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Seville's EME Hotel Gives You A History Lesson With Your Stay

Where: Alemanes 27, Seville, Spain, 41004

Don’t ya just love learning something new every day? Especially when it takes zero effort? The EME Hotel in Seville hears you. And to save you precious holiday time swotting up in an encyclopedia, it’s selecting random facts for you.

In just one visit the week before last, we came away with the following facts: the date of the philosopher Hegel’s death, the scoop on a Formula 1 rivalry, something Robert Pattinsony (which we forgot, what with gawping at the picture used to illustrate it), and the date the Whigs and Tories split in England in 1680. Not bad, huh?

The fount of all our knowledge? The elevator, which flashed various factoids at us as we cruised to the Santo Terraza bar on the fourth floor. We couldn’t take our eyes off it, and are much the wiser for that.

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Hotel Pool Scenes / Hotel Pools / Boutique Hotels / Seville Hotels / Hotel Bars / → All Tags

The Best Rooftop Bar in Seville Is At The EME Hotel

Where: Alemanes 27, Seville, Spain, 41004

As we said yesterday, rooftop pools and bars are all the rage in Seville at the moment.

But nice as the others can be, there’s one place that stands head and shoulders (or maybe that should be a couple of floors) above the others – the Santo Terraza Bar at the EME Hotel on Calle Alemanes.

For a start, the position is unbeatable – it’s in the cathedral square, facing the Giralda and the north side of the cathedral, with all its balustrades and flying buttresses and other architectural delights.

And they’ve really made the most of it, singling the hotel out from the touristy bars and shops dotted around it, by laying out a red carpet to its entrance.

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Hotel Pool Scenes / Hotel Pools / Seville Hotels / Hotel Bars / → All Tags

Which Rooftop Pool Should You Go For in Seville?

The pool at the Hotel Doña Maria

As we told you yesterday, we noticed last weekend that the hotel pool scene is really taking off in Seville.

The poor old Alfonso XIII may not have a particularly sexy offering, but some of the rooftop ones are good enough for you to book a room on the basis of the pool.

Perhaps the best known is the pool at the Hotel Doña Maria, just off the cathedral square, which makes for stonking views of the Giralda. The terrace is split into two levels, with the bar and some tables down below, and the pool and a few more tables up some stairs.

Obviously, the views are pretty gorge. But the place seemed a bit tired. The chairs were tatty plastic faux-rattan affairs, the tables were a bit smeary, and the pool, with its lion-head fountain, was a bit too 80s. The staff were nice, though. Rooms start at €83 - the corridors looked dowdy to us, and the lobby was a bit overspun, but a friend has stayed here and says her room was whitewashed and nice.

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Hotel Pool Scenes / Hotel Pools / Seville Hotels / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags

The Hotel Pool Scene in Seville is Taking Off

Where: San Fernando 2, Seville, Spain, 41004

Yesterday we lamented about the lack of decent WiFi at the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville. Today we’re going to tell you about its pool. Why? Because we noticed this weekend that the pool scene in Seville is really taking off. But as with most hotel trends, the newer and hipper places do it best.

When the Alfonso XIII was built, back in the 19th century, they preferred to stick turrets and stuff on hotel roofs, rather than pools so because of the gorgeous façade of the place, there’s not exactly room to stick a tub up there.

Thus the pool is in the traditional, round-the-back-of-the-hotel position. It's a nice size with a bar nearby and lots of birdies tweeting among the orange groves that surround it. (Tweeting as in the sounds that birds make, not people on Twitter.) As far as a city pool goes, it's a relaxing little haven.

But let’s be honest, pool scenes aren’t about swimming. They’re about swanning around, looking good, and drinking more. And it always looks better on the roof.

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Hotel WiFi / WiFi Hell / Starwood Hotels / Seville Hotels / → All Tags

The Alfonso XIII May Be Seville’s Grandest Hotel, But Its Wifi is Less Than Grand

Where: San Fernando 2, Seville, Spain, 41004

Relaxing weekends never pan out the way you planned them do they? And our trip to Seville this weekend was no exception. Leaving aside the whiplash from the crashy landing on Sunday night (thanks Ryanair) and the fact that we didn’t partake in enough cerveza sessions, we spent much of the two days seething about the dire internet situation at the Hotel Alfonso XII, where we were shacked up.

