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We've compiled the best of the best in Spain - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
This stylish budget hotel fits the bill for funky-designed, no-frills accommodation in a great location. Rooms are modern and very compact (at 172 square feet), but the beds are comfy and the showers are strong. The best rooms overlook the splendid Ciutadella Park. It's an easy stroll to the Arc de Triomf and all the lively restaurants and bars of El Born.
This four-star near the old quarter has contemporary rooms, a well-trained staff, and a businesslike calm about it. The decor is dated and a bit hodgepodge in spots, but the efficiency—including complimentary valet parking upon request—makes up for any aesthetic shortcomings. The restaurant, Brasserie Zarcillo, with a grill for cooking over coals, has a good wine list.
Value is the overriding attraction of this comfortable and elegant modern hotel, which has slick, bright rooms and the kind of amenities you'd expect to come at a higher price. The 31 rooms in the Torreluz Centro Hotel next door are cheaper, and the nearby apartments give you more space for the same price as the main hotel.
One of the better values in Madrid hotels at the moment, this modern property off the Castellana thoroughfare offers bright, streamlined rooms with starched white linens and understated furniture. White-tiled bathrooms have overhead showers and plush towels.
Situated between Malasaña and the restaurant-lined Plaza de Olavide, this One Shot outpost has an ideal location for those looking to stay in a true-blue Madrid neighborhood with few tourists around. Colorful headboards and chairs pop in rooms that are otherwise minimally decorated (think white linens and walls), and bathrooms have towel warmers and wide shower heads.
Locals call this four-star newcomer a "hotel within a museum" because of its location inside the Tabakalera cultural center, a hotbed of art and innovation inaugurated in 2015 that's located 12 minutes on foot from the Parte Vieja. Expect eclectic modern decor, thought-provoking photography, and sculptural light fixtures in the guest rooms, which range from conventional doubles to airy, designer-appointed suites.
In a renovated convent, this contemporary hotel steps from the cathedral offers a great value. The dependable restaurant in the converted chapel and simple, modern rooms make the property a practical base. (Note: prices quadruple during San Fermín.)
In the geographical center of the island, this is the perfect spot to get away from it all and to take in some of Gran Canaria's best views. The hotel, part of Spain's Parador chain, has a rustic exterior that echoes traditional island architecture, with whitewashed walls and black volcanic rock details. In contrast, most of the rooms have a distinctly modern style, and they all boast south-facing patios for magnificent views of the peaks. The restaurant serves traditional Canarian cuisine, including the house specialty, baifo con almendras (goat with almond sauce).
Expect a spectacular view from the terrace, as this parador clings to the cliffside, overlooking the rolling valley of the Río Guadalete. Public rooms include a popular bar and restaurant, Mesón del Corregidor, which opens onto the terrace and an enclosed patio. The best guest rooms are numbers 6–9 and 15–18, which overlook the valley (well worth the €40–€60 premium). Spacious guest rooms are furnished with dark Castilian furniture, reed rugs, and abundant tiles.
This 17th-century palace has panoramic views over the Álava plains and feels like a time warp with its long stone hallways decorated with bulky, opulent antiques. It's said that Napoleon's forces rested here before attacking Vitoria. Rooms have polished wood floors, and some have glass-enclosed sitting areas or hot tubs. The wood-beam dining room on the third floor makes each meal feel like a baronial feast.
Once the house of Gaspar de Portolà, the military officer who colonized California, this modern parador with friendly staff and an outdoor pool (seasonal) has views of the Pyrenees and is handy for exploring the Romanesque sights in nearby villages. Vielha is 2½ km (1½ miles) to the north, and the Baqueira ski slopes are 7 km (4 miles) away. The restaurant ladles out a mean civet de jabalí (wild boar stew).
Post up in a 16th-century medieval castle attached to the massive town walls at this parador whose standout feature is its lush garden containing archaeological ruins. The interior is unusually warm for the hotel chain, done mostly in tawny tones, and guest rooms have terra-cotta tile floors, leather chairs, and four-poster beds.
You'll find this modern parador isolated in a valley at the edge of the nature reserve, 26 km (16 miles) north of Cazorla, in a quiet place that's popular with hunters and anglers. Despite the disappointing exterior, the setting is bucolic, amid a pine forest on a hillside, and inside there's a small exhibition space with life-size reproductions of animals. The excellent restaurant serves regional game dishes such as wild boar in red wine and fillets of grilled venison.
On the slopes of the Sierra de Córdoba, on the site of Abd al-Rahman I's 8th-century summer palace, this modern parador has sunny rooms and nice views. Rooms have wood or wicker furnishings, and the pricier ones have balconies overlooking the lush peaceful garden or facing Córdoba. The restaurant serves typical local dishes including salmorejo, the chef's specialty.
This exquisite estate, once the 15th-century palace of the Marquis de la Romana, now houses one of Spain's finest paradores. The sprawling building combines Mudejar architecture, exotic vegetation, and Moorish-style rooms, the best of which look out onto the monastery. There's a secluded swimming pool and a cozy fireplace room—a perfect place to enjoy an evening glass of wine. The restaurant serves simple local dishes such as bacalao monacal ("monastic" codfish, with spinach and potatoes) and grilled lamb chops.
