BLOG · LISTS · GUIDE

Literary hotels in Spain where you can sleep among books

10-MINUTE READ

Sleeping in the room Ernest Hemingway used whenever he came back to Pamplona, staying next to the Alhambra in a hotel inspired by Washington Irving, or spending the night by the sea in a room called Moby Dick. These are just some of the experiences on offer at Spain's most interesting literary hotels.

You'll find them in old mansions, Menorcan houses, mountain lodges and small seafront hotels. Spread across the Costa da Morte, Granada, Madrid, Menorca and the Pyrenees, these fourteen places give you good reasons to start thinking about your next trip.

Door of the Nautilus room, in the inner courtyard. Photo: belafisterra.com

01 · GALICIA

Bela Fisterra

Facing Langosteira beach, right on the Camino de Santiago, Bela Fisterra bills itself as Galicia's first literary hotel. Its whole identity revolves around the great sea stories of world literature, and its rooms bear names as recognisable as Nautilus, Sinbad, Robinson, Odiseo (Odysseus), Gulliver, Moby Dick and Tesoro (Treasure).

Books and references to these stories are scattered throughout the rooms and communal areas. From here you can explore the village of Fisterra, carry on to the cape or discover other spots along the Costa da Morte.

Location: Fisterra, A Coruña
Theme: great sea stories of world literature

02 · CANTABRIA

Molino Tejada

In Valderredible, in the south of Cantabria, a sixteenth-century stone mill has been transformed into one of the most unusual rural places to stay in the region. The River Ebro runs beneath part of the building and can be seen from the Librería del Poeta, a reading room with a partly glazed floor.

Its nine suites pay tribute to writers such as Miguel de Cervantes, Pablo Neruda, Federico García Lorca, Concha Espina and Miguel Delibes. Some also keep typewriters as part of the décor.

Location: Valderredible, Cantabria
Rooms named after writers: 9 suites

The Pablo Neruda suite. Photo: molinotejada.com

Harry Potter themed room. Photo: casualhoteles.com

03 · SEVILLE

Casual de las Letras Sevilla

Literature takes on a light-hearted tone at this hotel, set in a nineteenth-century Sevillian house. Its rooms and communal spaces are decorated with murals, quotes and characters from books, comics and works that have become part of popular culture.

Its themes include Shakespeare, Mafalda, Harry Potter, One Thousand and One Nights, Spider-Man and various adventure novels. Each room is decorated differently, so the experience changes quite a bit depending on which one you book.

Location: Calle Alhóndiga, Seville
Themes: Shakespeare, Mafalda, Harry Potter, Spider-Man and more

04 · MENORCA

971 Hotel

The small 971 Hotel occupies a traditional Menorcan house in the historic centre of Ciutadella. The building was restored by the Italian designer Chiara Fabiani and combines the original stone with simple, contemporary décor.

The hotel takes its inspiration from Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. Each room is named after one of the cities the writer imagined, such as Berenice, Leonia or Zobeide, and each one is decorated differently.

Location: Ciutadella, Menorca
Inspiration: Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino

The Berenice room. Photo: 971menorca.com

One of the hotel's rooms. Photo: lacasuena.com

05 · ARAGON

Hotel La Casueña

In Lanuza, beside the reservoir and surrounded by the mountains of the Tena Valley, you'll find this small hotel, set in the old stable of a family home. La Casueña has just seven rooms, so it feels closer to a mountain house than to a big hotel.

Its rooms pay tribute to writers such as Federico García Lorca, Mario Benedetti and Isabel Allende. Each one includes a book by the writer in question, and some quotes turn up in unusual places, such as the shower screens.

Location: Lanuza, Huesca
Rooms named after writers: García Lorca, Benedetti, Allende, Julio Llamazares, Severino Pallaruelo

06 · GRANADA

Gar-Anat Boutique Hotel

Gar-Anat occupies a listed building from 1628 in the Realejo, a few minutes from Granada Cathedral. It keeps features of its original architecture, such as the wooden-beamed ceilings, and has fifteen rooms, each decorated differently.

Among them are Retablo de Maese Pedro (Master Peter's Puppet Show), inspired by Manuel de Falla's work; León el Africano (Leo the African), after Amin Maalouf's novel; Las ciudades invisibles (Invisible Cities), by Italo Calvino; Viaje a la Alpujarra, by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón; and La leyenda de la Rosa de la Alhambra (The Legend of the Rose of the Alhambra), linked to Washington Irving.

Location: El Realejo, Granada
Themed rooms: 15

The “Las Ciudades Invisibles” (Invisible Cities) room. Photo: hotelgaranat.com

The hotel library. Photo: eurostarshotels.com

07 · GRANADA

Áurea Washington Irving

In 1829, Washington Irving spent several months living in the Alhambra. The experience would go on to inspire his celebrated Tales of the Alhambra, in which the monument's history mingles with legends, hidden treasure and ghostly apparitions.

