When someone once suggested Seville as a holiday destination to me, I really didn’t know what to expect and if you haven’t yet visited then you are missing one of the most beautiful cities indeed. Imagine stepping outside into streets filled with oranges and lemons trees with the acoustics of Spanish guitars echoing through sunlit historical buildings. Then being greeted with colourful Peacocks in the gardens of the Real Alcazar Palace. This is Sevilla.
‘Seville (Spanish: Sevilla) is a big city in the South of Spain, in Europe. A large river called Guadalquivir river runs through Seville which is the only great navigable river in Spain. Currently going from the Gulf of Cádiz to Seville, but in Roman times it was navigable to Córdoba. The city of Seville is the capital of the Spanish region called Andalusia’ (credit : this info is taken from Wikipedia.)
I simply had to do my next write up about this wonderful place and share the amazing sites, streets, cafes etc. I had visited during my stay. I can only share a small selection of the images, however if you follow my Instagram @kavita_basi you will be able to see much more of this mesmerizing place. Now this is my second time visiting here as I was accompanying my Daughter who was studying at a Spanish school all week. I took the opportunity to get some rest, sunshine and some great inspiration.
It didn’t disappoint and although we previously stayed at the great ‘ Hotel Alfonso XIII’ on our last visit 2 years ago, I wanted to experience more of the culture by staying in the heart of the city - ‘ Hotel Corral Del Ray’ https://www.corraldelrey.com/corral-del-rey .
It was March 2019 and a great time to visit as its just starting to get warm. The Taxi dropped us a little way down from the narrow-cobbled street and directed us to walk with our luggage towards the end of the street corner where we would find a large glass door lined with intricate iron designed bars through a rectangular stone archway. I was already feeling like this place for the next week was going to be somewhat my second home. The Hotel was split over 3 buildings, the main reception and 2 villas opposite where we would have our own entrance hall, library and chillout area.
Some info from the website : The Corral Del Ray is located in the old quarter of Barrio Alfalfa, Sevilla just five minutes from the Cathedral, the original 17th century casa Palacio has been meticulously restored and converted into a small private luxury boutique hotel.
The team at the hotel were very attentive, consisting of a small group of women and so friendly and helpful to make the stay even more comforting and definitely an experience to remember. My days started with navigating my way through the historic cobbled streets and stopping at every corner for a photo opportunity, yes every corner.
As we walked through the old town on our first day, there was a sense of commotion going on near the square Plaza Neuva, there seemed to be a parade entering from Plaza San Francisco to the square where a competition between various South American regions took place! To watch this huge cultural display was so exciting and it was definitely one of my highlights.
We celebrated Jasmine’s 19th birthday by visiting a favourite restaurant of ours built within the ancient Arab Baths - San Marco, an Italian eatery visited by many famous celebrities including Madonna! The food was exquisite, and we were serenaded by local band music playing instruments during our meal. It was perfect, my anniversary meal combined with her birthday creating these special new memories.
There is a huge Arabic nod to Sevilla, due to the invasion many years back and the proximity of the regions. It is also quite apparent in most of the Architecture around the city – Mudejar – a blend of Moorish / Arabian and Gothic influences. Some of the structures include Cathedral de Sevilla, Casa de Pilatos & The Real Alcazar Palace.
If you are #GOT #gameofthrones fan, then you will be pleased to know that Seville is one of the main filming sites for this hugely popular series. You will recognise the scenes that took place in the Real Alacazar Palace and in the Maria-Luisa park. This place is a film directors dream due to the amazing landscape and of course the weather! The Plaza de Espana was host to another great film - Star wars II.
Maria- Luisa park were formerly gardens of the palace of San Telmo and were donated to the city by the Duchess of Montpensier. This is where you will find the Archaeology museum hosting many interesting artefacts.
Now I like to eat early 6.30-7.30pm at a push. If you are like me then you will have to have tapas as an early evening snack as the restaurants don’t open till 8.30pm for evening diners! One of my reining favourite Tapas places is Bar Catedral Sevilla on the bustling street of Calle Mateos Gago. You can even watch the magnificent horse & carriages going by.
We completed our cultural stay by enlisting ourselves in a Flamenco Dancing class at the famous Museo de Flamenco. This felt like I was taking in the whole Spanish experience in its full entirity.
I rediscovered my love for art, rebalanced my Chakra and also made some very important decisions of my life ahead. This was a memorable time for me and one I would never forget. If you follow my story from my book Room 23, then you will understand my passion of having my own lifestyle brand. It was born here in Seville – Jardin Living. I hope you will see more of this over the next few years. What a trip!
Correl Del Ray team credits : Cristina, Isabel, Carmen, Chaima. Thank you for making our stay so memorable.
Wish list guide for Sevilla
Visit and join Mass at Seville Cathedral
Climb to the top of La Giralda tower
Row a boat in Plaza de Espana &
Hire bikes around Maria Luisa park
Seville Archaeology Museum
Art galleries– there are many to visit.
Ride on a Horse & Carriage through old town, Santa Cruz.
Petit Comite restaurant, a quaint dinner place near the river.
San Marco restaurant built in the ancient Arab baths.
Flamenco dancing class !