Six of the Best Boutique and Luxury Hotels in Granada

'Luxury' is obviously a relative term. And it's one that - for all the city's other many undoubted charms - has rarely come naturally to the Andalucian city of Granada. There's never been too much of a shortage of charmingly knockabout B&Bs and hostales. But luxury hotels in Granada have tended to be a bit thin on the ground - with, for a long time, only the gloriously kitsch Alhambra Palace Hotel even managing to tip a hat in that direction.

In the last few years, though, the city's accommodation landscape has changed beyond recognition. First the boutique hotels started to creep in - in the atmospheric form of a handful of thoughtfully renovated old carmenes and palacetes in the Albaicin; then in the last couple of years, one or two genuine high-end contenders have sprung up.

In any case, here's a selection of six truly special places to stay in the city...

Villa Oniria
By anyone's reckoning, Villa Oniria has got to be one of the most stylish luxury hotels in Granada. Slightly surprisingly, too, because it's perhaps the least typical. The location's inauspicious: no breathtaking views of the Alhambra or atmospheric Albaicin locations here; just a pleasant enough, if slightly workaday, setting in a modern(ish) corner of the city.

But that's about the only thing that's not loveliness personified. Villa Oniria is certainly the stay of choice for fans of genuine design: after an intelligent refurb of a 19th-century mansion, the whole place is infused with a real sense of calm and tranquility: from the sleek modern patio and the salon with its open fire, to the palm-filled gardens and the spacious rooms. 

Its strongest suit, however, is arguably its staff. Elegantly decked out in black, rarely are you likely to be so well attended to - with charm and real care - at a hotel in Granada. Having said that, the recent addition of a rooftop space (designed for daytime sun-bathing and intimate soirees) may put even that in the shade...

Room Mate Migueletes
There's barely even a whiff of chainy saminess at this grand Room Mate sibling. A sprawling former base of the local constabulary (reclaimed after years of neglect and gathering ruin), its smattering of pleasant rooms cluster round a large central patio.

The team's led with exacting standards by French/Spanish Director Jose Leon (who also oversees the other Room Mates - Leo and Shalma). Rates are excellent, too. In low season you can pick up a night's stay for about 70. And the main suite, with views of the Alcazaba and original carved wooden mudejar ceilings, is quite possibly the best value luxe room to be found in the whole city.

Carmen del Cobertizo
There's an argument to be made that the Carmen del Cobertizo isn't really a hotel at all, but rather a sort of super-exclusive guesthouse. Which, with prices starting at a couple of hundred euros a night, would make it just about the most expensive guesthouse in the whole of Andalucia.

Eye-wateringly expensive it may be, but for those that can stretch to it, it's worth every penny. Hidden away down a tiny fissure in the lower Albaicin, you enter through a breathtaking patio to a premises riddled with intriguing historical features - with an old Moorish aljibe (or well) particularly noteworthy. In short, genuinely special.

Hotel Casa del Capitel Nazari
It's hard not to fall for the Hotel Casa del Capitel Nazari. Why? Ultra-stylish it certainly isn't. But there's a genuine charm to the place, while rooms are basic (but perfectly adequate) and extremely temptingly priced. The highlight of the piece, however, is the lovely 16th-century patio at its heart. Next door sister hotel, Hotel Palacio de Mariana Pinedes, is also gorgeous.

Palacio de la Navas
For years a rather humdrum hostal, now one sensitive restoration later, a place that's right up there with the most charming places to stay in Granada. Rooms are small but thoughtfully put together, while cool, white interiors and plenty of exposed mudejar brick work are a constant.

The location's excellent as well, though. Step out of the door and you're knee-deep in the noisy tapas bars of Calle las Navas, while Loop Bar (a music bar/record shop just across the street) is one of the coolest little joints in town and Taberna La Tana is a typical old wine bar/tapas joint.

AC Palacio de Santa Paula
The Palacio de Santa Paula is perhaps the longest standing luxury hotel in Granada that's genuinely worthy of the name, and another member of a chain that manages to avoid falling into the trap of impersonality. It's very much a hotel of two halves: one half's decidedly more modern; the other draws more on the atmosphere of the convent that used to occupy the building. An excellent choice for lovers of creature comforts in a city where they can, just occasionally, be a little hard to come by...
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The above guest post was written by Ben Cooper. Ben is Editorial Director of boutique and luxury hotels specialists, TravelIntelligence.com  A lover of everything and anything to do with Spain and Andalucia, since spending an idle, but ultimately fulfilling, year at university in Granada, he's since found it hard to stay away from the place...