Where to Stay in Spain: My Best Picks
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I’ve had great luck finding marvelous places to stay in Spain. Hotel proprietors are friendly, and almost all of them speak English. In this post, I provide general tips about accommodations in Spain and then list hotels I recommend.
Choosing a Room
To Book or Not to Book?
I book almost all the hotels on my itinerary before I leave home so I know I have somewhere to stay in every location. Then, while traveling, I sometimes change bookings to follow a new route or in response to hearing about a cool location I hadn’t known about.
TIP: Stay flexible when you travel. You never know when you might meet someone who recommends a festival or event or exhibition. More than once, I’ve altered an itinerary to attend a special exhibition or visit a new attraction.
Choose a hotel booking site that allows you to book, change, or cancel hotel reservations if your itinerary changes. Most sites offer a no-cancellation option at a lower price. I never choose the no-cancellation price unless I’m 100% sure I’ll be staying at the hotel. For example, I will select the no-cancellation price for hotels I’m staying at in the cities I fly into and depart from, because I know those locations won’t change.
But overall, stay flexible. I’ve learned that sticking to a rigid itinerary with no-cancellation accommodations can end up costing more money than you save.
Breakfasts
Breakfasts in Spain generally consist of pastries, fresh fruit, dry cereal, cold meats (lots of ham and salamis), cheeses, and coffee. I only eat the hotel breakfast if it’s included in the room rate or if I didn’t get a chance to buy food before checking in.
If hotel breakfasts cost extra (and the cost can be exorbitant), I buy yogurt and fruit at a local grocery store and then go to a bar or café for my morning cappuccino.
Location
In Spain in particular, I stay in the center of a town or city only if I’m not driving. As I’ve mentioned frequently, driving into medieval towns can be a nightmare, and driving into cities like Barcelona is not recommended!
The advantage of traveling in Spain by public transit is that you can choose to stay in picturesque and historic town centers. Grab a taxi from the train station and let your driver negotiate the tiny alleyways. In Cordoba, even our taxi driver had a hard time finding our hotel deep in the Jewish quarter.
Tips for Drivers in Spain
When driving in Spain, I book places on the outskirts of the town or city and then take busses or taxis into the town for sightseeing. In rural areas, such as Andalusia and Asturias, I search out places located in the gorgeous countryside so I can take walks and, if it’s hot, enjoy a dip in the pool.
Paradors
Consider spending at least a few nights of your vacation at one of Spain’s gorgeous paradors (paradores). A parador is a government-run property selected for its historical and artistic merit or for its location in a beautiful landscape. Over 90 paradors are located throughout Spain.
Some of the paradors are converted palaces, medieval castles, or other historic buildings. The parador experience can be pricey, but it’s definitely worthwhile and interesting. Check the official website to view all the properties available. You can book paradors through the website or on booking.com
Star Rating
I favor three- or four-star properties that offer amenities such as elevators, air conditioning, parking, bathtubs, and WIFI.
I also like larger rooms. Check the square meterage of the room. Anything under 15 square meters will be small, with a child-sized shower stall and barely enough room to wedge your suitcase against the wall.
Reviews – Should You Care?
Yes, I pay attention to reviews. If a property’s aggregate review is under 8.0 out of a possible 10, I usually pass. Sometimes the difference between a property with a 9.6 review and one with an 8.2 review is only a few euros, and yet the quality of the higher-rated property makes the extra money worth spending.
You have to take reviews with a grain of salt, however. Just because a property has a score of 9.8 doesn’t meant it’s five-star luxury. Check the star rating, remember that a 9.8 score for a two-star hotel is not the same as a 9.8 for a four-star, and proceed accordingly.
TIP: Read reviews on a few sites, such as booking.com and TripAdvisor. I take my time when booking accommodations in Spain and elsewhere to make sure I’m getting the best value for my travel dollar.
For more tips on finding accommodations, read Six Steps to Making Awesome Accommodation Choices in Europe.
Accommodation Options by Region
To help you plan your Spain getaway, here are my recommendations. For each destination, I describe properties I’ve stayed in and offer suggestions for alternate properties that look good.
Click the link to the hotel to make a reservation with booking.com.
Barcelona
Barcelona is not a budget town by any stretch. Be prepared to spend more than you might like to; fortunately, in my experience, the quality of the accommodations is high.
I recommend two excellent hotels in Barcelona. Both are centrally located and comfortable. The Hotel Emilia is a bit farther from the center of the action, and the rooms are spacious.
The Cram Hotel in the Eixample district has earned a soft spot in my heart, for obvious reasons. It was a splurge, but the rooftop pool, views over Barcelona, and the convenient location made the extra cost well worth it, particularly because I was traveling solo.
Check the map below for other accommodation options in Barcelona. I favor the upscale Eixample district, but you’ll also find good choices in the Barri Gòtic and other areas.
