Palacio De Santa Inés by Brendan Sainsbury

The older brother of the nearly Carmen, the Palacio de Santa Inés replicates many of its smaller namesake’s design features – but on a far more accomplished and grander scale. One wonders, in the circumstances, how the two interlinked establishments have come to share the same three star rating.

Distinctive for its two connecting patios complete with steep-sided wooden balconies, the Palacio dazzles first-time viewers with the sight of its wonderfully fragmented fresco paintings, credited originally to the Spanish artist Alejandro Mayner - a reported disciple of Rafael.

Plants add a splash of greenery to the common areas and a cluster of large comfortable sofas allow guests to sit back and soak up the intricate details of sixteenth century Mudéjar architecture at its best. Within this inner sanctuary of peace and tranquility one is drawn to ponder and contemplate, read and relax, gaze and gawp. In such congenial surroundings only the truly adventurous will make it as far as the front door.

Rooms
The Palacio has 35 rooms of varying sizes that offer potential guests some of the finest facilities in the Albaicín, if not Granada. Crammed with a smorgasbord of various antiques, a stunning combination of doubles, duplexes and suites blend modern practicality with good old-fashioned Spanish charm.

Original features include hand-painted ceramic wash basins, lantern-style light fittings and a selection of split-level bedrooms that are divided by spiral staircases and come highly recommended for family habitation (the upper part contains a sofa bed and TV which is perfect for the kids!). Large bathrooms are fitted with spacious showers, soft white towels and the standard range of complimentary soaps.

Come for:
- One of Old Granada’s few family-orientated hotels
- Rooms with names like Giulio Romano and The Alhambra Suite