Mercer Sevilla

The Mercer Sevilla sits right in the historic heart of Seville, next to La Maestranza – an iconic bullring dating back hundreds of years. Also nearby is the Plaza Nueva, a leafy square which serves as the heart of the city.

The Mercer Sevilla is an intimate hotel, with just 12 guestrooms and suites, each of which combine period features from the hotel’s 19th-century origins with modern comfort and design. Traditional features such as delicate wall mouldings betray the building’s heritage, while luxurious touches are offered by the black marble tabletops and modern, pristine-white bathrooms – complete with top-end Molton Brown toiletries.

Deluxe Premium Rooms overlook the historic pastel-hued buildings of Castelar Street, and also feature outdoor terraces, complete with garden furniture. Deluxe Rooms, meanwhile, overlook the hotel’s ‘vertical garden’, a striking interior feature that soars from the dining room all the way up to the pool terrace.

The hotel’s restaurant, Maria Luisa, has a mission: to showcase the best of Andalucian cuisine, using top-quality regional produce. Great attention is paid to breakfast here, with the menu combining international favourites like eggs benedict with local touches such as scrambled eggs with Iberian ham. At lunch and dinner, you can look forward to regional delicacies such as cheek of pork, fried cuttlefish with parsley mayonnaise, and beef tenderloin from the Guadalquivir.

Before dinner, enjoy drinks and appetisers in the FIZZ Cocktail Bar, which also makes a stylish setting for a nightcap.

The rooftop pool and bar is a relaxing space to cool off from the sun and take in the views over Seville.

Next door to the hotel is La Maestranza, a centuries-old bullring and one of the most famous of its kind in the world – even if you disapprove of the sport, it’s worth taking a guided tour of the venue to learn about its grisly history. Other highlights not to be missed during your time in Seville include the city’s cathedral, famous for its iconic Giralda belltower, and the adjacent Alcazar – this palace is a masterpiece of Moorish architecture.