Seville: Giralda, Golf & lavish Hacienda La Boticaria

After spending some days in vibrant Granada we were looking forward to relaxing a few days on the countryside. Hacienda La Boticaria is a splendid Andalusian-style farmhouse located only a 20 minutes drive from vivid Seville. Enjoy their lavish setup with numerous patios, a driving range and the nearby golf club Real Club de Golf de Sevilla!

Hacienda La Boticaria near Seville

With its immense estate of eighteen hectares, and surrounded by orange groves Eurostars Hacienda La Boticaria offers pure tranquility in an Andalusian flavored setup with numerous red or yellow patios infused with orange blossom.

The Hacienda’s amenities include an outdoor as well as an indoor pool including a spa, horse drawn carriages and their museum, lakes and lush green gardens which make for a tranquil oasis.

The hotel’s restaurant offers traditional Andalusian dishes and usually you’ll enjoy your dinner in a very cozy ambiance outdoor, right next to the “patio de los vientos” with its nice garden. The prices were a bit higher than the standard for the area, but the food and the choice reflect a good Andalusian average.

Rooms at Hacienda La Boticaria

The 130 rooms are very spacious and individually decorated in Andalusian stye. They offer every comfort you need, e.g. complimentary internet access via LAN or Wi-Fi. From our room we had a view of the peaceful Patio de la Paz, one of the many patios the Hacienda features.

Playing a Round of Golf around Seville

On the way to Seville you’ll find the nearby golf course “Real Club de golf de Sevilla“. It offers the usual infrastructure with 18 holes, a pro shop, putting and chipping greens, driving range and TaylorMade rental clubs. The fairly flat fairways are well maintained, yet not too wide. You better stick to the middle although the rough is nicely forgiving…

The club house offers a generous terrace with view of the first tee, par-4 fairway and green. We just happened to admire someone play a masterful birdy (one under par). His second stroke had him sitting about one meter from the flag. After 346 meters (378 yards)… Well done! In the meantime we enjoyed tasty veal escalopes and tapas. Well done, too!

What to do in Seville

Seville is Andalusia’s capital and a city rich of history. It is known for the flamenco music that plays long into the night as well as for their dramatic bull fights. For sightseers, Seville offers magnificent monuments, such as La Giralda Tower, the 15th-century Cathedral (the largest gothic cathedral in the world), and the Moorish-style Alcázar palace.

For all its important monuments and fascinating history, Seville is universally famous for its operas like Carmen, Don Juan and Figaro, but obviously also for the countless tapas bars and restaurants. We just happened to chose a restaurant on San Eloy street which was very busy and we thought was the “local thing” – but to which we would not necessarily return… we didn’t enjoy the dishes all that much.

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If you ask Flamenco-Dancer Eveline Inauen for breakfast hints she’ll send you to the bars at the intersection of Calle Amor de Dios and Calle Condor Torremelón right next to the Alameda de Hércules or to bar Santa Marta on San Andrés square.

For lunch she commends the Columnas back at Alameda de Hércules. It’s a self-service shop with lots of tasty tapa dishes. We tried Spanish places packed with locals. Mind you, the food can be very greasy and we didn’t enjoy it too much.

For dinner Eveline will show you over to Enslava on Calle Santa Clara (book your table ahead of time!). If you prefer smaller venues head over to the Macarena district. Don’t miss the excellent coffee, e.g. a ‘Cortado’ (a cut one) for an espresso with hot creamy milk. Yummy!

The general touristic areas are Santa Cruz and the district around the Giralda. The food will be more expensive here… EME catedral hotel just across the Giralda will serve food in a very stylish setup.

If you care for a traditional Flamenco show (the real stuff without touristic garnish) take to Casa de la Memoria on Calle Ximenez Enrico 28. They offer three shows per night in a splendid venue. Book beforehand and be there early!

Never mind if you happen to walk into one of the numerous Peña Flamenco shows. They offer the real flavor with less commercial ambitions, you’ll mingle with the locals here.

Carboneria in Calle Tintes is always a good choice, too. And potentially also Opera Mastranza or the National Theatre Central.

You’ll find plenty of shopping opportunities around Calle Sierpes direction Plaza Alfalfa, Plaza Nuevo, etc. Some are international brand stores that you may also find elsewhere.

If you are into art go to the Museo de Bellas Artes or the Cartuja for modern art. Don’t miss the huge Cathedral and its Giralda.

And don’t venture too far west beyond Munoz León if you don’t want to experience poorer districts.