For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
Hospes Palau de la Mar
- Style
- Minimalist modern palace
- Setting
- Edge of old-town Valencia
The marble-clad, orange-scented interiors of the palatial Hospes Palau de la Mar bring an air of soul-soothing glamour to the ancient city of Valencia.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 66, including five Junior Suites and a Presidential Suite.
- Rates
- €160–€310, excluding breakfast and VAT.
- Check-out
- Midday, but flexible upon request and availability.
- Facilities
- Spa with small gym, sauna and steam bath, free WiFi throughout, underground parking. In rooms: plasma TV, minibar, Korres toiletries. Suites have DVD/CD players too.
- Poolside
- Fed by two miniature waterfalls, the hydrotherapy lap pool in the hotel’s ground floor may not be suited to Olympic swims but it’s ideal for a quick rejuvenating dip.
- Children
- Palau de la Mar is more of a sanctuary for grown-ups, but nippers are welcome. Cots are available.
- Also
- Smoking is only allowed in the restaurant. Smallish dogs (up to 12kgs) are welcome, for a charge of €50 a night. Parking costs €18 a day.
In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- Junior Suite 501 is our top pick – it’s enormous, for starters, and has a separate entrance corridor with a long businesslike desk, as well as airy skylights, a plush bathroom with a freestanding roll-top bath and spacious walk-in shower. Rooms 310 and 410 have the best views, and the rooms around the terrace gardens are the most light and peaceful – ask for the Double Superior 005 as it’s the biggest, and has a sofa bed that’s handy for children. Any room that ends in ‘05’ has a sliding window between the bathroom and the bedroom that opens up the space and allows you to bask in the bath tub while your partner relaxes on the bed.
- Packing tips
- Don't bother stuffing a wash bag with things you think you'll need, Palua del Mar's toiletry provision would delight Cleopatra, even down to rarely offered essentials such as a toothbrush and paste, lip balm, and a full shaving set.
- Also
- The Bodyna spa spans two floors, with the airy treatment rooms looking out onto the pretty courtyard gardens. There’s a rejuvenating array of massages and treatments, including Valencia-inspired specialities, which feature Mediterranean sea salt, inf
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- The bright, white Senzone restaurant mixes regional specialities (such as paella and other rice dishes) with innovative international cuisine. Naturally, the kitchen can work miracles with oranges, and the meat is palpably exquisite.
- Dress code
- You can dine in anything, but you'll want to don a shirt and jacket or a daringly cut black number to meet the mood.
- Top table
- Grab a window seat and watch Valencian life passing by.
- Last orders
- Senzone serves lunch between 2pm and 4.30pm and dinner from 8.30pm to 11.30pm. The lounge mixes drinks until 1am.
- Room service
- A full menu of drinks and light meals is offered until 11pm.
- Hotel bar
- Looking out over the garden, the smart cocktail lounge beside the lobby shakes up a mean martini and also provides coffees and teas during the day. Lined with artwork and comfortable armchairs, it's ideal for an aperitif or a nightcap.
Smith card offer Free dessert with every dinner booked at Senzone restaurant
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Not a member? Join now
Smith concierge
If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
Local restaurants
La Pepica (+34 963 710366) on the Valencia seafront is a former haunt of Hemingway and a roll call of Spain’s favourite bullfighters, and overlooks the sprawling beach of Las Arenas and is perfect for a lunchtime paella.On the edge of the old town, Bodega La Paz (+34 963 944162) is a good-looking restaurant and tapas bar with a fantastic selection of wines from the surrounding region, as well as some sublime jámon on offer. The Oceanogràfic’s aquarium restaurant, Submarino (+34 961 975565) provides an excellent dining experience, allowing you to enjoy flavour-packed, creatively made cuisine while surrounded by underwater life. Don’t let that put you off your prawns…
Local cafes
A few steps from the bustling Plaza de la Reina, Horchatería de Santa Catalina (+34 963 912379) is a wonderfully tiled landmark café and an ideal spot to sample the city’s signature tiger nut concoction or to gorge on a portion chocolate con churros.
Worth getting out of bed for
A minute's walk from the hotel, the 9km Jardines del Turia occupy what was once the Rió Turia’s riverbed (before it was diverted around Valencia), and make for blissful strolling ground.