Best Urban Hotels in Spain

Once a church, convent and private residence, this 400-year-old building (known locally as the Convento de las Oblatas) remains unchanged from the outside. When sold in 1996, it became the first five-star hotel in the city. What used to be an orchard has been re-invented as a lovely garden. The church area is now the venue’s gourmet restaurant, Villena, run by chef Rubén Arnanz and serving locally influenced dishes, created using award-winning techniques. Additionally, Áurea Convento Capuchinos offers a spa with a jetted pool, a sauna, a Turkish bath and relaxation areas added to create a wellness retreat within its grounds.

The Hotel Hacienda de Abajo can be found nestled in the heart of La Palma’s Tazacorte area. Spread over four buildings, the former 17th century sugar plantation has undergone complete refurbishment to become the first emblematic hotel in the Canary Islands. The interior garden of the hotel is the former orchard of the hacienda and offers a unique setting for your Canarian getaway. Choose from a collection of lavish guestrooms and suites complete with regal and traditional décor including 18th century French tapestries. Be sure to enjoy the island’s finest offerings on site for breakfast and brunch in La Salita or opt to savour gourmet Atlantic dining at El Sitio restaurant. The hotel boasts a heated swimming pool for guests looking to escape reality and relax. For those wishing to take it a step further, the spa & wellness centre offer beauty treatments and massages to enhance your stay.

H10 Ocean Dreams Boutique Hotel is a tranquil, adults-only getaway in Corralejo, Fuerteventura. There are 94 spacious guestrooms and suites which have been stylishly decorated and include every contemporary comfort. The hotel is located approximately 500m from a beautiful white sand beach and near the Corralejo Dunes Natural Park. There is a large outdoor heated swimming pool fitted with underwater massage beds. The hotel also boasts a solarium with Balinese beds and the indulgent Despacio Thalasso Centre with its dynamic pool, chromotherapy shower, Hammam, sauna, gymnasium, and lush treatment room. H10 Ocean Dreams features live music and professional performances at night time to entertain guests. Citrus Restaurant and the Tragaluz Bar and Terrace make for the perfect venues to unwind and enjoy a selection of delicious food and beverage options including tapas and cocktails.

Every one of the 44 exterior bedrooms at the Gran Hotel La Perla has balconies looking onto Estafeta Street and Plaza del Castillo. There are also attic bedrooms and suites dedicated to former notable guests (including Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, Julián Gayarre and Víctor Eusa). Other famous names to have graced its corridors since its opening in 1881, are Charles Chaplin, Julio Iglesias and  Woody Allen. The hotel, the first five-star in the city, is set on Plaza del Castillo and has a breakfast room, as well as several meeting spaces.

Elke Spa Hotel is found in Sant Feliu de Guixols, just over 10 minutes walk from the Cala del Vigatà Beach. It has 66 forms of accommodation each with minibars and huge flat-screen TVs. The rooftop wellness area offers a hammam, a sauna and a hot tub, as well as a large range of treatments. Guests can swim and sun themselves outside on the sleek terrace and dine in one of the two sophisticated restaurants. An indoor soft play area, mini club, games and babysitting services makes it ideal for those travelling with very young children.

Set in a 19th-century UNESCO-protected palace building (that previously served as a sugar magnate’s mansion), the hotel has its own garden and an Arabian-style Bodyna Spa, creating a sense of an oasis in the bustling city. While the decor is minimalist in many areas, it has retained lots of grand original features like mosaic floors and stucco ceilings, blending cutting-edge design and a monochrome palette with heritage. 42 bedrooms are spread between the old building and a contemporary glass-walled wing. Taking advantage of its location in an artsy neighbourhood, Hospes Palacio de Los Patos often hosts live music and poetry readings.

Set within Gothic stone cloisters this modern brand inhabits a property with five centuries of history. Located beside the River Arlazón and close to the cathedral, many of its 110 bedrooms enjoy views of one or the other. Guests will also appreciate the mod cons, such as Nespresso machines and super thick mattresses, as well as access to a gym and sauna. The restaurant, Palacio de la Merced, is renowned as one of the best in the city, serving fine local cuisine. The Palacio also offers 10 function rooms.

The grand five star establishment sits across from Playa de los Peligros beach, looking out imperiously over the Bay of Biscay from its hilltop location. Stay here for classic grandeur – majestic French-style hallways, marble bathrooms, wrought-iron balconies, floor to ceiling windows, heavy drapes, Queen Anne furnishings and parquet floors are all found within. The hotel has 123 bedrooms, gardens featuring no less than 80 varieties of rose, a large terrace and the 12 table El Puntal Restaurant, dressed in white linen and silver. Eurostars Hotel Real is also home to one of Europe’s most advanced thalassotherapy centres, the Talasoterapia wellbeing centre, with sauna, Turkish bath and jacuzzi.

Child and pet-friendly, this cosmopolitan AC Hotel provides the option of family rooms among its selection of 106 accommodations. There’s an onsite restaurant, the AC Lounge, where you can enjoy a meal with your travel companions, and refuel each day with a hearty breakfast. On the terrace, you’ll be surrounded by the aroma of close-by olive and lemon trees, as you sip on a cocktail and unwind from the day’s sightseeing. The hotel also has a fitness centre, parking and event space, for guests travelling on business.

The former residence of the Empress Eugenia de Montijo, this five-star hotel has echoed its regal Renaissance past through a contemporary take on palatial decor, retaining original features such as stained glass domes and marble mosaic floors. Just 200 meters from the city’s stunning cathedral, it’s well-placed for sightseeing on foot. Local dishes can be sampled at Eugenia de Montijo’s restaurant Library Ferderico (named after the Empress’ designer) and there’s Mazapán Corner for Spanish pastries. SPA Club Eugenie’s Bath is a nod to the building’s previous owner and incorporates the old Roman hydraulic system and Mozarabic walls.

Alfonso XIII, great-grandfather of the present king, ruled until Spain declared itself a republic in 1931, and commissioned this centrally-situated hotel during 1929’s Expo 29 in Seville. Modernity mixes with Moorish and Spanish tradition in its elegant interior and stunning facade while dining outlets complement the meeting and function rooms. Sample authentic Andalusian cooking in the restaurant, or share tapas favourites in ENA by Carles Abellán. Meanwhile, as you might guess, the Bar Americano shakes (or stirs) a mean cocktail in an Art Deco setting.

Located at the San Mamés end of Bilbao’s famous Gran Vía, the NH Collection Villa de Bilbao is a modern property offering spacious rooms, sleek contemporary design and on-point service. Inside enjoy a bountiful Basque breakfast at the Le Bol Blanc Restaurant, take a drink in the lobby corner bar, and head to the top-floor fitness room where you can work out to uninterrupted views over the city. Primarily catering to business travellers and conferences during the week, the hotel is a hidden gem for weekend getaways, appealing to tourists, families and groups visiting Bilbao.