Palacio de Santa Inés ***
Granada, Spain

Known as the home of the Alhambra (the complex of Moorish palaces and gardens cresting the long ridge above the city), Granada has a number of less-trammeled attractions that invite lingering. There is a cathedral that rivals those of Toledo and Seville and a Royal Chapel that is the resting place of Queen Isabel and King Fernando, patrons of Columbus and conquerors of the Moors. Adjacent to the cathedral is the Alcaicerķa, once a medieval silk market, now a cluster of fetching little shops.

Most appealing, too, is the ancient Arab quarter that marches up the steep hill opposite the Alhambra. Albayzín is a labyrinthine web of streets so narrow that some can only be negotiated on foot. Long neglected, the neighborhood is enjoying a revival, spurred in part by the opening of several boutique hotels, a growing trend in Spain's cities.

The Palacio de Santa Inés is exemplar of the trend, a restored 16th-Century mansion with wall paintings produced by a disciple of the great Rafael. These come into view as soon as guests enter the interior courtyard lobby, a space that reaches up three stories, each marked by balustraded walkways. Of 35 rooms, 17 are doubles, 14 are duplexes, and four have separate living rooms. Timbered ceilings are the rule, and upper units have spectacular, unobstructed views of the Alhambra. The hotel is tucked on a quiet side street just steps from the Plaza Nueva, the central square of Granada.