Hospes is a Spanish hotel chain that specializes in purchasing old homes and converting them into boutique hotels. It has nine properties in Spain and one in France (Hotel Lancaster in Paris).

Location

Palacio de los Patos is located in the downtown area of Granada on a busy shopping and commercial street. There are 20 rooms in the old palace and an additional 22 lead-in Standard Rooms (which they call Dreamer Rooms) in the new section, built over the old stables. The two sections of the property are connected through a small garden with fountains as well as by an underground walkway.

Room

While the old Palace wing preserves the traditional features of the renovated 19th century house (including a marble staircase, 16 foot ceilings on the first floor and 12 foot ceilings on the second floor), the furnishings and bathrooms are extremely avante garde. Most of the rooms feature the original white tile floors and elaborate carved wooden ceilings with painted insets. We saw two Deluxe Room, one of which was quite small. More interesting was an octagonally-shaped Junior Suite in the former Winter Living Room of the residence; it used a room divider to create an entry space in the front third of the room and a sleeping and living space in the back two-thirds of the room. The Presidential Suite was very large, 72 sqm with separate living and sleeping areas, but the suite seemed rather long and narrow. Bathrooms featured single vanities in Deluxe Rooms and double vanities in the suite categories. The Suites we were shown had separate walk-in showers in additional to a soaking tub, and we are told that some Deluxe rooms also have step-in showers; these rooms can be requested.

The Dreamer Rooms in the new building are even more avante garde. Each room is rectangular with glass walls dividing the sleeping and the bathroom areas of the living space. South-facing, they are extremely bright during the day.

Dining

I had lunch in the hotel's restaurant and especially enjoyed their tapas; the baby squid in their own ink was a wonderful meal, and I can totally recommend having lunch or dinner at Palacio de los Patos, even if you may wish to stay elsewhere. The property is graced by a talented and creative chef.

Overall

While the contemporary design of the new wing and renovation of the Palace have won a number of awards, this hotel would only appeal to a select clientele who would appreciate its unique style.