Jasmine Suite

The Jasmine Suite is located in the most historic section of Priego de Cordoba, in the middle of a maze of narrow streets dating back to the period of Muslim rule.

Situated in a small hotel, guests in the Jasmine Suite have access to the reception desk, daily breakfast, and the spa with thermal baths on the ground floor. Massages can be arranged for a fee.

The apartment itself is on the third floor and can be accessed by an elevator. It consists of two bedrooms (a small double bedroom and a larger queen bedroom). The queen bedroom has access to a balcony with wonderful rooftop views of Priego. The bathroom has a shower with a tiny bathtub suitable only for sitting. The open plan living room/dining room/kitchen is small, but with just enough space. There is a TV with Spanish channels only.

Grocery stores and restaurants are located within easy walking distance. The Jasmine Suite offers convenience and comfort in the heart of ancient Priego de Cordoba.

Note that interior pictures were taken using a wide-angle lens, making the rooms appear larger than they are.

Priego de Córdoba, the capital of the Subbética region, offers a fabulous location on a plateau that overlooks the Subbética mountain range. Though Priego’s history dates back over 8,000 years, the town came into prominence during the eighteenth century, when wealth from the silk and textile industries financed the construction or remodeling of the Baroque churches and buildings for which it’s famous. Most of Priego’s monuments are within an easy walk of the old town, which was built on the edge of the plateau around the thirteenth-century Moorish castle.

Before exploring Priego’s Baroque offerings, visitors should take in the Barrio de la Villa, the ancient Moorish part of town and its oldest residential area. The barrio is a serpentine maze of cobbled alleyways and houses decorated with wrought-iron window grilles and potted plants of geraniums and petunias. The barrio’s narrow alleyways make it a natural pedestrian zone, only broken up by the occasional little plazas (plazuelas) like the charming Plazuela de San Antonio. The barrio borders on the splendid Paseo del Adarve, an original Moorish promenade with views over the valley below and the rolling landscape of olive groves stretching to the distant hills.

The first of Priego’s Baroque churches is the Iglesia de la Asunción, formerly a Gothic building remodeled in the eighteenth century. Though the exterior of the Asunción is quite modest, a sumptuous white stucco interior leads to a stunning carved Mannerist altarpiece. The most exquisite part of the church, however, is found through a portal on the left aisle, through which one enters the sacristy, a dazzling masterpiece of Spanish Baroque stucco and statuary. Both the altar and the sacristy of the Asunción have been declared national monuments. Visitors, however, should not neglect the other Baroque treasures found among Priego’s other churches: the San Pedro, the San Juan de Dios, the Aurora and the San Francisco.

Visitors are also urged to see the sixteenth-century Fuente del Rey (King’s Fountain) at the southern end of town. This extraordinary Baroque cascading fountain features 139 waterspouts surrounding a statue of Neptune. The park where the fountain is located offers some tranquility, in contrast with the bustle of town.

Being the largest town in the Subbética region, Priego de Córdoba offers everything a traveler needs: ATMs, bakeries and cafés, as well as markets and shops of all kinds. Priego also offers the greatest selection of restaurants in the region and will likely be the town choice for a night out. In addition, the local travel agency can help with hotel and train reservations for those interested in longer overnight trips.

From Priego de Córdoba, easy day trips can be made to Cabra, another Baroque gem, as well as Lucena, a town with an industrial appearance that masks some of the region’s most superb churches, about 13 miles to the west. In addition to smaller towns in the region, the 3 major cities of Andalusia – Córdoba, Granada and Sevilla – are all within a 2 -hour drive.

The Jasmine Suite is located in a small hotel with a reception desk. The friendly employees speak English and are very helpful.