Taberna Del Alabardero by Jenny Pidgeon

The Taberna del Alabardero, centrally located between the Giralda and the Bull Ring, used to be the house of local poet J. Antonio Cavestany at the turn of the last century. It still feels like a home and much of the original character of the place has been carefully restored. You enter the faded terracotta building on its narrow street, through an ornate entrance, into the light-filled patio that is at the heart of the Taberna. Here, the well-to-do of Seville sip wine and coffee, reclining in wicker chairs arranged around the central fountain. Leafy plants and the retractable glass roof lend a feeling of a summer patio to the space, where a barrage of formal but charming staff tend to their guests.

You can gaze from here up to the elegant first floor balcony with its wooden-framed arched windows and wrought iron railing. This is where the restaurant is found, one of Seville’s finest which has spawned five sister ventures including one in Washington DC. The regional cooking, which uses seasonal ingredients, comes from the best chefs of the in-house hotel school. You can eat in one of the intimate private dining rooms, evocative with their antiques and perfect for small groups or family occasions. Some rooms are dark and seductive, others larger and lighter with views through to the working kitchen.

If you decide that walking home after your gourmet meal would be too much, why not stay in one of the seven guestrooms on the 2nd floor? Between the stained glass windows are old wooden doors bearing the names of local towns such as ‘Cadiz’ and ‘Jerez’ (if you’ve partaken of the local sherry one evening, take note that the latter is actually a cleaning cupboard rather than a bedroom). Each is individually decorated; the romantic blue & white ‘Granada’ has a hand-painted bed & wardrobe, whilst junior suites ‘Cordoba’ and ‘Malaga’ are top choices for spacious sitting areas with comfy sofas and fireplaces, fabric-covered walls in the sleeping area and well-chosen antiques. Bathrooms sport frilly tissue holders and flying ducks on the wall, but this is Spain after all, and the power shower and jacuzzi bathtub make up for it.

Best of all, the door marked ‘Seville’ leads up a narrow staircase to a wonderful tiled rooftop terrace with views of the Cathedral. Breakfast is served on the ground floor in a rather small and over-decorated room which sports Moorish tiling, red & orange striped fabric walls, a carved wooden ceiling and faux-gold light fittings. If you don’t make it down before the very civilised 11am, you could always grab something in El Obrador delicatessen opposite reception, which showcases local delicacies and treats from the restaurant kitchen.