Review of Hospes Palacio de los Patos, by Brendan Sainsbury

Boutique hotel Palacio de los Patos is one of Granada's best hotels. Situated in the heart of the busy commercial district, this impressive 19th-century neo-classical palace once belonged to a local sugar cane entrepreneur before being bought out by the Spanish Hospes group several years ago. Classified as one of 137 showcase hotels by the German-based Design Hotel Group the Palacio de los Patos aims to blend modern luxury with old-style classical opulence.

After two years of renovation work the boutique hotel put the finishing touches on one of the city's most imaginative restoration programmes yet. A magnificent blend of classic industrial architecture juxtaposed against a montage of modern, funky design features creates an aesthetically awe-inspiring palace. The spa facility promises delicious chocolate massages as well as a refreshing swimming pool, while the on-site restaurant's quintessentially Spanish cuisine excites the taste buds after just a quick glance at the menu.

With an entrance door guarded by two sculpted swans and a grand marble staircase that wouldn't look out of place in Buckingham Palace, visitors are lured upstairs into one of 42 stylishly-presented rooms. Each room rests underneath a fabulously crafted octagonal ceiling cupola. It's as if designer Terrance Conran had been commissioned to deck out Versailles with a vaguely ecclesial touch when he created these rooms.

The funky room furnishings are currently more in vogue in New York loft apartments than classic Spanish hotels and this juxtaposition of design schemes is what makes the Palacio de los Patos so interesting and unique. The large, spotlessly clean rooms offer "his and her" washbasins, separate bath and shower facilities, plasma TVs and an eclectic selection of complimentary soaps and shampoos.

Service is professional and attentive and the rooms are bright, spacious and surprisingly quiet. Come late afternoon and they'll deck your room out with bunches of bright red carnations in anticipation of your imminent return. This is decadence with a stylish, but characteristically Spanish flavour.