Hotel Boutique Corral del Rey

You don’t really need me to tell you that Corral del Rey is one of the best hotels in Seville, certainly in the historic centre of the city and probably anywhere roundabout. It gets high praise in the listings, such as the Telegraph hotel guide, and from a recent visit I’d say the 9/10 ranking is completely deserved. Mind you, I haven’t stayed in the other top Seville hotels for comparison, but I have in equivalent ones in other European cities, and I’d say it stands up to the competition and at very reasonable prices too. The reason why Corral de Rey excels is because of attention to detail. Of course, that’s to be expected in a top hotel, but everything about my stay from the way I was greeted at reception to the furnishing of my room was well-thought through. For example, the style of the interior design is crisply elegant and well-considered (very much to my taste). The buildings are very well maintained and my room was cleaned really fastidiously every day. My room was also well insulated both for sound and light: the efficient window blinds were much appreciated somewhere as sunny as Seville. I don’t usually think much about hotel beds, but the one in my room managed to combine firm support with softness (a difficult combination to pull off). And a very neat and big cupboard tucked away the espresso machine, sink, fridge and even a microwave. A terrace with a view of the Giralda tower was the icing on the cake. The other thing that Corral de Rey gets absolutely right is a sense of friendliness and welcome. Again, of course, you expect good service in a good hotel. I’ve stayed elsewhere and had thoroughly professional – but perhaps more mechanical – attention. Here everyone from the staff in reception to the chambermaids and the maintenance guy had nice smiles and friendly greetings. The ethos of the place was exceptionally pleasant. This must be hard to sustain because I’m sure lots of ‘guests’ are more than a little trying, but it all came across as effortless (which I’m sure it isn’t). This is a beautifully quiet hotel. The Corral is very narrow so not much traffic gets through but it doesn’t seem to trap noise as can sometimes happen in old cities. The building is also very solid, with well-insulated walls. Staying in a hotel inevitably means staying near other people who can’t help making noise, but here I felt wonderfully calm and protected. It meant I had a really serene escape from ‘normal’ life.

Lovely boutique hotel in a well located lively old town area of Seville. L Small but useful rooftop area with plunge pool. Very friendly welcome and customer service from Patricia, Carlos and all the front desk team. Great wholesome breakfast. We would definitely revisit.

My daughter and I stayed 3 nights at this wonderful hotel. We received a free upgrade to a beautiful room with a double rain shower! And early check in and late check out was no problem. Of course January is the low season so it is easier to comply with these extra requests. The staff were all very friendly and helpful in giving advice about restaurants and must sees in Seville! The breakfast was extraordinary with fresh fruit, yoghurt and orange juice of course. And last but not least the location is perfect: walking distance from all the major sights! And my advice: have the hotel arrange your taxi transfer from the airport! Frank drops you off right in front of the hotel: He knows how to drive through the extremely small streets!