The lively, Mediterranean city of Valencia in eastern Spain has stylish, characterful places to stay to suit all tastes and budgets, both in the centre and by the beach.
Spain’s third largest city has undergone a sparkling revamp in the last decade, and now rivals Madrid and Barcelona in the style stakes. A new crop of design-led hotels is emerging to cater for the hip visitors Valencia is now attracting.
For shopping, sightseeing and nightlife, the city centre is the most convenient. Look for hotels near the Plaza de la Virgen, the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the Plaza de la Reina. A cluster of hotels has sprung up around the City of Arts and Sciences. If visiting in summer, you might want to be by the beach and the Port America’s Cup marina, so opt for one of the hotels along the seafront.
Near the smartest boutiques and walking distance from the City of Arts and Sciences, this is a minimalist haven concealed in a late-19th century palatial building. A favourite with celebrities and fashionistas who you might spot in the cocktail bar or the sensuous spa.
Navarro Reverter 14, +34 963 162884, www,hospes.es
A boutique hotel with 43 rooms in an unbeatable location in the city centre, near the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and the main shopping area. Rooms have a simple elegance, decorated in black and white with splashes of red, and there is a stylish bar in the lobby.
L’Abadia de San Martín 3, +34 963 945100, www.hthoteles.com
This is one of those really useful little hotels that you are always looking for but rarely find. Not luxurious, granted, but simple and stylish with all the basics and none of the frills – and more importantly, with rates that don’t bust the budget. The location in the heart of the old town is handy for sightseeing, shopping, restaurants and nightlife.
En Bou 2, +34 963 915773, www.hostalam.com
The minimalist style of this 157-room hotel is alleviated by the creative designs on the windows by leading graphic artist Javier Mariscal. Near the City of Arts and Sciences, halfway between the centre and the beach, there is also a fashionable restaurant.
Cardenal Benlloch 28, +34 963 936395, www.hoteles-silken.com
Feel like a bit of glamour in your life? Just sashay through the vast marble lobby and stop off for a cocktail at the bar, which is usually packed with a glamorous sailing crowd. Built in a grand, neo-Grecian style, Las Arenas. overlooks the beach alongside Port America’s Cup and offers five-star luxury with a lavish spa and huge outdoor pool.
Eugenia Viñes 22-24, +34 963 120600, www.hotel-lasarenas.com.
Get in the Valencia groove by sipping a drink on the hip roof terrace of this minimalist, mid-range hotel which is fashionably situated just opposite Port America’s Cup. This is part of a cool new chain of edited luxury hotels, where the emphasis is on the chic design that contemporary travellers want, while boldly sweeping away superfluous, outdated details to keep rates at a reasonable level. .
Plaza Tribunal de Aguas 5, +34 963 203010, www.room-matehotels.com