Hotels in Spain

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2006

This 18-year-old hotel is "exactly where you want to be": near the Prado, the Reina Sofia, and the Teatro Real. Art is also on view inside the property, courtesy of 2,000-year-old Greek and Roman antiquities. Guest rooms have furniture crafted from olive-tree root or mahogany; some showcase Roman mosaics and Apulian vases. Mediterranean fare is on the menu at Restaurant Europa, which displays original paintings by Catalonian abstract painter Antoni T

115 rooms

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

This landmark near Alcazar Palace has a yellow Moorish-Renaissance facade and square towers surrounding a Sevillian inner courtyard. The interior has coffered ceilings, beveled mirrors, and marble floors. "Gracious, airy, light, and large rooms" have silk and linen bedding and floors of locally made ceramic tiles. San Fernando Restaurant offers traditional Castilian dishes.

147 rooms

Amenities: Pool

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

This 44-story hotel sheathed in glass and steel is one of the tallest buildings in Spain and thus affords "magnificent views" of the Mediterranean. Contemporary Catalan art and flower arrangements embellish interiors; rooms have marble bathrooms and Bang & Olufsen sound systems. Arola serves tapas and Mediterranean cuisine on a garden terrace. Try a color-therapy treatment at the Six Senses spa.

482 rooms

Amenities: Beach, Pool, Spa

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

King Alfonso XIII performed the 1910 opening ceremony at this classic French-style property whose "excellent financial district location" also puts guests near museums and parliamentary buildings. Rooms have Real Fabrica de Tapices carpets in gold, mauve, or cream and nineteenth-century clocks. At the Ritz Bar, veteran bartender Marcelino Martin mixes a signature Goya cocktail. The "elegant Restaurant Goya" has grilled fresh Galician scallops with candied potatoes and curry minestrone.

167 rooms

Also featured on the Gold List in: 2005, 2006

"Accessible to every convenience, including notable museums and shopping boutiques," this 1912 Belle Epoque palace still "affords you solitude." Some rooms have silver fabric-covered walls and gray carpets. Named for the hotel's signature stained glass dome, La Rotonda serves a grand lunch buffet; Asia Gallery serves Cantonese cuisine.

466 rooms