9 HOTEL PLAZA MAYOR
Madrid

Ever got to your room and worried you’ve made a terrible mistake? You’re in a great location, it’s spotlessly clean, reasonably spacious with a marble-lined bathroom, flatscreen TV, free WiFi . . . the staff are even friendly. Oh dear, that price must be per person, not per room. Fear not, the family-run Plaza Mayor is one of those rare things: a genuine bargain. It’s at the heart of Madrid’s historic quarter, just 10 minutes’ walk from the Prado and the palace. Ask for a corner room for the best views.

Doubles from £67; 00 34 91 360 0606, www.h-plazamayor.com

10 HOTEL ALCANTARA
Seville

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Brilliantly located in the heart of Seville’s touristy but gorgeous old Jewish quarter of Barrio Santa Cruz, this original 18th-century mansion has a patio complete with its own palm tree and bright, modern, ever-so-slightly floral rooms (what do you expect for this price, Philippe Starck?) It’s also handy for the cathedral and Alcazar, and exploring the endless, narrow, winding streets full of hidden squares and dusty, authentic tapas bars.

Doubles from £58; 00 34 954 50 05 95, www.hotelalcantara.net

11 HOSTAL OLIVA
Barcelona

In the elegant heart of the Eixample district, this tiny, top-floor, family-run hotel couldn’t be more Barcelona if Gaudi were on hand to welcome you off the hotel’s wood-and-glass modernista lift. A fabulous and friendly cheapie, the single rooms are tiny but the doubles are spacious enough and squeaky clean. Just five minutes from Plaça de Catalunya, not far from the Sagrada Familia, this one is worth every penny for the location alone.

Doubles from £49, ensuite doubles £63; 00 34 93 488 01 62, www.hostaloliva.com

12 CASA FRANCISCO
Costa de la Luz

Tumbleweed really does roll down the streets and donkeys munch at the verges — when people talk about the Costa de la Luz being Spain’s last quiet coastline, they’re talking about El Palmar. Just a long road behind a spectacular beach, with a few bars and villas huddled against the stiff Atlantic breeze, this isolated, peaceful patch has a tiny hotel offering the simplest pleasures — a two-minute walk to the surf from your terrace, and top-notch seafood for dinner. Outside of peak season El Palmar is at its sleepy best; spend your savings on sherry and just-caught sardines.

Doubles from £47, or £63 for sea view; 00 34 956 232 249

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