Luxury holidays in Seville

Andalusia is strewn with Moorish mosques, monuments and palaces – none more resplendent or limelight-hogging than Granada’s Alhambra. But while the crowds swarm to admire the glories of the 14th-century fortress, the less queue-inclined are 250km away in Seville, gazing in serene wonderment at the architectural showstopper that is its Alcázar. Built in the 1360s on what had originally been a 9th-century fort, the cluster of palaces, courtyards and gardens is one of the most eye-ensnaringly spectacular examples of Mudéjar decorative art in Europe (with a few Gothic and Renaissance touches at play, too) and a worthy Unesco-lister. The Alcázar isn’t a dusty relic of a bygone era, however; it still houses the Spanish royal family when they stay in Seville, and frequently makes appearances on screen – Game of Thrones fans may have spotted the beautiful Patio de las Doncellas (Courtyard of the Maidens), with its recently unearthed sunken garden, serving as the Prince of Dorne’s palace. One of Smith’s long-standing favourite stays, Corral del Rey, is within walking distance