Hospes Palacio del Bailio

Press Reviews

AWARDS

Conde Nast Johansens 'Most Excellent Hotel for Design & Innovation 2009'
Conde Nast Traveler (US) Hot Hotel List 2008
Conde Nast Traveller (UK) Hot Hotel List 2007

REVIEWS

Conde Nast Traveller (UK), February 2011
"A converted 16th-century palace on a grand scale. My suite, Don Quixote, was an oval salon with moulded ceilings and original murals around the walls illustrating scenes from Cervantes's novel, and had a moody, minimalist bathroom in grey-green marble, mirror and chrome. Meals were served in the stunning central patio, where a plate-glass floor reveals the mosaics and columns of a Roman villa, several metres below your feet."

Conde Nast Traveler (US), July 2010
"At the tippy top of the high end, Hospes Palacio del Bailio is the clear winner. This 16th-century palace was converted into a hotel in 2006, and it has it all: a spa, a hammam, Roman frescoes visible through the glass floor of the dining room, shady patios, and lush gardens."

Elle, March 2009
"Tucked away in Cordoba's old quarter the Palacio del Bailio is a mix of contemporary cool and 16th-century elegance. A beautifully converted mansion house, it's a tranquil space with patios, Moorish carved doors and painted ceilings - mirroring Cordoba's own mix of Arab, Jewish and Christian cultures. Our room had floor-to-ceiling windows and a vast bed with Egyptian cotton sheets. Breakfast is in the airy, glass-roofed central courtyard, while the restaurant and tapas bar serve modern Spanish delicacies. Couples can curl up on a four-poster day bed next to the pool, linger in the spa or stroll down to the spectacular Mezquita cathedral.”

The Sunday Times, January 2009
"You won’t find a better place to relax than amid the orange trees in the courtyard of the sumptuous Hospes Palacio del Bailio. The history and art in this stunning 16th-century Arabic palace sit judiciously within the hotel’s minimalist design. Note the glass floor in the atrium, underlit at night, which covers the impressive remains of a Roman villa."

Conde Nast Traveller (UK), August 2008
"The Hospes Palacio de Bailio is a brand-new destination hotel, a dazzling five star set amongst a sea of dreary threes and fours. The context is a Cordobes palace dating from the 16th-century whose coach house, stables and wine cellar are called into play, so that it seems more like a small neighbourhood than a single building. Perhaps its major asset is an extraordinary covered atrium with a glass floor that seems to hover several metres above the Roman remains, mosaics and all, found during restoration work on the palace. On a recent visit I stayed in the Loft Suite, which has views over the rooftops of the old town. The suite was of such a size that to get from one end to the other required a considerable walk. It also had the most covetable bathtub I have ever seen - an enormous, free-standing modernist creation in gently curving matte porcelain."

Guest Reviews

Reviews are only from people who have stayed there and booked through i-escape.

• “We liked the beautiful garden and helpful staff. We found the lights above bed too bright and there was poor mirror lighting in bathroom and none in bedroom making applying make-up difficult. There was also insufficient shelf space for clothes in hall cupboard and a lack of ledge space in bathroom for placing toiletries. There were no comfortable chairs in bedroom, a leaking shower screen and the towel rail in the bathroom was positioned too far behind bath necessitating climbing on end of bath to access. Clearly all designed by someone with no ergonomic knowledge!”
  Judith, United Kingdom (19.04.12)

• “Very friendly service. Beautiful & romantic place, quiet and peaceful. A lot of attention to detail. Food was pretty interesting. However parking was outrageously expensive and Roman baths were just a joke!”
  laurent, Belgium (14.04.12)

• “Quite expensive, but an excellent hotel - beautifully designed and decorated, and the staff were very helpful. We stayed in Cordoba during the Easter celebrations. The hotel was very convenient for the processions but not on the direct route, which meant it was not too noisy.
  We recieved two bonus massages for booking through i-escape, which was a lovely treat.”
  Margo, Australia (05.04.12)

• “We stayed here for a special birthday and it delivered everything we had been hoping for in terms of setting, atmosphere and amenities.
  We actually found it easily by following their own signage on the roads once we got fairly near using the satnav
  The only downside was that the atmosphere in the dining room when we were there - midweek-was slightly affected by it being very quiet, perhaps because the food is expensive. Most guests seem to eat outside the hotel. The only breakfast on offer was also expensive,though delicious, and simpler alternatives to the large buffet would have been good”
  Julia, United Kingdom (13.10.11)

• “This is the best hotel I have stayed in and compares very well to some of the highest standard Asian hotels. The service could not have been more attentive, facilities were excellent and our room was superb. The pool area and thermal spas were a delight! We could not rate it higher.”
  Nicola, Australia (29.09.11)

• “This hotel exudes luxury. Its cool corridors and beautiful rooms add to the ambience of a relaxing haven in a busy city. The reception service was great other than a few issues initially regarding restaurant recommendations (all were closed as it was August). These errors were more than compensated by our second visit to reception where a great gentleman made some wonderful recommendations to the best tapas restaurants in Cordobba. The pool area was a little cramped and the service by the pool was haphazard. Overall it was a great experience.”
  Jonathan, United Kingdom (05.08.11)

• “Now this is a hotel well worth staying in Very good location and a heavenly garden with wonderful pool and orange trees cannot recommend highly enough FANTASTIC”
  Daniel, United Kingdom (01.07.11)

• “We had dinner in the restaurant. The food was outstanding – the chef, trained at El Bulli, is inventive and has a excellent palette. Service in the restaurant was also excellent.”
  Stephen, United Kingdom (13.03.11)

• “The hotel was amazing, luxurious and had great facilities and attention to detail. The staff were also fantastic, made you feel like a VIP and were really helpful, but we did find that they were a little stretched in terms of capacity at times, with a very busy check-in desk meaning that we sometimes had to wait quite a while to be seen and had to ask for some things a few times before it was done. The hotel and pool area could sometimes feel a little crowded with coach tour parties and people coming in to use the spa which detracted a bit from the 'oasis of calm' atmosphere of the hotel, but overall it was a really special place.”
  nicholas, United Kingdom (15.09.10)

• “A little bit pricey but the hotel is simply stunning with excellent service from all the staff.
  The spa facilities could be extended but the roman baths are a great feature.”
  Rachel, United Kingdom (08.08.10)

• “What a beautiful hotel with excellent staff in every area. From the moment you walked into the place it was wonderful. Rooms very clean, comfortable and well-stocked with all travellers needs. Breakfast was a treat with excellent variety, the violet petal jam was delicious. The pool and garden area was lovely. The restoration of this former palace was executed superbly. We could't fault this hotel.”
  Julie, Australia (11.05.10)