Switching on the laptop as is our wont on arrival at a hotel, we were sad to see no WiFi networks showing. Yes there was an ethernet cable, but our 'pooter lacks the requisite hole.

We called reception, who told us not to worry, that there was a computer downstairs for us to check our email. So we worried. Is there no wireless, we asked. The answer came back: "Yes, but it’s better to use our computer. " Ugh, we worried even more.

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Seville Hotels / NYT Reviews / Boutique Hotels / → All Tags

Seville's New and Old Fused Together by The EME Fusion Hotel

Where: C/ Alemanes 27, Seville, Spain, 41004

Seville is known for Old World charm—narrow, cobblestone streets, Moorish architecture and tapas bars older than America but apparently, that’s about to change.

As Christopher Columbus’ final resting place, it’s clear Seville has some history. Not far from that resting place is the new EME Fusion. The New York Times checked into the hotel this past weekend and dubbed it “the center of the Sevillian scene at the moment.”

That’s thanks to the rooftop pool and terrace, chic design, four restaurants, tranquil spa and “drop-dead” views of La Giralda, the cathedral that is Seville’s main attraction. The way the Times tells it, it sounds like EME Fusion brings together the new and the old in its 70 modernly luxurious rooms built from the bones of fourteen 18th- and 19th-centry houses.

Frankly, we were surprised to find that the Times is so in love with a place that has the potential to muck up such sacred, historical space, and we’ve got to say, we’re intrigued. The place sounds classy and chic, and ready to create a host of new reasons for visiting Seville. (Perhaps there something more here to the name Fusion?)

Been there? You know you want to tell us about it, so comment away.

[Photo: NY Times]

Rooftop Bars / Seville Hotels / Spain Hotels / → All Tags

Seville Has Happening Rooftop Hotel Bars Too

Where: Jesús del Gran Poder 28, Seville, Spain, 41002

In Seville, just about every building has a patio-perfect rooftop, so it's a wonder why more hotels don't capitalize on this prime space with rooftop bars. We had to ask a local if any existed and he pointed us in the direction of Hotel Azahar.

The place may not be the best hotel in Seville (past guests complain of small rooms, some with no windows--claims we sadly did not get the chance to vet), but its rooftop bar, Etnia Terrace, is certainly worth a trip. Anyone can hang out here and take advantage of the breezy vista, which looks down on Jesús del Gran Poder, a prime location to watch the religious processions go by during April's Semana Santa.

Get there early (that's midnight by Spanish standards) to commandeer one of the two small, elevated patios or to take a dip in the Jacuzzi (above) in privacy, as the place doesn't get going until at least 1 a.m. and the sound of techno music takes over.

Cubicle Dreamin' / Seville Hotels / → All Tags

Cubicle Dreamin': Trading Wind for Wine

Where: Corral del Rey 12, Seville, Spain, 41004

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, soon-to-be-expat JennM plans a getaway to Seville. Enjoy.

In three weeks, I uproot everything I know and move to Seville, Spain for three months. I purposefully choose to go this time of year so that I could escape New York's brutally frigid weather for more mild temperatures--and judging from the blustery winds and bitter cold New York's been doling out lately, it seems as thought the city is telling me to get the bleep out, already.

Which brings me to this edition of Cubicle Dreamin'. I simply can't wait to wake up from my afternoon siesta, don short sleeves and flip-flops and head out for an evening of tapas and Spanish wine. And I'm going to do it all at Corral del Rey.

Here I can imbibe at the boutique hotel's vaulted cellars, cool off in the plunge pool, and arrange for a private dinner with my amor bajo las estrellas (under the stars) at the hotel's rooftop garden. What's more, the hotel also meets my authenticity requirement, despite its "boutique" label, as Corral del Rey is a former private palacio from the 17th century, replete with a Moorish-style courtyard.

I think it will be a particularly perfect spot for when I'm feeling a little homesick. I can come to Corral del Rey; book a boozy meal on the rooftop overlooking the Barrio Alfalfa quarter; remind myself how lovely it is to be in sunny 70-degree weather in March; and proceed to take pity on all those poor suckers back home.