BeSeeingYou at: Hotel Cortijo del Marqués
Location: Albolote, Granada province, Spain
Number of rooms and suites total: 15
Website: www.cortijodelmarques.com/en/
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Why book?
This family-owned rural escape is just small enough to make you feel as if you’ve stepped into a friend’s home, especially since each dinner is homemade for guests. The surrounding olive trees and countryside make it feel far away, even though it’s only a 30-minute drive north of Granada, making it an easy weekend or overnight getaway from the stresses of a high city.
Fifteen comfortable rooms and suites are hemmed inside a restored 16th-century finca that also has a sparkling pool and parasols for hot afternoons, a welcome respite after a morning spent hiking or exploring.
The hotel is home to 15 unique rooms and suites
Who’s staying?
Couples who want a quiet getaway to lounge by the pool and family groups (limit of 8 people in groups) looking to gather and relax under the parasols, or in front of the log fire during the winter on cosy sofas.
Does the hotel have a past?
Ancient beams, well-worn cobbles, tinkling fountains along with a beautifully restored chapel from 1878 make it feel as if there are stories to tell, and certainly to create..
Once the farmhouse and stables of a large estate estimated to date back 500 years, the hotel also has traces of Roman architecture which means it could be older still. Original features abound, including time-worn floor tiles that made me wonder about the people and years gone by.
My room, featured a four-poster bed, a sitting area, and a large bathroom with a free-standing tub.
Rooms & Suites
Original beams, stone walls, and antique furnishings mix with modern conveniences in each of the 15 rooms and suites.
The two-storey Silo Suite, (probably the best room on the property) is a spectacular round room in the former grain silo, with an extra large custom-made bed made from recycled wood and amazing views of the countryside from the window.
The Church Suite is bathed in natural light and looks over the swimming pool. It also has a sitting room with a vaulted ceiling and a freestanding tub in the bathroom. There are also eight double rooms and three family suites that sleep up to five people.
Señorial, my room for the night, was next to the chapel and overlooked the entrance to the inner patio and courtyard.
Spill the tea: how’s the food and drink?
Dinner is served daily in the restaurant and is for guests only, retaining the intimacy and peace of the hotel.
The 3-course dinner menu changes daily and is presented at breakfast so diners can make any requests or changes. The chef purchases locally and organically whenever possible. The restaurant doors are open in summer so dining is semi-al fresco. The extensive wine list offers bottles or by-the-glass selections of mostly Spanish elixirs, chosen by owner Eilko, who is a connoisseur, especially of local wines.
It´s tough to leave the Cortijo, an oasis of peace and well-being, so a light lunch or tapas is served if requested at midday, for those who prefer to hang out around the pool or read in a shady corner.
The Alhambra and Grenada are only 30 minutes from the hotel (phot by Jebulon – Own work, CC0)
Neighbourhood News
Thanks to the hotel’s setting amidst the glorious Spanish countryside, outdoor pursuits are easy. and encouraged. Go for a walk, organise a horseback ride, or make a day trip to nearby villages. The sensational city of Granada, and the magnificent Alhambra, are just a 30-minute drive away.
The hotel makes an excellent home base and offers a selection of suggested outings on its website including flamenco performances, a day trip to the white villages of Alpujarras, mountain biking and walking tours, and more.
The hotel has many gathering spots for guests to meet, read or chill
Above & Beyond or Basic Service?
The owner greeted me by name, having never met me before. Being welcomed as a friend is one of the joys of staying at a family-run hotel. The owners, Silvia and Eilko, were always on hand and working alongside the charming staff.
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