Just a few steps from the monument complex, this five-star hotel pays tribute to the American writer. Extracts from his work appear in the rooms and communal areas, while the library holds various editions of his books and old copies of Tales of the Alhambra.

Location: next to the Alhambra, Granada

08 · NAVARRE

Gran Hotel La Perla

Ernest Hemingway first came to Pamplona in 1923 and was captivated by the San Fermín festival. The city, the bull runs and the atmosphere of the Plaza del Castillo all found their way into Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises, the novel that brought the festival international fame.

On his visits he stayed at the Gran Hotel La Perla, where he could look out over the square from his room. The hotel has kept the room associated with the writer, with the layout and furniture of the time, and you can book it. It also has a library of books signed by the various authors who have stayed there.

Location: Plaza del Castillo, Pamplona
The writer's room: Suite 201, bookable

Collection of Hemingway editions in Suite 201. Photo: the hotel's official blog

The hotel library. Photo: hiddenhotels.com

09 · MADRID

Gran Hotel Inglés

When it opened its doors in 1886, the Gran Hotel Inglés was one of the most modern hotels in Madrid. Today it keeps its historic character on Calle Echegaray, in the Barrio de las Letras, Madrid's literary quarter, where Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Quevedo and Góngora lived or wrote.

Its library holds more than six hundred volumes of world literature, along with an original edition of Don Quixote, in a room furnished with a fireplace, sofas and armchairs. It's used as a space for reading and conversation, as well as hosting gatherings and private events.

Location: Calle Echegaray, Barrio de las Letras, Madrid
Library: over 600 volumes

10 · MADRID

Casa de las Artes Meliá Collection

Casa de las Artes brings together references to the seven fine arts under one roof. It's on Calle Atocha, in the Barrio de las Letras, close to the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía and CaixaForum.

Literature takes pride of place in its library, designed for reading and for hosting cultural gatherings. The hotel also organises activities such as the Reading Madrid book club, while its décor draws on the Spanish Golden Age and the city's artistic tradition.

Location: Calle Atocha, Barrio de las Letras, Madrid
Programme: Reading Madrid book club

The hotel library. Photo: melia.com

A double room at the hotel. Photo: cataloniahotels.com

11 · RONDA · LITERARY HISTORY

Catalonia Reina Victoria

Rainer Maria Rilke arrived in Ronda in December 1912 and stayed in the town until February 1913. During those months he lodged at what is now the Catalonia Reina Victoria and wrote several letters describing the impression the landscape and the town's setting had made on him.

Room 208 houses a small permanent exhibition devoted to the poet, with books, photographs and various objects connected with his stay. The hotel stands on the edge of Ronda's cliffs and still enjoys sweeping views across the sierra.

Location: Ronda, Málaga
What remains: small exhibition devoted to Rilke next to room 208

12 · BARCELONA · LITERARY HISTORY

Hotel Continental Barcelona

George Orwell and his wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, stayed at the Hotel Continental during the Spanish Civil War. Those months are recorded in Homage to Catalonia, in which the writer described his time on the Aragon front and the political events he witnessed in Barcelona.

Today the hotel commemorates his stay and has a lounge dedicated to Orwell. Its location on La Rambla means you can walk to several of the places mentioned in the book and easily follow a route through Civil War Barcelona.

Location: La Rambla, Barcelona

La Rambla from one of the hotel's balconies. Photo: hotelcontinental.com

The hotel's facade. Photo: hoteltrias.com

13 · COSTA BRAVA · LITERARY HISTORY

Hotel Trias

Truman Capote arrived in Palamós in 1960 looking for a quiet place to get on with In Cold Blood. He travelled with his partner, his dogs and a mountain of notes on the crime he was investigating. During his spells on the Costa Brava, the Hotel Trias was one of his regular haunts.

The hotel still remembers his time in Palamós and his link with one of the writer's most important works. It stands on the seafront, a short distance from the harbour and the town's historic centre.

Location: Palamós, Girona

14 · BARCELONA · LITERARY HISTORY

Majestic Hotel & Spa Barcelona

Since it opened in the early twentieth century, the Majestic has welcomed many artists, politicians and writers. Its guests have included Federico García Lorca and Antonio Machado, two of the biggest names in Spanish literature.

These days the hotel isn't themed around books: its focus is more on luxury, art and the history of Barcelona. Its past, however, earns it a place among the hotels that have been part of the city's cultural life.

Location: Passeig de Gràcia, Barcelona

The hotel's facade on Passeig de Gràcia. Photo: majestichotelgroup.com

So, are you up for it?

Which literary hotel should you choose?

For a rural getaway, Molino Tejada and La Casueña combine literary references with nature. Bela Fisterra and the 971 Hotel work especially well for a trip by the sea, while Gar-Anat and Áurea Washington Irving bring you closer to the literature connected with Granada. Before booking, it's worth checking the room's name and photos: if your goal is to sleep in Hemingway's room or in one dedicated to Moby Dick, you'll need to book that room specifically.

See all destinations

Explore literary routes

Keep reading

See the whole blog

Cities