You might miss it when you first enter one of Úbeda, Spain’s, historic plazas as Renaissance-style halls, churches and palaces line the squares, each grander than the next. Parador de Úbeda is actually one of these beautiful buildings. In fact, the hotel was originally a palace for a chaplain, and was the first palace converted into a Parador-branded hotel.

© Aoife O’Riordan

So, yes, sleeping within this hotel isn’t far off from how the city’s prominent figures slept hundreds of years ago. The lobby is small and quaint, as the hotel places more emphasis on the two-story dining space and lounge at the center of the building. With sky lights spanning the entire room and authentic arches surrounding the square, this space is where guests and locals convene. Tables and chairs invite conversation or light bites day or night, and an unassuming fountain in the middle constantly fills the air with the sound of trickling water.

Ascending the wide stone staircase to my room, adorned with knights’ armor, tall mirrors and medieval-esque lamps, made me think I was more in Harry Potter than an actual hotel.

© Aoife O’Riordan

My room evoked the historicity of the city and the building’s past with authentic tile floors, hanging green drapery behind my wooden bed, dark wood furniture pieces, high ceilings and windows with unique shutters opening out to the courtyard below. From my room, I could even hear the bells from next-door Holy Chapel of the Saviour, transporting me to 16^th-century Spain.

The bathroom was more modern with a double vanity, shower and bathtub, and bidet.

© Aoife O’Riordan

Dinner and breakfast are served in the designated dining hall, a light-filled room with white-cloth tables and high-back wooden chairs, extending the historic feel to all meals. For dinner, the best of traditional Andalusian cuisine was showcased in dishes like tempura-fried eggplant with locally sourced cane sugar honey; creamy seafood rice with shrimp, mussels, salmon and lime aioli; and ham croquets. Complementing the meal was Papatán vermouth, a semi-sweet vermouth made in Andalusia that perfectly rounded out the experience.

© Aoife O’Riordan

Parador de Úbeda’s central location means easy access to many of the city’s sites and landmarks. Just next door is Holy Chapel of the Saviour, built as a funeral chapel in 1559. Anywhere you walk, you’ll see prime examples of Renaissance architecture, including Vázquez de Molina Palace and Hospital de Santiago. Úbeda is walkable, its many streets just waiting to be explored, and it only takes one step outside the Parador hotel to do it.

Úbeda lies about 1.5 hours away from both Córdoba and Granada.

Parador de Úbeda

Pl. Vázquez de Molina, 1
23400 Úbeda, Jaén, Spain
tel 34 953 75 03 45