Best Luxury Hotels in Spain

Rooms at Hospes Palacio De San Esteban come with hardwood floors and sleek furnishings accented by mid-century and antique pieces. The five-star amenities include minibars, pillow menus, robes and slippers. Dine on Castillian sharing dishes at El Monje restaurant, which features a roaring fire, an indoor tree and stunning high ceilings with dramatic original stone arches. Or eat alfresco, at the contemporary styled El Patio de Los Olivos. Enjoy a drink beside the vintage fountain, or recline on a poolside lawn lounger. Once the San Esteban Salesian Convent, the hotel’s modern ethos is to ‘find, feel and belong’.

A 14th-century Dominican monastery, this hotel has historic river view rooms (singles through to suites) in its Casa Grande and minimalist self-catering villas overlooking the vineyards. Christopher Colombus once stayed in the Tuscan inspired property, which is located in the lush Duero Valley, just 10 minutes from the city centre. It incorporates a winemaking hacienda – frequent guided tours are offered – and from which the hotel’s wine cellar is stocked. Produce from the onsite organic farm is also served in gourmet restaurants. Hacienda Zorita exudes understated luxury, with two pools, a terrace and open-air movie nights in the summer.

The clean lines in its architecture and soothing hues of the internal contemporary furnishings – added to a stunning natural backdrop – create a calming vibe at this Design Hotel. This waterside hotel has 30 double rooms (two of which are interconnecting) and five suites, including the penthouse; all have large windows while some come with hot tub embedded terraces and direct swim-up access to the 18 meters long shared pool. Facilities at El Vicenç de la Mar include a cinema, spa, rooftop terrace and a cocktail bar, as well as dining courtesy of Michelin-starred Chef Santi Taura, across the hotel’s two restaurants.

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.

Walking distance from the railway station, a couple of nice beaches and beside the port, Casa Alberola Alicante is found within a pretty neo-classical building with wrought-iron balconies. Inside, the decor is modern – in keeping with the Hilton style – but with hints of art deco style. Catering to adults only, rooms here come with crisp white bedding, padded velvet headboards and parquet floors – some have freestanding bathtubs and sea views too. Its restaurant, Blacky, serves Mediterranean-meets-Chilean cuisine and there’s a buzzing bar for a post-dinner drink.

A sleek resort for the modern age, this NH property is set within peaceful gardens, surrounded by parkland and close to a lake. It’s a striking feature on the landscape, designed by Aranguren & Gallegos Arquitectos. The grounds include a swimming pool and a terrace. Inside, there’s another pool (with floor-to-ceiling windows looking onto the outdoor pool), a gym, sauna, Turkish bath, the Abeiro Restaurant with charming garden views and a lobby bar. Bedrooms are decorated in hues of white, chocolate and apple-green, with amenities including a pillow menu, high-quality mattresses, soundproofing and Nespresso machines.

Converted from a hospital first built in the year 1499 and commissioned by King Ferdinand, this used to serve walkers who came here on pilgrimage. Hospital Real De Santiago De Compostela still caters to visitors but in the form of a luxe hotel – one of the oldest in the world. Ideally located in the Plaza do Obradoiro beside the cathedral, it immerses visitors into a bygone era. Cloisters, thick stone walls, an outdoor terrace overlooking the square and a manicured courtyard garden help evoke the ancient atmosphere. Rooms come with wifi, satellite TV, air-con and mini-bars, and there are two restaurants.

With a former life as a paper mill, this 18th-century traditional Galician building has plenty of character. Rooms here face onto the pretty garden, with its water fountain, colourful window boxes, lawns and terrace. Guests can book a treatment at the spa from a menu of oriental and occidental rituals which make use of high-quality natural products, enjoy a drink in the bistro-style bar and dine at the excellent Filigrana restaurant. Family-run, the romantic hotel has 51 bedrooms and three suites, the latter incorporating living spaces, a study and a jacuzzi, as well as a reading room and a social room.

100 years as a tannery, then another 100 as a convent, this building close to the historic centre has had an illustrious past. This is seen in some of the features, such as a chapel turned meeting space with a religious mural, arched windows and thick stone walls. Now, it’s a five-star retreat, where guests can book alfresco massage therapies, read or sunbathe in the gardens and book a suite with views of the cathedral (which is 15 minutes on foot from the front door). A contemporary restaurant, bar, saltwater swimming pool and fitness centre are among the Hotel Palacio Del Carmen’s amenities.

A little outside of Vigo, 30 minutes south on the coast road in Pontevedra, lies the walled enclosure of Monte Real. Here, between the sea and a pine wood, lies the regal Parador de Baiona. A deeply distinguished property recalling a bygone era, this Galician mansion offers fantastic sea views, a large outdoor pool surrounded by manicured gardens and a fine seafood restaurant. On arriving in the entrance hall, guests are greeted by a majestic stone staircase, candelabra lighting and suits of armour. Bedrooms have features such as timber beamed ceilings, four poster beds, grid windows, polished stone walls and antique dark wood furniture.

Found on the city’s main boulevard surrounded by shops, the NH Collection Vigo is housed in a 20th-century building with a Neoclassical façade, designed by the French architect, Michel Pacewicz. Accommodating 108 bedrooms including jacuzzi loft suites, the four-star property is pet, family and business traveller friendly. Guests have access to their own Nespresso machine, NH branded toiletries, babysitting services, a pillow menu, fluffy duvets and super comfy mattresses. Valet parking, a small gym and an onsite restaurant — the elegant Irati — are all available. Plus there’s a bar with a charming alfresco terrace overlooking the church.

Built using ornate stone with pretty wrought iron balconies, this building dates back to the 19th century. Overlooking the marina on the Ría de Vigo estuary, the four-star hotel is within walking distance of the city’s attractions and under a quarter of an hour’s stroll from the railway station. 69 sleek monochrome rooms come with minibars, satellite TV, designer toiletries, climate control, free daily newspapers, laptop-friendly workspaces and soundproofing. Amenities include a library, a rooftop terrace, fitness facilities, a lounge bar, a business centre and La Cuaderna Restaurant serving buffet breakfast and a la carte Mediterranean cuisine.