Isla de la Cartuja

Barcelo Sevilla Renacimiento

★★★★★

The Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento is the closest thing Seville has to a family resort. It stands on the island of La Cartuja, the site of the 1992 Universal Exposition, across the river from the old town, and its architecture is unmistakable: a great curved structure, often compared to New York's Guggenheim Museum, with large interior spaces filled with natural light. With 295 rooms and five-star facilities, it offers what the old-town hotels cannot: space, pools and activities for children. In the warmer months, from about April to October depending on the weather, there are two outdoor pools, one designed for children, with the Breeze pool bar and summer barbecues; in the colder months a heated indoor pool takes over, and in summer that indoor pool becomes an adults-only cold-water pool. There is a full miniclub with monitors and activities, and extra children's entertainment around Easter. Adults are well looked after too, with a wellness area with treatment cabins, a sauna, a Turkish bath and a cold pool, a 24-hour fitness room, and several restaurants and bars, including Arrozante for rice dishes and La Santa María gastrobar; note that breakfast is not included in the standard room rate. The big draw for families is the neighbour: Isla Mágica, the city's theme park, is about five hundred metres away, a five-minute walk, and the hotel is its official partner, so you can add park and water-park tickets when you book. Paid parking is available on site, which makes it a good choice for road trips around Andalusia, and the Alameda de Hércules is about twenty-five minutes on foot.

Who it suits: families with children, especially in the Isla Mágica season, and travellers with a car who want a resort-style hotel with pools and parking. It is less suited to travellers without children who want to be in the old town: the Cathedral is around three and a half kilometres away, so you will be taking taxis or buses or walking for half an hour each way.

Living in it: plan your stay around the Isla Mágica opening calendar if the park is the main draw, and book park tickets with the room. Use the miniclub and pools for afternoon downtime, and head into the city in the cooler mornings and evenings by taxi or bus. Ask about breakfast packages, since it is not included in the basic rate, and about parking charges at reception. The island also has the Monasterio de la Cartuja and its contemporary art centre, and riverside paths for walking or cycling, plus the futuristic bridges and pavilions left by Expo 92.

Value: rates are moderate for a five-star hotel, reflecting the location outside the old town, and rise in summer and during major events. Seville does not currently charge a tourist tax. The value case is facilities: five-star rooms, pools for adults and children, a kids' club and a theme park next door, at a price many old-town hotels cannot match.