What is the best palace hotel in Seville?

Hotel Alfonso XIII, built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition and full of tiles and arches.

Can you stay inside the Alhambra?

Yes. The Parador de Granada is a converted 15th-century Franciscan convent inside the Alhambra complex, so you can walk the grounds in the evening after day visitors leave.

A parador is a historic building, such as a convent or palace, turned into a state-run hotel.

A cortijo is a converted Andalusian farmhouse, lovely for couples and food lovers. Haciendas are grander estates suited to groups and celebrations.

Andalusia's Palace Hotels: Where to Sleep in History

Andalusia's greatest luxury isn't a modern resort. It's the chance to sleep inside history. Converted palaces, former convents and grand old hotels have become some of Europe's most atmospheric places to stay.

The best palace hotels in Andalusia are Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville, Hotel Alhambra Palace and the Parador de Granada in Granada, and Hospes Palacio del Bailío in Córdoba. For the most romantic night, choose the Parador de Granada, a former 15th-century convent inside the Alhambra grounds.

Key facts

Seville: Hotel Alfonso XIII, built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition.
Granada: Parador de Granada inside the Alhambra complex, or the 1910 Hotel Alhambra Palace on the hill.
Córdoba: Hospes Palacio del Bailío, a 16th-century palace with Roman ruins under glass.
Costa del Sol: Finca Cortesín in Casares, a modern hacienda-style resort.
Caviar trip: Andalusia is planned privately for you.

Spain's parador network, historic buildings turned into state-run hotels, is one of the world's great hotel ideas. But Andalusia's private palace hotels are where the romance really lives.

The Top Palace Hotels

Palm trees, clipped hedges and golden arches in a courtyard of the Royal Alcázar of Seville Photo: Lianhao Qu / Unsplash

Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville: Built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition, all tiles and arches
Hotel Alhambra Palace, Granada: A 1910 neo-Moorish landmark on the Alhambra hill
Parador de Granada: A former 15th-century convent inside the Alhambra grounds
Hospes Palacio del Bailío, Córdoba: A 16th-century palace with Roman ruins under glass
Finca Cortesín, Casares: A modern hacienda-style resort on the Costa del Sol

The Alhambra Connection

The Alhambra's towers and palace walls in Granada at dusk with mountains behind Photo: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen / Unsplash

Parador de Granada sits inside the Alhambra complex itself, in a converted 15th-century Franciscan convent built on the site of a Nasrid palace. Staying here means you can walk the grounds in the evening after the day-trippers leave, when the only sounds are fountains and birdsong.

Then cross to the Albaicín at night and look back. The Alhambra glows above Granada with the Sierra Nevada behind it, and you'll understand why people have written poems about it for centuries.

Beyond Hotels: The Cortijo Experience

Whitewashed houses of Setenil de las Bodegas, an Andalusian village built into the rock, with olive groves beyond Photo: Freysteinn G. Jonsson / Unsplash