Cristine Bedfor

I first went to Seville in 1992 as a young art student, for the World Expo and I fell completely in love with the city. Along with a piece of artwork that still hangs proudly in my London home, it stayed with me for over thirty years. So when Cristine Bedfor landed on the Condé Nast Traveller Hot List 2026, I felt a little surge of joy on Seville's behalf. The city has finally got the gem of a hotel it always deserved.

Housed in a neo-Mudéjar landmark on Calle Amor de Dios a former theatre designed by Aníbal González, the very same architect behind Seville's Plaza de España, built for that same 1929 Expo the building has been transformed by Interior Designer, Lorenzo Castillo, who has drawn on 16th-century Seville to create richly layered, deeply considered interiors. 

The central atrium soars through all floors to a glass canopy above, the original theatre tiers now serving as guest lounges and restaurant, and the original stage still stands ready for live music and events, with the ground-floor patio bar set around an Andalusian fountain where guests and locals mingle over a glass of something cold.

The 28 rooms are gloriously inspired by Andalusia itself, a bold palette of oxblood, lapis blue, emerald and mustard, with a single shade commanding each space. Headboards and sofas are upholstered in custom-made textiles from the archive of Spanish design house Gastón y Daniela, depicting bullfighting and flamenco dancers. Painted wardrobe doors carry Moorish-style fretwork. Hand-stencils on the walls reference local landmarks. Ship-motif curtains nod quietly to Seville's history as a 16th-century trading port. Every detail has been considered, every corner tells a story the kind of craftsmanship you notice on day three as much as day one. The two most spectacular rooms are the rooftop Pool Suites, each accessed by a private lift and each with its own terrace and plunge pool overlooking the city. Up on the roof, tasselled parasols and a pool that cries out for late afternoon dips.

Then there is La Cocina de Cristine, warm, elegant and entirely worth a reservation in its own right and Cine Trajano, the hotel's own concert venue where guests watch live music from private boxes or from the courtyard below, wine in hand, basking in the warmth of a balmy Seville evening.