Casa Vina de Alcantara

A gorgeous country house hotel in the rolling vineyards of the Del Rio González-Gordon wine estates, just 10 minutes' drive from Jerez

Gonzalo del Rio y Gonzalez-Gordon, owner of award-winning Seville hotel Casa No 7, has again waved his magic decorative wand at Casa Alcántara to create a hotel of cool, subtle elegance. This former hunting lodge stands among mature forest on the edge of the family’s vineyards: the palomino grapes for their Tio Pepe sherry are grown here. The delicate, deco-ish façade is evocative of the French Riviera, a feeling heightened by twin cypresses flanking the main entrance and slender washingtonia palms.

A butler will be there to greet you, whisk your bags to your room, and pamper you throughout your stay. There is more than a hint of Graham Greene: drinks delivered on a silver tray, silver service at breakfast, eggs poached or scrambled... The decorative style incorporates oil paintings, antiques, frescoes and floors of polished buff limestone. Bedrooms and bathrooms are superb; secreted away in the garden is a spectacular pool whose obsidian finish mirrors the surrounding forest.

Highs

• The cool interiors and shady gardens are a real oasis, especially during the hotter months
• Extraordinarily attentive service from two South American butlers
• The drawing room is just the right spot for afternoon tea or pre-dinner drinks
• All fittings, linen, mattresses and fabrics are top-of-the-range: the hotel breathes an air of solid well-being
• The first really stylish place to stay near Jerez, and a great base for touring the white villages, visiting sherry bodegas or playing golf at Montecastillo

Lows

• You’re close to the old Jerez to Arcos road, but a new motorway has taken much of the traffic away
• You may not get to meet Gonzalo, who is often at his Seville hotel - when he is away, the staff attention and capability diminishes considerably
• No meals other than breakfast are served, but you are just 10 minutes from central Jerez and 2 minutes from one of its best restaurants
• You will need a car, clearly