Look out for our Spain special in this Saturday's Guardian Travel
The timber ceilings and rough-cut stone floor at the Hotel Ladrón de Agua give the rooms a rustic air, which might be surprising, given that it's in the heart of one of Andalucía's best-loved cities. Surprising until, that is, you look out from the balcony and across the narrow street. With the Darro river in front, burbling its way through high banks lined with trees and tangled bushes, this is a part of town which has welcomed the country right inside. In fact, Granada as a whole is a city that seems determined to have it all, country life and urban living: it is home to the "world's most beautiful building", the Alhambra, but within 30 minutes' drive of both world-class skiing and the beach. On top of all this, the Ladrón de Agua makes a claim for the place as a centre of literature, too, with a serene library off the central patio and rooms named after local poets, such as Federico García Lorca.
+34 958 215 040, ladrondeagua.com. Doubles from 76 a night
