El Convento

Description:

• This luxury hotel certainly lives up to its name -- it was actually reconstructed from the ruins of a convent established in 1639. Its low, cream-colored colonial walls are next to a church, so you may feel like you're entering a religious order when you arrive. There is nothing monastic about its interior, however. It has one of the most elaborate courtyards of any hotel in the country -- it's immense, with sculpted hedges encircling a beautiful fountain. A blue-pillared gallery surrounds the central patio, leading to sumptuous rooms with polished tile floors, king-size beds, and antique furniture. The ballroom, an immense space with elegant chandeliers, and the art gallery, which boasts an expansive lobby, high raftered ceilings, and baroque woodcarvings, are both worth peeking into. Overall, this hotel is atmospheric and very seductive, though nearby La Perla trumps it in terms of customer service.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010