💡 YOU’RE INVITED
We often think we need to travel far to find beauty, wellness, or wonder. More often, we just need to take a closer look - maybe walk our own neighborhood or drive an hour and a half away by car.
What local spot or regional activity or trip are you overlooking? What are you putting off, thinking it only counts if you’re on the other side of the world? Embrace your surroundings, and they will embrace you back.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE
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Want to build a more connected world?
“The food, the service, and the design are simply ingredients in the recipe for human connection”
Will Guidara