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Seville, Spain - City of Kings
Seville (or SAY-veel-ya) is located in the southwest part of the Iberian Peninsula and is the cultural and financial capital of Andalucia. The fourth largest city in Spain, it has a population of more than 700,000. Sitting astride the Guadalquivir River in a flat plain, Seville's sprawl extends out towards the Las Marismas salt marshes, the Doñana National Park, and up the rugged Sierra Norte and Sierra Sur mountains.
Because so many historic and cultural sights are tucked within the old quarter, visitors can appreciate its small town charm. In summer, the sleepy, one-hour guided cruise along the Guadalquivir reinforces Seville's laid back ambiance. The climate is described as "Mediterranean," with temperatures of 26ºC/72ºF as the summer average (middays topped 40ºC/104ºF during our July 2006 visit) and a breezy average of 12ºC/53ºF in winter. Climate, culture and cuisine combine to make Seville an ideal weekend away at almost any time of year.
El Rey Alfonso XIII Slept Here
Being a historic hotel snob, there was one reason I suggested my family tour Seville. That reason is the Hotel Alfonso XIII, founded in 1928 and dedicated by the king, Alfonso XIII (pronounced TRAY-say), in time to welcome other heads of state and dignataries to the politically important Latin American World's Fair of 1929. It was for this event that Seville was transformed with broad avenues, majestic pavilions and the gorgeous Plaza de España. The Starwood Hotel group has taken the hotel project just as seriously, restoring it to a grandeur and level of service rarely seen any more.
Our bedroom, very spacious, had walls lined with gold silk damask, a canopy over the king bed (and a new rollaway for our son tucked into the corner), French doors that opened onto a view of gardens, parquet marble floors, 14-foot coffered wood ceilings like the town mosque, an immense chandelier of dangling green glass pears and purple grape clusters, a velvet couch, traditional carved wood Spanish chests to support our luggage, a work desk, minibar, safe, and even two large, silk-lined closets. The marble bathroom was perfumed by fine toiletries, small wool rugs at each bedside were covered with a linen towel to wipe your feet at turn-down, and chocolate truffles were left on the down pillows. Hmmm, the life of el rey.
Within the hotel's Roccoco/Moorish public spaces, the skylit San Fernando restaurant occupies the traditional Arab style central court, which is open to the sky but shaded by acres of white muslin to mute the sunshine. The four-story setting is austere with its white tablecloths and uniformed waiters, yet opulent in its multi-colored tile work and potted plants. Of special note to families, this museum-calibre space is where the breakfast buffet is served: tables heaped with meats and vegetables in the German manner, breads and pastries for the French, bowls of fruit compote and fruit salads, plus omelettes made to order for others, a tiled corner piled with tiny sugar donuts, olives, Iberian hams and sweet cake in the style of Andalucia, and smoked fish and caviar for gourmands of any persuasion.
The lunch buffet and evening meal menus include a variety of continental and Andalucian specialties, including dishes of bacalao, roast lamb, pastas and seafood salads. During winter, a bar occupies the center court, but in summer, the popular Bar Alfonso, entered from the street, is an intimate room with dark carved wood walls and its own terrace.
The Hotel Alfonso XIII also features an elegant Japanese restaurant among the gardens that surround the large, essential-in-summer swimming pool. Modern conveniences includes a complimentary business center with computer and printer; babysitting arranged by the front desk with 12 hours’ notice; baby cots or extra beds on request; a small glass-enclosed, poolside fitness center; and very high end boutiques of antiquities and clothes in the lobby's lower level.
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