Though the Caro Hotel is firmly within Valencia’s old town, its undisturbed location feels more akin to a rural village. Sunlight flicks the top of faded pastel rose townhouses lacing the quiet Carrer de l'Almirall, and the smoke-grey hotel sits serenely at the apex, with pointed green yucca plants guarding the entrance. Anyone looking for a tranquil (yet, amazingly central) stay is in luck.
Opened in 2012 after seven years of renovation, the building dates to the 18th century though the minimalist foyer reveals a far more distant past. Built on Valencia’s 2nd-century Roman circus, its curved arches form a striking entrance to the Meta Bar, as three huge cornice stones are suspended above an extensive gin collection. Also displayed are 10th-century Moorish lanterns, Gothic tiles and Roman mosaics, all with their own QR codes to find out more. No hotel in Valencia wears the city’s history on its sleeve quite like this.
The boutique concept has 26 rooms, all with a distinct style, story and individual name. Old Roman walls are incorporated in some, others are furnished with sophisticated pannelling in clean lines, but toiletries are contained in refillable plastic bottles, which is one reason why it’s the first 5-star hotel in Valencia with a Sustainable Certificate. Back downstairs, a 12th-century Moorish wall cuts through Xanglot, where chef Sandra Jorge's cooking brings creative techniques to local ingredients and Valencian traditions. But definitely make time for a drink in the tiny sunlit courtyard, whose serene plunge pool helps make it Valencia’s most peaceful hideaway. James March
Address: C/ de l'Almirall, 14, Ciutat Vella, 46003 València
Price: Rooms from around £150 per night.
SH Valencia Palace
Fringed by the tall palms and green parks of the serpentine Turia River Garden, the SH Valencia Palace perfectly situated for accessing arguably the city’s most unique feature. Operated by Valencian chain Singular Hoteles, the airy lobby’s high ceiling is punctuated by six tall serrated white columns and a curious art installation of enormous hanging lightbulbs, that feels like a metaphor for Valencia’s abundant light.
239 rooms and suites span across a property popular with business clientele in the week, with more of a license to party at the weekend. A renovation worth more than €10 million began in 2026 with the hotel’s meeting and event spaces, and the rooms are set to follow. The suites feature silky brown chaise longues, Grundig stereos and smooth wood panelling, while bathrooms include rainfall showers and complimentary robes and slippers too. Despite Valencia’s almost constant sunshine, the out-of-season months are a little chilly in mornings and evenings, so the rooftop pool is covered over until May when summer’s glow is finally allowed inside. Just below, a sleek Scandi-style spa run by Calm & Luxury overlooks the Turia Gardens where relaxation fiends can enjoy massages, saunas and Turkish baths to the sound of ambient beats and trickling water.
Back downstairs, PRODUCT-O follows a KM 0 philosophy, sourcing its ingredients from the land and sea around Valencia, while the minimalist Japanese restaurant Hōchō serves up maguro sashimi and saba nigiri lead by chef Nacho Honrubia. Up on the sixth floor, terrace restaurant La Terracita del Palace pairs cocktails with meat and fish dishes. Want an expensive souvenir? Luxury perfumes from Eight & Bob and jewellery from Lladró are available for purchase and sit temptingly behind small windows in the lobby. James March
Address: Pg. de l'Albereda, 32, El Pla del Real, 46023 València
Price: From around £125 per night
Only You Hotel
This glossy city centre boutique opened in 2021 on the site of the venerable Astoria Hotel, one of Valencia’s OG 5-star hotels when it opened in 1959 and sits just a stone’s throw from majestic square Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán, gold and charcoal Art Deco lines allure immediately in a lobby where the check-in desk is back-to-back with Trotamundos, a fern-draped cocktail bar. This seductive scene is completed by the hot-pink bouquets and fragrant scents drifting from on-site florist Atelier de la Flor, adding a bright floral splash to an already impressive first impression.
Ground-floor Japanese restaurant SLVJ is an experimental, low-lit space from Venezuelan chef Fermín Azkue that morphs into a gregarious party atmosphere in the evening with live DJs. Top-floor restaurant El Mirador is bathed in natural light through large bay windows, with a creative breakfast buffet including hexagonal honeycombs, smoked cod and a separate barista bar. Rooms are fitted with cream and sapphire blue furniture, while the blue patterned Valencian tiles on the balcony floors are a nice local touch.
There’s no shortage of activities here either, with the rather shmaltzy-named City Lover Room hosting everything from artist talks to cocktail classes. And from this cinematic rooftop perch, their City Lover Sunsets run throughout summer where evening glasses are raised to the sound of Yazoo’s 80’s synth ballad ‘Only You’ (yes, really). James March
Address: Plaça de Rodrigo Botet, 5, Ciutat Vella, 46002 València
Price: Rooms from around £135 per night.