Marbella is one of the Costa del Sol’s most storied destinations, and the Marbella Club is the quintessential Marbella resort — playing host to the cream of the European aristocracy, titled and otherwise, ever since. Most strikingly, the Marbella Club retains the atmosphere of a princely residence, rather than a commercial hotel — within the resort’s gates are acres of manicured tropical gardens, and the rooms are scattered among a number of low-slung buildings.

The Palacio del Baílio is the Córdoba branch of the Hospes franchise, and while the word “Palacio” may put some of us in mind of an old-fashioned grand hotel this is a palace of an entirely different kind. More a mansion than a hotel, it’s equal parts hacienda and Moorish manor, with some rooms opening onto ancillary patios, and others in the main building ringing the main courtyard, with its majestic old palms and pleasantly cool outdoor swimming pool.

If Andalusia feels reminiscent of North Africa, it’s no accident. Sevilla’s got Moorish roots, just like Marrakech. And if a hotel like the Mercer Hotel Sevilla feels a bit like a riad, the inside-out courtyard residences of North Africa, it’s not hard to imagine why. Of course the Andalusian style is unique but in the end it’s a remarkably similar concept: an air of sequestered luxury around a beautiful central patio, and a surprisingly small scale, just four rooms and eight suites.

It’s an all-suite property, with some 67 of them, from junior suites on up to the presidential. All are at least fifty square meters, and open onto a private garden or terrace. Bathrooms are luxurious, spa-style, and the living rooms come with plasma televisions and interactive home theater systems. A resort as modern as Finca Cortesín naturally includes a fitness center, in this case with a 25-meter indoor pool, and a full-service spa with a range of treatments as a diversion for non-golfers.

Seville has plenty of luxury hotels; until recently, they were all on one side of the river, clustered around the cathedral and the Alcázar. Cavalta Boutique Hotel is the first high-end property on the other side, in the Triana quarter, best known as the birthplace of flamenco. This 12-room boutique hotel, occupying a quaint corner building with wrought-iron balconies and cheerful ceramic tilework, stays true to the neighborhood’s bohemian roots.

Hospitality is a tough game, but when you start with a building as stunning as this one, it’s a bit like being born on second base. The hoteliers managed to acquire an 18th-century mansion in Seville’s Santa Cruz district, and with a few bold design strokes they’ve turned it into the Palacio de Villapanés, one of the city’s most fashionable boutique hotels. Historical authenticity meets contemporary style, not just in the fifty guest rooms but in the restaurant as well.

The idea of the country house hotel might not be as familiar in Spain as it is in England or France, but Cortijo del Marqués is proof that there’s nothing preventing them from operating at the highest level. It’s been kept up to date, but not quite redesigned, and while its comforts have been modernized, its atmosphere hasn’t. You can see occasional signs of the work of a contemporary designer in the interiors, but it’s unobtrusive, and only serves to accentuate the luxury.

Think of the Costa del Sol and you quite naturally imagine your hotel will be right front and center on the beach. Anantara Villa Padierna Palace Benahavís Marbella Resort, in contrast, lies some ten minutes inland — and, as it turns out, that makes all the difference. Rather than the whitewashed Andalusian style you might expect, Padierna Palace is a dead ringer for a Tuscan villa. Not only that, but there’s more than a whiff of English country-house style in the hyper-luxe interiors.

Most hotels in European capitals are either proudly historic or unabashedly modern. Vincci Selección Unuk GL, just outside Seville’s old town, pulls off the rare feat of being both at once: this boutique hotel comprises two adjoining houses, one proudly traditional and the other unmistakably industrial. Marble staircases and wrought-iron railings evoke the past, but the romantic Andalusian patio has a retractable roof, and guest rooms come with wood-beamed ceilings and futuristic bathrooms.

Occupying a privileged spot on one of the prettiest plazas in Marbella’s Casco Antiguo, La Fonda Heritage Hotel is a stunner inside and out. The hotel is housed in a trio of 16th-century buildings that have served various functions over the years — church, school, private mansion — and their original features, from stately columns and stone archways to ceiling frescoes and tiled courtyards, remain rich with character, even while the interiors have been updated in a crisp modern-classic style.

From its location in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains to its world-renowned medieval architecture, Granada is a city celebrated for its beauty and history. And, while the Seda Club Hotel has an ideal location in the heart of the historical center just steps from the Cathedral, there’s nothing old-fashioned about it. The 25 rooms and suites share a contemporary, slightly Art Deco feel with jewel-toned accents and herringbone wood floors, while the bathrooms are especially sparkly.

Fairmont La Hacienda anchors a lesser-known stretch of the Costa del Sol, between Sotogrande and La Línea. The resort spans nine hectares of landscaped grounds with sea-facing rooms and direct access to La Alcaidesa beach. Two championship golf courses offer views of Gibraltar and, on clear days, Morocco. Rooms and villas are spacious, with natural materials, soft tones, and private terraces throughout.

This boutique hotel is built on a hill and blends into the surrounding landscape. It has an attractive lounge - library and contemporary guestrooms, two of which are cube - shaped. The homely dining room, illuminated by a skylight, serves market - fresh cuisine with a contemporary touch.

Step through the gates into a cloister-like compound with airy white courtyards, elegant archways, gurgling fountains, and stately palm and cypress trees. There’s calm and quiet around the aquamarine pools, in the earth-toned suites with views of the mountains and the surrounding golf course, even over tapas and sunset drinks at one of several restaurants and bars overseen by a chef from San Sebastián. It’s the kind of place anyone, rock star or not, would be pleased to disappear for a few days.