Step through a backstreet doorway in the lower Albayzin into this dream of a historical-boutique hideaway, where fresh flowers, handcrafted tiles and original woodwork and murals fill the corridors of a luxurious 16th-century mansion.

The super-central Realejo barrio (neighbourhood) has a lively, youthful edge, with tapas bars, speciality-coffee spots, traditional wine haunts and bold street art.

A pioneer of Granada’s boutique hotel scene, the adult-only Casa Morisca remains one of the city’s loveliest places to stay.

With its twisting, turning streets and Alhambra-at-sunset panoramas, the ancient Albayzin is Granada’s most evocative neighbourhood.

Granada’s secluded, Moorish-origin carmenes are traditional, private walled-in homes known for their fragrant terraced gardens, so getting to stay overnight in one is a real treat.

There’s some beautiful Andalusian countryside sprawling around Granada. The seductive, family-owned Cortijo del Marques inhabits a stylishly restored 16th-century finca that even has its own chapel, all surrounded by olive groves 30 minutes’ drive north of Granada.

This elegant five-star with centuries of history feels like an oasis of calm in the thick of Granada when you’re sipping a glass of local wine under the red-brick arches and bougainvillea of its cobbled courtyard.

The popular Spanish Room Mate brand has put itself on the map with its collection of fun, stylish, sensibly priced urban bolt holes with a sustainable focus (upcycled staff uniforms, no single-use plastics).

A few steps from the Alhambra’s entrance, this elegant hotel has been going strong in one shape or another since the mid-19th century.

Small, unfussy hotels with buckets of character, often inhabiting curious old buildings dripping with charm, are a Granada speciality.

It isn’t only the Albayzin that has marvellous history-loaded mansions rebooted as intimate independent hotels.

This 1905 building, opposite the cathedral, once housed the Rodriguez Acosta bank. Now a 38-room, five-star hotel, it sparkles with restored tilework, ancient artesonado ceilings, hand-painted stained-glass windows and repurposed bank counters.