Campo Molino de Santillán **
Vélez Málaga, Spain

The Costa del Sol is a favorite destination of millions of frostbit and stressed travelers. They wash over these beaches by the millions every year eager to assault par on internationally-ranked golf courses and party past dawn in the hot resort towns of Torremolinos and Marbella. Those who want to leaven their days of sun and sand with a little culture are within striking distance of Granada and its glorious Moorish Alhambra, quintessentially Spanish Seville, and the picturesque white hill towns of Ronda and Casares.

But those throngs make for heavy traffic through towns made dense by developers who can't resist squeezing in yet another condo. That's where this enchanting country inn steps up. Roughly halfway between the gateway cities of Malaga and Nerja, it is far enough inland -- five kilometers from the coast -- to avoid the crowds, but still within reach of the action.

Once ensconced, however, guests are reluctant to leave. Tucked amid the rolling hills, this hacienda-style hotel combines luxe and soothing rusticity. On the generously landscaped property are kitchen gardens and henhouses as well as a large pool, restaurant serving home-grown organic foods and lounge with fireplace. Don't be fooled by the two stars--any member of the Andalusian gentry would approve, and the 16 terraced bedrooms extend that romantic ambiance with iron bedsteads and floral fabrics that ripple in warm zephyrs. An indoor jacuzzi, pool and spa, along with five new luxury rooms, are being built this winter.