Northern Spain
Santiago de Compostela
The Hotel Virxe da Cerca by Pousadas de Compostela was a marvelous find in Santiago de Compostela. We stayed almost a week when Gregg has his exhibition at the Granell Museum. The hotel is next to the Plaza de Abastos market and an easy walk to the cathedral in the old town. I loved hanging out on the terrace, sipping wine and enjoying the view. The rooms were traditional, with heavy furniture and lots of space. Highly recommended!
Santiago de Compostela attracts thousands of visitors every year, so you’ll find plenty of accommodation options. Santiago de Compostela also has a parador that looks amazing if you’re in the mood for a splurge.
Have a look at the map below for additional accommodation suggestions.
Llanes
We stayed at the Don Paco Hotel, a three-star property set in a restored convent dating from the 17th century. The high-ceilinged dining room that had once been the convent chapel is magnificent! The hotel is within walking distance of central Llanes and includes free parking (always a bonus!).
Bilbao
We enjoyed staying for one night at the Hotel Meliá, a posh splurge but perfectly located for walking along the river to the Guggenheim Bilbao and easy to get to from the highway. The hotel includes an underground parking lot, stylish rooms with a great view over Bilbao, a soaring lobby, and a riverside terrace where we ate breakfast and lunch.
San Sebastian
The Hotel Mercure Monte Igueldo, high atop Mount Igueldo overlooking enchanting San Sebastian (Donostia), is well worth a few extra euros for the view alone. You’ll need a car to stay here and to go down into San Sebastian.
If you’re traveling without a car, here are other options:
Andalusia
Cordoba
Book a place in the Old Town, even if it means leaving your car in a carpark and walking. You’ll be steps from the Cathedral-Mosque and in the thick of history. We stayed in a boutique hotel with a tranquil inner courtyard.
Check the map below to find properties in the center of Cordoba.
Granada
I heartily recommend Suites Gran Via in Granada. The location is convenient to the center of Granada, and the rooms are large and comfortable. A small kitchen is included, which is handy for making breakfast.
The map below shows more options in and around Granada.
Seville
We’ve had great luck in Seville–once staying at a hotel in the old town and most recently staying in an apartment overlooking the river. I recommend you stay in the old town if you’re not driving. The Hotel Amadeus & La Musica is a wonderful choice right in the heart of Old Seville. There’s a rooftop terrace with a stunning view of Seville Cathedral. Gregg spent quite a bit of time up there drawing.
On our 2019 trip, we were driving, so we booked a hotel across the river from downtown Seville. What a great choice! We parked in a public parking lot about half a block from the apartment and enjoyed a spectacular view of the river and Seville Cathedral in the distance. Check out Betis 7 Luxury Apartments. The cost was surprisingly reasonable for an apartment that included a bedroom, kitchen and living room, a jacuzzi bath, and glorious air conditioning (a necessity in July).
Here are other options in Seville.
Ronda
One of the hippest places to stay in Ronda is the Parador de Ronda, pictured at the top of this page. Its spectacular location at the edge of the Ronda gorge comes at a price–but what a splurge!
On our recent trip in 2019, we opted to stay in the countryside about a 15-minute drive from Ronda, and we’re glad we did. The weather was hot, and we needed a place to chill in. The Hotel Cortijo-las-Piletas perfectly fit the bill. They even provided an excellent dinner served in the courtyard on one of the evenings we were there. The proprietor was exceedingly friendly and accommodating. I can’t recommend this place highly enough.
Here are more options in Ronda.
Central Spain
Following are suggestions for hotels in Madrid, Toledo, Zaragoza, and Salamanca.
Madrid
The Suites Viena were spacious and well located near the Plaza España that featured lots of cool booths filled with jewelry and other gift items. I recommend the hotel. Here are other options in Madrid:
Toledo
The Abad Toledo at the base of the hill and very convenient to a massive multi-level car park is a great choice for drivers. If you arrive by train, choose a place in the Old Town that you can get to by taxi.
On the map below, choose places on the city side of the river.
Zaragoza
The NH Collection Gran Hotel Zaragoza is a comfortable business hotel in Sangallo Palace that includes balconies, views, and what looks like a lovely ambiance near Perugia.
Salamanca
Treat yourself to the Parador in Salamanca. The rooms are large, the pool inviting, and views over Salamanca breathtaking. The Parador is a great choice for drivers because it’s on the outskirts of the city. You can walk into Salamanca or take a bus or taxi.
Do you have accommodation recommendations to share? Please let me know in the Comments section. I’m always on the lookout for new places to stay in Spain.
[…] from the owner of the beautiful little hotel we stayed at out in the countryside near Ronda (see Where to Stay in Spain: My Best Picks). The hour-long tour in the dimly lit cave took us past paintings that are at least 30,000 years […]
[…] The paintings in the Cueva de la Pileta are not nearly as extensive as those in Altamira or Lascaux (see below), but still worth a visit if you’re traveling near Ronda and you have a car. We learned about the caves from the owner of the beautiful little hotel we stayed at in the countryside near Ronda (see Where to Stay in Spain: My Best Picks). […]
[…] For information about where we stayed in Cordoba, see Where to Stay in Spain: My Best Picks. […]