Amistad Córdoba

Location

Overlooking the delightful Plaza de Maimonides and Córdoba’s historic city walls, this elegant hotel is found right in the UNESCO-listed Jewish quarter. Flourishing in the 11th and 12th centuries, this once-separated neighbourhood is a treasure trove of heritage architecture. You’ll also be within striking distance of Córdoba’s highlights, including the excellent Museum of Archaeology and the city’s Roman temple. However, it’s the Mezquita that demands the most attention. This mosque-cathedral is rightly regarded as one of the world’s finest examples of Islamic architecture.

Accommodation

Composed of two 18th-century palaces, the Amistad Córdoba’s courtyards, arches and beautifully carved ceilings are perfectly evocative. As too are the rooms, mixing in a touch of the contemporary with rain showers, blonde wood accents and a neutral colour palette. Many even feature views of the town’s main square, the cathedral tower or the courtyards. The suites are particularly inviting, featuring exposed stone walls that frame apartment-style layouts. However, whichever option you go for, you’ll be treated to a pillow menu.

Dining

In keeping with the hotel’s old-meets-new sensibilities, meals are taken in a delightfully modern atrium, framed by a glass ceiling. Here, you’ll start the day with a freshly prepared buffet breakfast, with just-baked pastries, cold cuts, cheeses, yogurt and fruit washed down with everything from juices and smoothies to milkshakes. There’s also a selection of made-to-order cooked options. Restaurant menus are equally well thought out, featuring such Córdoban favourites as cod, sweet pumpkin cake and fried eggplant with honey.

Facilities

The hotel also features an Andalucian-style café where such Córdoban specialities as salmorejo tomato soup are served with just-baked breads. Come the evening, it transforms into an inviting bar, with its pair of open-air patios the perfect place to enjoy an al fresco drink under the shade of their fragrant orange trees. Further amenities come in the form of a modern gym and a traditionally styled, sun lounger-ringed plunge pool – ideal for relaxing on the Spanish sunshine.