Hotel Alfonso, Seville

Story and photos by Melanie Votaw

Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville
San Fernando 2
Seville, Spain
(34)(95) 4917000

The Hotel Alfonso XIII is not only considered “the” place to stay in Seville, Spain, but it’s listed as a historical site for non-guest tourists as well. And there’s a good reason for this: architecturally the building looks like a Moorish castle! Built for the Alfonso XIII Exterior King’s visit after the Barcelona World’s Fair in 1929, the hotel’s decor is traditionally Sevillian with classic archways, marble columns, and beautiful mosaics in rich colors.

Just to give you a hint of the luxuriousness of this hotel, Cameron Diaz was staying there when I was there. She was filming a movie with Tom Cruise in Seville at the time, so I assume he may also have been a guest. Diaz even felt comfortable enough to come down to the public but low key breakfast buffet room.

I enjoyed the Alfonso very much. The staff went out of their way to help me, and I loved the hotel’s old world style. Its location is, quite simply, perfect. It’s such a landmark in the small city that it serves as an axis from which to explore other areas. Both taxis and horse-drawn carriages wait alongside the hotel, so you are never without fast and ready transportation. In fact, there are horse-drawn carriages everywhere in Seville, or you can rent a bicycle or take one of the trams that whiz through the streets. That said, Seville is very much a walking city, so I only took taxis to and from the airport. I was able to easily walk from the Alfonso to every area or site I wanted to visit.

One of the most beautiful areas of the hotel is its courtyard, but since I was visiting in December, it was a bit chilly to sit outside. Seville doesn’t get nearly as cold as other areas of Spain, however, so during the day, the temperatures rose to the low 60s Fahrenheit.

Alfonso XIII Balcony I stayed in a small suite with a good sized balcony with a city view. I had a bedroom and a separate living area with a couch, desk, and chairs. As is typical in Spain, my bed was two singles placed together to make a larger bed. I especially liked the bathroom with its ceramic mosaic tiles that created an iridescent striped effect in white, copper, and dark blue.

All of the rooms contain antiques and are decorated in Baroque, Castilian, or Moorish styles. All rooms also contain an LCD television, CD player/radio, rainforest shower head in the bathtub, a telephone in the bathroom, a data port, alarm clock, wireless keyboard, safe, and minibar. High speed Internet service comes with a charge of 15 Euros per day, or you can use the computer that is set up in the lobby for free.

The 147 total rooms include three different types of suites of varying sizes, as well as deluxe rooms and the Royal Suite, which features a canopy bed and private butler service.

Now a Starwood property, the Alfonso maintains an outdoor swimming pool, which is surrounded by palm trees. The fitness centre can be accessed 24 hours a day with your room key, and it includes treadmills, stair steppers, stationary bikes, and rowing machines – all with individual television screens and headphones.

A beauty salon/barber shop is on premises, and there are three shops in the lobby, which include a Spanish designer clothing boutique called Loewe, an Italian Vasari Alfonso XIII Salon jewelry shop, and a souvenir shop. There are eight meeting rooms in the hotel, and it offers special wedding packages.

The concierge also arranges for private transfers to and from the airport or train station, and the hotel will ship luggage for you.

The Alfonso has several restaurants and bars. The Bar Alfonso is the former personal meeting room of King Alfonso XIII, while the Piazza Martini is a laid back lounge, and the Bar San Fernando is a popular meeting spot with a piano bar. The San Fernando Restaurant is a formal dining room that requires black tie.

The rooms and suites range in price from approximately 450 Euros to 900 Euros, depending upon the size of room you choose.

At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, the Hotel Alfonso XIII is more than a hotel – it’s an experience. And it’s a quintessential experience in Seville. Just walking through the beautiful building takes you back in time and makes you feel in your bones that you are unquestionably in Andalucia.

Issue:
January
2012