Boutique hotels
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Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza
- Style
- White-washed terracotta-tiled townhouse
- Setting
- Cobbled courts of old-town Andalucía
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Palacio de Villapanés AlmaSevilla
- Style
- Peace-adorned palace
- Setting
- Cobble-stoned Santa Cruz
-
Corral del Rey
- Style
- Cosy Andalusian casa
- Setting
- Narrow streets of old Seville
-
Hacienda de San Rafael
- Style
- Spanish stately home
- Setting
- Wild southern ranchland
Seville Province Overview
Spain
- Countryside
- White cottages, orange blossom
- Country life
- Fiesta and flamenco
The sultry Andalucian province of Seville is the very soul of southern Spain: whitewashed villages decked with orange blossom; long hot afternoons in peaceful plazas; tapas and sherry after an evening stroll; passionate nights of flamenco and fiesta.
The city of full-blooded Sevillanos is rich with Moorish influence and Catholic ceremony, and filled with cathedrals, ornate palaces and foot-stamping flamenco clubs. Equally wild and untamed, the pristine beaches of the Costa de la Luz stretch for miles along the coast. Yet only an hour’s drive away, you can calm your heartbeat in the chestnut woods and sleepy pueblos blancos of the sierras.
Suitably Seville Province
Seville is the home of passionate flamenco. Casa de la Memoria de al-Andalus on Calle Ximénez de Enciso has nightly performances. Alternatively, just wander through la Macarena district to find more spontaneous performances at small backstreet peñas (bar/clubs).
Local knowledge
- Taxis
- Cabs are cheap and can be hailed in the street. They display a green ‘libre’ notice or green light at night.
- Tipping culture
- Ten per cent in restaurants is appreciated; otherwise, a couple of euros with drinks or tapas is sufficient.
- Siesta and fiesta
- Banks and shops close between 14h and 17h during the week, and at 14h on Saturdays. Restaurants don’t get busy until after 21h.
- Packing tips
- Jodhpurs and riding boots. Your hotel can organise horse riding with the local stables (€85 for two and a half hours). It’s possible to trek along the beaches or through the Sierras de Gacalemo.
- Recommended reads
- The Sun Also Rises or Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway; Don Juan by Molière.
- Cuisine
- Freshly grilled fish and squid from the Costa de la Luz is delicious. The region is famous for its tapas, including smoked serrano ham, roasted peppers, peppery cheeses and fat, juicy olives. Sanlúcar’s wonderful manzanilla sherry is the perfect accompaniment.
- Currency
- Euro.
- Dialling codes
- Country code for Spain: 34. Seville: 95.
- Do go/don't go
- The Seville region can be very hot in summer. Spring has fine weather and several of the year’s most important festivals, while autumn is warm and peaceful. The region enjoys plenty of sunshine, even in winter.
