We frequently get asked to give specific recommendations about small and unique boutique hotels along our travels.
While we mostly orchestrate our travels around home exchange (with our house in Granada, Nicaragua), we succumb to occasional infusions of boutique hotel luxury. We are delighted to be hosted by “Corral del Rey“, an understatedly elegant boutique hotel within the historic district of Sevilla.
This location (in the old quarter of Barrio Alfalfa, in the heart of the city) allows us to explore Sevilla further, meandering the streets in awe of architecture, in search of tapas and eager for whatever may come our way.
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A large, antique wooden door makes for a grand entrance into the Corral del Rey Hotel. The hotel is “hidden” in one of the small winding streets that give this neighborhood its charm and maze-like feel. .
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Sitting area graced with fresh flowers and arches in Corral del Rey.
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The “Moorish” arches of the original house have been preserved, maintaining the character of an earlier history, when the Moors ruled Southern Spain.
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Corral del Rey has a lovely feeling, both in the public spaces and in the room. It feels like home, but a luxurious one at that. It is an original XVII Century house, which has been tastefully restored and converted into a small, private, luxury boutique hotel.
Boutique bedroom encapsulates understated elegance -. Uber comfy with attic style roof and shuttered windows.
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White marble bathroom with tub and huge shower (not pictured).. perfect for a hot soak after a day of sight-seeing in Sevilla.
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View from the terrace of the hotel over the surrounding rooftops, including of course a few chapels.
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We walk by the ochre colored church, which is visible from the upstairs patio of the hotel.
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Doing what we do in new neighborhoods… Walk and walk ~ exploring and discovering architecture and tapas bars along the way.
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The Corral del Rey hotel is superbly located. A short walk gets us to a magnificent plaza, with street side tables, cappuccino aplenty and English and Spanish language newspapers. Don’t need much more right now…
An exceptionally beautiful plaza flanked by some magnificent architecture, around the corner from the Corral del Rey boutique hotel.
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Beautiful combination of the blue and white ceramic tiles and the red brick structure of this magnificent building.
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Another nearby plaza with tables popular with locals for morning coffee, midday drinks and early afternoon tapas.
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Ubiqitous orange trees grace the streets of Sevilla. Peach-colored church on the plaza, minutes from the Corral del Rey hotel.
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However tempting it is to cocoon in the plush luxury of Corral del Rey, we do go for many neighborhood walks to discover what’s within a walk’s reach. The streets are narrow and winding and one of the pleasures is getting lost for a while.
Store specializing in flamenco dresses. Flamenco is inexorably linked to the history of Sevilla.
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Sevilla is a treasure trove for art lovers. Nearby the hotel is the Seville Museum of Fine Arts.
Seville museum of Fine art has an impressive collection of religious art. It also houses a collection of early XXth century paintings.
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As a painter, I really appreciate the way in which these hands and fabric are painted by one of the great masters.
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A classic still life, with colors which literally glow against the dark background.
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Another walk from the hotel takes us in the direction of the Plaza de Espana. This majestic building was built in 1928 for the Ibera-American Exposition. It’s a landmark example of the Renaissance revival style in Spanish architecture and is impressive indeed.
The Plaza de Espana is located at the end of the leafy avenues of the Maria Luisa Park.
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Plaza de Espana – a jewel of turn of the XXth Century architecture. Today the Plaza de Espana houses the Sevilla Town Hall.
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Rows and rows of urban orange trees. We try one and discover that they are in fact, bitter orange ~ good for making jams etc. but not for eating fresco.
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When in Seville, try ad take a stroll along the beautiful Guadalquivir River. It is a delightful way to get some sunshine and exercise.
The Puente de Isabel ~ also known as the Triana’s bridge with its almost art-deco circular design (built in 1852) provides a backdrop to the many canoe and kayakers that use Sevilla’s river on a sunny day. It is the oldest bridge among the ones that cross the Guadalquivir River in Sevilla. At it’s exact locations, Sevilla locals used to cross the river through a line of boats tied to each other on the water.
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A map of Sevilla showing the city relative to the river.
http://www.corraldelrey.com/the-hotel/about.html
Looks like a nice slice of luxury in Sevilla. We went the Airb&b route in Triana. We really enjoyed our time in Sevilla but felt rushed with only three days…so much to see and simply experience. I like your blog and will be exploring in more detail. I’m intrigued about the home exchange process for travel. Thanks for stopping by my blog.
This definitely was a luxurious and very comfortable stay. Highly recommend the Corral del Rey hotel. You are right, one needs plenty of time in Sevilla so as to not feel rushed. So much to see and do.
Thanks for stopping by Green Global Trek and commenting.
Peta
Beautiful, I see you were there at a totally different time of year judging by the coats. LOVE the orange trees, it’s so typical of Sevilla having these orange and lemon trees.
We’ve been here a month and have become big fans of Sevilla. Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well.
Frank (bbqboy)
Yes it was winter in Spain, and a fairly mild one at that. We really enjoyed being in Sevilla out of season, fewer tourists than in warmer weather and an opportunity to really feel local.
The orange trees are such a treat. I tried to eat one of the oranges though and it was inedible unfortunately.
Peta