Hotel Palacio De Villapanes

Just outside Seville’s Santa Cruz district, this 5-star design hotel occupies an 18th-century palace from the city’s glory days.

Today, it’s the perfect small luxury hotel, deftly combining 21st-century creature comforts with original features: an elegant black and white tiled central patio with marble columns, another with a seashell mosaic and fountain linked to the pilgrimage route to Santiago, and a third large patio filled with fragrant orange trees.

There’s a bar and a fine restaurant – Los Rincones del Marques – that features gourmet takes on Andalusian dishes and occasional flamenco shows on summer nights.

The roof terrace and pool have enchanting views over the Cathedral and La Giralda, and nothing is ever too difficult for the staff. The only problem is ever leaving.