Hotel Claude

Hotel Claude is a small, privately owned, luxury hotel in the old town of Marbella, just a five minute walk to the Plaza de Los Naranjos and the beaches. This intimate and stylish boutique hotel is characterised by a beautiful and unique stucco facade. Prior to becoming a hotel, the house had a long and fascinating history: as the summer residence of Empress Eugenie (wife of Napoleon III), the home of Ferdinand de Lesseps (builder of the Suez Canal), through to it's time as a bohemian artists' club and cultural centre in the 70s and 80s.

When the present owners renovated the hotel, it was their aim to draw out all of these elements of history and build them into a thoroughly chic boutique hotel with the best of modernity. Like so many townhouses in southern Spain, Hotel Claude is built around it's central patio where the brick arches, marble paving and brightly coloured seats make an eclectic mix of luxuries. The lounge is luxuriously cosy, the restaurant is a monochromatic masterpiece and the rooftop terrace opens out to vistas of the old town that make this hotel a true cut-above anything else you might find in Marbella.

The seven guest rooms continue the theme of understated quality and fine materials and fabrics, yet they also pack in a few pieces of electronics to keep the 21st century guest satisfied.

Marbella can be different things to different people, but the Marbella of Hotel Claude is warm, chic and packed with old-world Spanish character. The brother-and-sister owners have been gaining awards for their hotel ever since they opened, and we can see why.

Meals

Hotel Claude's kitchen provides breakfast, tapas, and Mediterranean snacks as well as a 24 hour room service. Dinner is served by prior arrangement and special occasions can also be organised in the restaurant. In summer, you can also enjoy a candlelight dinner on the charming terrace that looks out onto the pantiled rooftops and spires of the "casco viejo". The rooftop mirador is also a lovely spot to relax with a glass of wine and a few slices of Jabugo ham and watch the swallows dive at sunset.

Out and About

The glamorous town of Marbella is on the doorstep.
Long elegant promenade.
Beaches. The beach at Marbella is lovely, but busy in summer. All the beaches of the Costa Del Sol are within reach.
Shopping, bars, restaurants.
Golf. Right in the centre of the "Costa De Golf".
Historic buildings, castles and other sites.
Nightlife.
Watersports. Everything from pedalos to luxury yacht charter.
Cycling and hiking nearby.

Places to visit:
Puerto Banus. Stunningly beautiful.
Ronda. Spectacular Moorish town on the mountains.
Serranía de Ronda. Mountain scenery.
Pueblos Blancos. The "white villages" of Andalusia.

Soft warm colours and fine fabrics distinguish all the rooms. Yet each is given a subtly different theme reflected in the name. There are terracotta floors, sandstone baths, large beds with high headboards and high-quality bed-linen. Each room has a sofa or chaise-longue and flat-screen televisions, iPod docking stations and wi-fi internet ensure that modern necessities are not forgotten. The en-suite bathroom includes a hair-dryer, bathrobes and complimentary toiletries.

Francesa is the largest room. All the usual Hotel Claude refinements are here, plus 45m² of space, a balcony, and a view of the old town.