Seville, Spain
Palacio de Villapanés
Ancient Bones, Modern Spirit
What it is
A baroque 18th-century palace updated for the MacBook generation.
What it isn't
Grande. There are just 50 rooms here, so you’ll feel as pampered as the building’s original inhabitants.
What we think
Guests of Hotel Palacio de Villapanés can be forgiven for walking around like they own the place. Because the way it’s set up—like the ultimate private Seville home—lends itself to lordly behavior. You’ll enter through a tiled courtyard decked in arched marble colonnades and a gurgling central fountain; a rooftop pool overlooks surrounding steepled rooftops; and neutral rooms are object lessons in combining the ancient with the thoroughly modern (glossy latter-day lighting fixtures are as commonplace as carved open-beam ceilings). Rooms are fitted with high-tech amenities like iMacs, flat-screen TVs and Tivoli radios.
You're here because
When in Seville, staying at a hulking chain hotel is all but prohibido. This gives you a taste for local life paired with the sumptuous fittings required to call it a vacation.
The Moment
Slipping into the Turkish bath in the spa after a day of puddle-jumping flights, you can finally feel your lungs breathing deep. The only thing more relaxing: the massage coming next.
Restaurants & Bars
Los rincones del Marqués - The menu represents the essence of the mediterranean food
Location
In the Nervion neighborhood—a calming reprieve from the Cathedral-bound throngs, but still just a 15-minute stroll from the action.