Hospes Palacio de Bailío
- Style
- Art-inspired Moorish palace
- Setting
- Quiet corner of cultured Córdoba
An ancient ancestral home turned high-ceiling, high-living boutique hotel, the Palacio del Bailío blends centuries of heritage with stylish modern touches and flashes of the picaresque.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 53, including eight suites.
- Rates
- Low season, €195–€520; high season, €230–€630, excluding breakfast (€18) and seven per cent tax.
- Check-out
- Midday.
- Facilities
- Spa with thermal plunge pools, sauna and beauty salon, library, free Wifi throughout, valet parking. In rooms: flatscreen TV, minibar.
- Poolside
- The small, copper-brown tiled swimming pool is tucked in an orange grove surrounded by pink roses and low-lying sun loungers (snag the four-poster canopied one with billowing curtains if you fancy reclining in style).
- Children
- Under-6s stay free Cots (free) and extra beds (€50 plus tax) can be provided and babysitting can be arranged on request.
- Also
- Non-smoking rooms are available, and lightweight (under 15kg) pets can stay too, for €50 a night.
In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- The rooms overlooking the citrus-filled courtyard are the most peaceful and boast the prettiest views – number 117, a small deluxe, is top of our list with its petite balcony, floor-to-ceiling French doors and smart egg bath tub under the window. Room 108 gets the most light and has a fantastic loft-apartment feel. The Grand Suite Loft is definitely not misnamed – the room occupies a vast space on the top floor with rows of shuttered windows and a whopping open-plan bathroom with a freestanding tub.
- Packing tips
- Fear not if you forget your swimming costume – the hotel has a supply of (only slightly comical) disposable, French-made, Hawaiian-print, one-piece swimsuits.
- Also
- Filled with friezes, frescoes, murals and motifs, the hotel is a living art gallery, with some pieces dating back to the 16th century.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- The hotel’s Andalucían restaurant, Senzone, occupies a wood-beamed indoor area and spills out into the glass-roofed central courtyard, where you can see the ruins of an ancient Roman house through the transparent floor panels below.
- Dress code
- You’ll get by in jeans, but we recommend dressing up to the quality of the Córdoban cuisine (as much as you can in this heat, anyway).
- Top table
- Try to get a table tucked in the corner of the courtyard rather towards the middle – the combination of the clear glass floor and ceiling can conjure uneasy goldfish-bowl sensations.
- Last orders
- Senzone doles out the dishes from 8.30pm until 11pm, but the tapas bar stays serving until midnight at the weekend.
- Room service
- Snacks, sandwiches and salads can be brought to your room at any time.
- Hotel bar
- Decorated with black-and-white matador-themed photographs, the Palacio’s subterranean tapas bar is both an informal dining alternative to Senzone, and a great place to relax with a glass or two of vino tinto.
Smith card offer Free dessert with every dinner booked at Senzone restaurant
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Smith concierge
If you’d prefer to talk to someone, or you’re having trouble booking online, ring our travel team on 0845 034 0700 (+44 20 8987 4312 from outside the UK). We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
