Rooms

Despite having 48 double rooms in the original mansions and another 18 in a modern garden extension, Palau de la Mar feels like an intimate city hotel. A soothing off-white-and-chocolate theme is consistent throughout, with camel-coloured sofas, gleaming wengué floorboards and double beds piled high with crisp white Egyptian cotton. Rooms face either the street (those come with a balcony) or the quieter garden courtyard.

The Dreamer's (standard) Rooms and the slightly larger Deluxe Rooms are airy and minimalist in style, with plasma TVs, cordless phones and air conditioning. Those located around the central ground-floor patio are a little darker, and lack some privacy as they open out onto communal areas.

Some of the 5 spacious Junior Suites have sloping ceilings with skylights above beds and retro free-standing tubs. The impressive Presidential Suite has 2 bedrooms, each with a queensize bed, plus a large living space.

Nice touches in all include pillow menus, fresh-fruit energy drinks in the minibars and full-length mirrors - very useful when dressing for a night out! Bathrooms have double sinks, baths, showers, and exclusive Olivia toiletries.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Hairdryer
• In-room treatments available
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

A buffet breakfast is set up each morning for guests in the hotel's Ampar restaurant on the ground floor - it's a good quality spread of cereals, fruits, pastries, meats and cheeses (and has a gluten-free corner); hot dishes include porridge, smoked salmon and eggs a la carte. Don't miss the signature freshly squeezed orange and clementine juice. You can eat indoors or on the terrace to the front of the building.

Ampar serves modern Mediterranean cuisine, with an imaginative twist on traditional Spanish fare, and is open to the public for lunch and dinner. Recommended is the 5-course menu degustación; there's an excellent wine list too. Starters include shrimp ceviche and King crab croquettes, and as well as the obligatory (and delicious) Valencian paella, mains could be turbot au gratin or another local speciality fideua (black noodles with seafood).

Room service is available round the clock, there's daily afternoon tea with pastries and cakes (and champagne too if you like), and the trendy lounge and bar serves cocktails, coffee and tea, and innovative light meals (chilled soups, and open sandwiches of manchego and chorizo).

Features include:

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service

Activities

• Pamper yourself in Bodyna Spa - those booking through i-escape get a free 20-minute massage. There’s a long menu of treatments using Valencian orange oils
  
• Window-shop along the Calle Colón and environs - look for home-grown fashion gurus like Alex Vidal and Francis Montesinos
  
• Meander amongst the city's Modernista architecture – both the vaulted Mercardo Central, the largest covered food market in Europe, and Estación del Norte display the trencadí (broken-tile mosaic) mainstay of this decorative movement
  
• People-watch on the pedestrianised Plaza de la Virgen with its cathedral backdrop (a heady mix of Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque styles)
  
• Try Valencian speciality horcharta - a sweet, milky drink made from crushed tiger nuts - at tiled Horchartería El Siglo, trading on Plaza de Santa Catarina since 1836
  
• Get into the groove at the many music bars in the centro histórico
  
• Check out the beautiful and UNESCO-listed La Lonja de la Seda (the Silk Exchange)
  
• Walk (or jog) along the now-dry riverbed which makes up the verdant Turia Gardens - the lungs of Valencia
  
• Explore the futuristic architecture at the City of Arts and Sciences (a 20-minute walk), or hop on the metro and head to the beach

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Shopping / markets
• Swimming
• Traditional cultures
• Well being

Kids

Although a smart city hotel, children are welcome and Valencia is a great choice for a city break as historic centre is flat and pedestrianised, the main sights are accessible, and there's a good amount of public transport and cycling making it easy to get about.

Extra beds, connecting rooms and baby cots are available. Kids get a free breakfast up to 4 years old and are half-price until 12 years old.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

The Presidential Suite has 2 double bedrooms, plus 2 sofabeds. The Junior Suite has a double room and a single sofabed. Family Rooms can be created by combining a Dreamer's and a Superior room to make a two-bedroom suite

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 20 minutes
• Hospital: 5 minutes
• Shops: 2 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Hospes Palau de la Mar is centrally located in the L'Eixample district on the edge of Valencia's historic centre.

By Air
Valencia Manises (12km away) is the closest airport - click on the links below for a list of airlines serving it.

From the Airport
Take a taxi, or catch the metro - lines 3 and 5 link the airport to the city centre and Colón is the nearest station to the hotel. There's also a regular bus shuttle from the airport which stops near the Estación del Norte train station (see Rates).

By Train
Valencia has good rail links with elsewhere in Spain. From Barcelona there's a daily morning train - the air-conditioned 'Arco' - which arrives at Estación del Norte in the early afternoon.

By Car
See our car rental recommendations. The hotel has a private car park (see Rates).

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.

More on getting to Valencia and getting around