A 5-star grand luxury hotel in Granada’s historic centre, housed in the thoughtfully restored 1905 Rodriguez-Acosta bank headquarters. The Palacio Gran Vía, is a Barceló Royal Hideaway Hotel, with 52 rooms, an architectural beauty on Gran Vía de Colón that seamlessly blends Moorish heritage with contemporary elegance, featuring neo-Mudéjar ceilings. There’s a striking rooftop terrace with Alhambra views, a traditional hammam spa, and the El Patio restaurant serving modern Andalusian cuisine.
A stay at this grand hotel is to experience Granada’s heritage blended with contemporary luxury. Our return visit in June found Granada’s iconic ginkgo trees lining Gran Vía de Colón in full leaf, creating green canopies over the pavements below. Arriving just in time for lunch at El Patio restaurant, we began our stay in culinary style.
The Historic Setting
The recent luxury renovation has preserved original features of this 1905 landmark bank building including hefty vault doors, and even a row of wooden bank teller kiosk windows, now separating reception from the salon. The soaring central patio features Alhambra-esque decorative tiling and floral stained glass, while the sweeping wooden staircase adds further architectural and design interest.
The restoration process involved historians logging all original features for safeguarding, ensuring that Moorish tilework, the grand wooden staircase, stained-glass windows, and much more remained preserved throughout. An ornate wooden ceiling was even reclaimed from an antique Moorish house specifically to accentuate the main staircase.
El Patio Restaurant Experience
Stepping into El Patio restaurant is in the courtyard, topped with a skylight flooding the space with natural light, featuring a contemporary hanging bulb installation. A tranquil fountain, an original feature, enhances the serene ambience.
You can read more in The Luxury Editor El Patio Restaurant Review here.
The menu is full of Andalusian flavours with contemporary touches. Each dish uses fresh, seasonal ingredients, highlighting the region’s quality produce and wines. Our June lunch demonstrated this approach with a dish of tuna belly, grilled and served with citrus dressing. The Robuchon-style tenderloin grilled beef came with signature mashed potatoes, truffle sauce, and foie gras.
The local Granada wines from their carefully curated selection paired beautifully with each course.
After lunch, we took coffee to the rooftop terrace where panoramic views encompass Granada Cathedral, the ancient Albaicín quarter, and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada peaks in the distance.
Rooms and Suites
The hotel’s 52 rooms blend historic grandeur with contemporary comfort. Elegantly designed with wood flooring, stucco mouldings and luxe fabrics, rooms feature marble walk-in showers, bathtubs, free WiFi, TV, Nespresso coffee machines, tea-making kits, minibars, climate control, bathrobes and slippers, and Rituals bath products.
The hotel’s attention to detail extends to personalisation: during check-in, guests choose their preferred room scent from options including jasmine, magnolia, and narcissus.
Our charming room included a thoughtful welcome amenity, a bucket of locally brewed Granada ‘Alhambra’ beers accompanied by a cheese and ham platter.
The presentation of the room and bathroom throughout was impeccable. The bathroom featured welcome samples from Estée Lauder, adding an extra touch of indulgence. The turndown service included a relaxing scent miniature with a thoughtful note about continuing to dream of Granada when you return home.
Guest Experiences
At check-in, guests enjoy a welcome drink in the salon filled with beautiful coffee table books about Granada, the Alhambra, and Andalusia, inspiration for experiencing the destination. The hotel offers curated experiences including afternoon tea in their café ‘La Sucursal’ with Moorish teas and pastries, flamenco shows in a Sacromonte cave, as well as private Alhambra tours including the Nasrid Palaces.
Miralba Rooftop Bar
The rooftop terrace serves as the hotel’s crowning feature. Here, the Miralba bar offers panoramic views encompassing Granada Cathedral next door, the ancient Albaicín quarter with its whitewashed houses climbing the hillside, the Alhambra palace complex, and the snow-capped peaks of Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance. Even in June, snow persists on the highest points, creating a spectacular panoramic vista.
Sun beds invite relaxation as swallows swoop overhead, while the bar serves cocktails, local Alhambra beer, classic aperitifs, and Spanish wines. This becomes the tempting spot to disconnect.
The Albaicín
One of our most memorable experiences during our stay was an evening walk from the hotel up through the ancient Albaicín quarter. This UNESCO World Heritage area features winding cobblestone streets and narrow city blocks, characterised by whitewashed houses, interspersed with hidden courtyards brimming with fragrant jasmine and vibrant bougainvillaea.
The climb takes you past churches, convents and Carmens to colourful flower-filled balconies, and swathes of bougainvillaea covering every wall. The route winds through narrow streets past the garden walls of historic Carmens covered in bougainvillaea, past old convents, and towering cypress trees.
The Albaicín combines traditional Andalusian and Al-Andalus architecture, with narrow, cobbled streets that meander in patterns inherited from Islamic Granada. Its medieval walls, impressive viewpoints, Moorish houses, Carmens, churches, and convents create an evocative journey through living history.
The climb is rewarded with panoramic views of the Alhambra and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada peaks.
Wellness Facilities
The hotel features an authentic traditional hammam with Turkish bath and heated indoor pool situated under an original brick vault from the building’s banking era. This wellness space provides relaxation inspired by Granada’s Moorish heritage, with access to the spa included in accommodation.
Granada’s Tapas Culture
Evenings in Granada mean tapas adventures, where tables spill onto streets and each drink comes with a complimentary tapa, with servers calling our primera, segunda, and so on, as they offer another drink with a tapa, each one more elaborate than the last. Local specialities include cheese, small toasts with anchovies, fried seafood, and cured meats.
Information
Positioned directly opposite Granada Cathedral on Gran Vía de Colón, the hotel provides immediate access to the city’s major attractions. The Alhambra is less than a kilometre away, while the San Juan de Dios Museum requires only a 4-minute walk, and Granada Cathedral sits 3 minutes away. The central location makes exploring on foot effortless, whether heading to the historic quarters or seeking evening entertainment.
Contact Details
Website: www.barcelo.com
Address: C/ Gran Vía de Colón 14, Granada 18010, Andalusia, Spain
