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The Best Luxury Hotels
Hotel Alfonso XIII (Seville; tel. 800/221-2340 or 95-491-70-00; www.hotel-alfonsoxiii.com): This reproduction of a Spanish palace, a fixture in Seville since 1929, is a regal bastion of fine living. From its white marble courtyard to its Moroccan gardens, it is the grande dame of all the Andalusian hotels. The bedrooms in this super-expensive bastion of glamour are ultraspacious.
AC Palacio de Santa Paula (Granada; tel. 95-880-57-40; www.ac-hotels.com): It's not quite as magnificent as the Alhambra, but this post-millennium architectural monument to grandeur is as good as it gets in Granada. The contemporary and the antique have been harmoniously blended, more so than anywhere else in the province. Many buildings, including a 15th-century medieval cloister and two 14th-century Arab houses, came together to create this deluxe hotel. It's both of the past and as modern as tomorrow.
AC Quinta Canela Golf (Ayamonte; tel. 95-947-78-30; www.ac-hotels-spain.com): The greatest resort living available along the Costa de la Luz is found at this magnificent estate with an 18-hole golf course built near an estuary of the Río Guadiana. Stunningly modern, it evokes an elegant Portuguese manor house but with Andalusian architectural motifs. Standing on landscaped grounds, it offers bedrooms both spacious and luxurious.
Marbella Club (Marbella; tel. 95-282-22-11; www.marbellaclub.com): This is the grande dame of all Costa del Sol resorts, and it's the posh resort that made Marbella itself a player in world tourism. Since 1954 the rich and/or famous have flocked to its plush precincts. Boasting the most lavish hotel gardens along the coast, the club today is a hangout for movie stars, fading European aristocracy, and oil-rich sheiks. It's discreet, international, and an elegant bastion.
Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona (Estepona; tel. 95-280-95-00; www.kempinski-spain.com): A justifiable member of "the Leading Hotels of the World," this is modern resort-hotel living at its most luxurious along the Costa del Sol. Not as well known as the Marbella Club, it is, nonetheless, a citadel of luxe living, with super, airy, and spacious bedrooms, first-class service, and some of the best cuisine along the coastal strip.
Duques de Medinaceli (El Puerto de Santa María; tel. 95-686-07-77; www.jale.com/dmedinaceli): This tastefully converted 18th-century palace is one of the grandest hotels of Andalusia, the epitome of taste, style, and luxury. Set in beautifully landscaped gardens, it is imbued with the trappings of yesterday, yet all the modern conveniences have been installed as well. Sherry producers in the area view this as one of their favorite addresses, not only for its public and private rooms, but for its first-rate cuisine as well.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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