Igeldo
Hotel Akelarre
A five-star house of 22 rooms on Monte Igeldo, every one looking out to sea, with Pedro Subijana's restaurant and an adults-only spa.
The Explorer
Ten luxury boutique hotels in Spain
Small hotels with a character of their own, in ten very different places.
By Ramin Jafari · Published · Updated
Our ten boutique hotels in Spain are Hotel Akelarre above San Sebastián and Abadía Retuerta in the Duero valley; Urso in Madrid and Hotel Alma in Barcelona; Hospes Palacio de los Patos in Granada, Palacio Villapanés in Seville and Finca Cortesín on the Costa del Sol; and Hostal de La Gavina on the Costa Brava, Cap Rocat on Mallorca and Hacienda Na Xamena on Ibiza. For the larger grand hotels, see our five-star hotels in Spain.
Boutique
What we mean by a boutique hotel
There is no strict definition of a boutique hotel. For us it means a small house with a character of its own — a 12th-century abbey, a fortress on the sea, an 18th-century palace — where the place itself is part of the reason to go. The smallest, Hotel Akelarre, has twenty-two rooms. Each is in its region’s top categories, and its own page gives its category and room count as the register records them.
For where to go around each one, our Spain travel guides cover the cities and the regions.
The north
San Sebastián and the Duero
For travellers who come to eat and drink well. See our San Sebastián and Duero valley pages for what lies around them.
Sardón de Duero
Abadía Retuerta
A five-star house of 30 rooms in the restored 12th-century abbey of Santa María de Retuerta, on its own wine estate beside the Duero.
Madrid and Barcelona
Two quiet houses to come back to in Madrid and Barcelona. More of each city’s hotels are on our where-to-stay pages for Madrid and Barcelona, and in our guide to the best luxury hotels in Barcelona.
Justicia
Urso
A five-star boutique hotel in Justicia, near Chueca and Las Salesas, in a towered corner building, with a spa and a water area.
Eixample
Hotel Alma
Behind an Eixample façade by the Passeig de Gràcia, a quiet garden restaurant and a spa with an indoor pool.
Centro histórico
Palacio de los Patos
A 19th-century palace in the city centre, with a contemporary second building, a garden restaurant and a spa.
Santa Catalina
Palacio Villapanés
A smaller 18th-century palace of 48 rooms around an arcaded courtyard, with a rooftop terrace and small pool.
Casares
Finca Cortesín
A five-star Gran Lujo cortijo in Casares, on the Costa del Sol, with suites around courtyards, its own 18-hole course, a spa and a Beach Club.
S'Agaró
Hostal de La Gavina
A Gran luxe house on the headland at S'Agaró, above the bay of Sant Pol, with a 25-metre pool over the sea, a spa and four restaurants.
Cala Blava
Cap Rocat
A 19th-century fortress in a coastal nature reserve on the Bay of Palma, with a spa 12 metres below ground and two restaurants.
Sant Miquel de Balansat
Hacienda Na Xamena
A five-star house on the cliffs at Na Xamena, on Ibiza's north coast, with 59 rooms and suites, La Posidonia Spa and the eight-pool Cascadas Suspendidas.
Arranging a stay
We book the hotel as part of the trip around it: the room or suite that suits you, the journey between one house and the next, and what you would like to do from each — a private guide in the city, a winery visit, the tables we reserve — on request, subject to availability. Each hotel’s own page sets out its rooms, its restaurants and what we can arrange there.
Our Spain itineraries
Luxury Spanish Honeymoon
from $16,800 per person
The Grand Spanish Tour
from $27,200 per person
The Charm of Andalusia
from $9,800 per person
More from the Explorer
- 12 treasures of Spain
Twelve places to see once in a lifetime, from the Alhambra to Teide.
- The best places to visit in Spain
Six places for 2026 and 2027, from Barcelona to the Rioja wine country.
- Five-star hotels in Spain
The grand hotels we recommend, from Madrid and Barcelona to Mallorca.
- Planning a luxury honeymoon in Spain
Where to go, where to stay and what to plan, from Seville to Mallorca.
- Spain's luxury trains
Al Ándalus, the Transcantábrico and two more, and where each one goes.
- Why personalisation matters
Why a trip should be built around you, and what that means in practice.
More to read: all our Spain guides and every article in the Explorer.
Plan your Spain trip
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. Everything else we can work out together.
Plan your Spain trip Our Spain page
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