- Hostal del Cardenal, Toledo (tel. 92-522-49-00; www.hostaldelcardenal.com): The summer residence of Toledo's 18th-century Cardinal Lorenzano, built right into the walls of the Old City next to Bisagra Gate, this just happens to have Toledo's best restaurant. But the setting -- rose gardens, cascading vines, and Moorish fountains -- makes it an ideal place to stay as well. Spanish furniture and a scattering of antiques recapture the aura of Old Castile.
- Hosteria Real de Zamora, Zamora (tel. 98-053-45-45): Once the dreaded headquarters of the local Spanish Inquisition, today this hotel offers a far friendlier welcome. Guests enjoy coffee on the patio and the pleasures of a garden planted along the city's medieval fortifications. Imagine if these 15th-century walls could talk.
- Hotel Do?a Maria, Seville (tel. 95-422-49-90; www.hdmaria.com): Near the fabled cathedral, this hotel boasts a rooftop terrace with unmatched views of the Andalusian capital. A private villa that dates from the 1840s, the Do?a Maria has a swimming pool ringed with garden-style lattices and antique wrought-iron railings. Guest rooms are uniquely designed with tasteful Iberian antiques.
- Husa Reina Victoria, Ronda (tel. 95-287-12-40; www.husa.es): This country-style hotel is best known as the place where the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote The Spanish Trilogy. Its terrace, perched on a dramatic precipice, offers commanding views of the countryside. An Englishman built this Victorian charmer in 1906 to honor his recently deceased monarch, Queen Victoria.
- Hotel America, Granada (tel. 95-822-74-71; www.hotelamericagranada.com): This former private villa, within the walls of the Alhambra, is one of the most popular small hotels in Granada. Its cozy guest rooms are filled with reproductions of Andalusian antiques. Plants cascade down the white plaster walls and the ornate grillwork onto the shaded patio. Good-tasting, inexpensive meals are served in the hotel restaurant.
- Hotel Mijas, Mijas (tel. 95-248-58-00; www.trhhoteles.es): The most charming affordable hotel along the Costa del Sol, the Mijas is designed in typical Andalusian style, with flowering terraces, wrought-iron accents, and sun-flooded guest rooms. Although built in the 1970s, it blends perfectly with the region's gleaming white buildings.
- Huerto del Cura, Elche (tel. 96-661-00-11): From your room you'll have a panoramic view of Priest's Grove, a formidable date-palm forest. Between Alicante and Murcia, this is one of the choice addresses in the south of Spain. Guest rooms are handsomely maintained and beautifully furnished; a swimming pool separates the rooms from the palm grove. The regional cuisine in the hotel's restaurant is excellent.
- Meson Castilla, Barcelona (tel. 93-318-21-82; www.mesoncastilla.com): This two-star charmer with an Art Nouveau facade is right in the heart of Barcelona. It is well maintained and well managed, with prices that are blessedly easy on the wallet. Comfortable rooms often come with large terraces. Only breakfast is served, but many nearby taverns serve excellent food.
Spain Travel Experiences
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Spanish Sightings
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