These comfortable quarters in the center of town are built into the 14th-century convent of Sant Domènec. The interior patio—the cloister of the former convent—is a tranquil hideaway, lush with vegetation. Rooms are spare and simple but appointed with high thread-count bedding, and some have mountain views.
This mountain retreat may be an eyesore, but it occupies a privileged position as the only hotel located within the park. Guest rooms, outfitted with dowdy traditional furniture, make up for their interiors with views of the intriguing rock formations of Las Cañadas plateau, at the foot of Mt. Teide. Log fires burn in the lounges in winter. At the mountain-view restaurant (not at the tourist-packed snack bar/terraza, whose food is overpriced and borderline inedible), friendly waitstaff in folk costumes serve tasty Canarian cuisine. Try the puchero canario or the conejo en salmorejo.
A 16th-century manor house in the heart of the old quarter, this parador has guest rooms with recessed windows embellished with lace curtains and large wooden shutters; some face a small rose garden. It was built on the foundations of a Roman villa and has a baronial stone stairway winding up from the front lobby. The restaurant, which serves fine Galician food, is full of antique mirrors, candelabras, and portraits.
Part of the inn is in a massive 15th-century tower that was once a fortress; a drawbridge leads to the two-story lobby, hung with tapestries. The three large octagonal chambers in the tower have beamed ceilings, wood floors, hand-carved Spanish furniture, and chandeliers. The restaurant menu includes caldo gallego and empanada de zorza y queso (with paprika pork and cheese); for dessert, order the stuffed filloas (crepes).
This modern two-story hotel built with local stone looks out over the Bierzo valley. Its rooms have heavy wood furniture, windows with shutters, and large baths. At the restaurant you can dine on shavings of cecina, fresh Bierzo trout, and a range of other local delicacies. Try the local wine, made primarily from the floral mencía grape.
Parque Tropical is a peaceful oasis of tropical palms, colorful blooms, and cascades with colonial-style rooms boasting typical Canarian balconies and wooden shutters. The digs are homey and old-fashioned (think floral-patterned duvets), and most overlook lush gardens and a large (unheated) swimming pool. The poolside restaurant offers an à la carte menu for lunch, and there are Sunday paella parties with live entertainment.
This 16th-century stone manor house is surrounded by manicured gardens and has a terrace that looks out onto a labyrinth of hedges. The eight elegant rooms are decorated with a blend of classical and contemporary furniture, much of it antique. The generous breakfast buffet, which includes an array of cured meats, cheeses, and homemade pastries, is served in the big old kitchen, or, in good weather, in the sunny outdoor courtyard.
This cozy, cinema-themed pensión with in-room Nespresso machines, Marshall speakers, and big TVs is a good value. Sure, there's no round-the-clock reception, and rooms aren't impeccably soundproof, but staff are exceedingly personable and all of Bilbao's main sights are at your fingertips.
Across from the Teatro Arriaga in the Casco Viejo, this boutique hotel blends old and new design touches such as centenary limestone blocks, exposed brickwork, hand-hewn beams, and spiral staircases. The standard rooms and the showers are a tight fit, and the street below can be noisy on weekends, but amenities such as a generous buffet breakfast and free bicycle rentals make up for any shortcomings.
Hit the reset button at this secluded, rustic retreat in an abandoned village deep in the mountains above Jaca that's the passion project of an Argentine back-to-the-land couple. Meals, which unfold in the cozy stone dining room or out on the patio with sweeping valley views, are plant-based and internationally inflected, a welcome antidote to all those stodgy stews.
A few peaceful nights in this former rectory—complete with a pool and grapevine-covered pergolas—is a welcome hideaway from the modern bustling port. Luckily it's just a short 10-minute drive from town.
While the hotel's slogan, "Do You Want To Sleep With Me?" is a bit gimmicky, the Emma itself is a comfortable, centrally positioned billet at an affordable price. Rooms have a certain space-age design, with white-on-white furniture contrasting with punchy doses of purple or red. The lobby, what there is of it, and the public spaces, are futuristic and functional, with patterned, etched glass and undulating lines. The Emma's pivotal location allows easy walking to almost everything in midtown Barcelona.
In the city center, steps from the Palacio Real and Teatro Real, Mario is small with limited services but provides a welcome alternative to Madrid's traditional hotel options at a good price. It has a bold quirky style: original silk-print headboards highlight the white, gray, and black color scheme.
Surrounded by gardens with the Sant Pol Beach just below, this elegant, family-friendly property features a modern spa with an indoor pool, plus an outdoor pool with views of the sea.
An idyllic beach escape with panoramic views over the Bay of Biscay, this renovated 15th-century house on Getaria's uppermost street has cozily decorated rooms. Those facing the street have heavy stone walls and carved wooden furniture, while those on the seaside are more minimal with spectacular views.
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