Review: Hacienda de San Rafael

Set the scene.
In a lovely stretch of Andalusía between Seville and Jerez, Hacienda de San Rafael is surrounded by an undulating landscape of wheat and cotton fields, sunflowers, and olive trees. From the colonial-elegant rectangular white façade, the mode is traditional with a light touch: large, cool rooms, antiques that add context rather than drown; oak dressers are set with painted ceramics; a collection of stirrups decorate a chimney; oil paintings mix with Balinese sofas and earthenware urns. Outside, the gardens are extensive, with a tennis court and three swimming pools, mature trees, and sandy paths fringed with blooms.

What’s the story?
The Hacienda first opened as a hotel in 1992, following a restoration by Kuky and Tim Reid-Mora Figueroa (she contributed the interior design, he used his experience working for Mandarin Oriental), and was subsequently taken on by English brothers Anthony and Patrick Reid. Anthony is vigorously well-connected, and with his corkscrew curls and bohemian energy is perhaps most responsible for the feeling of the Hacienda. His spirit of relaxed fun pervades the place, making the experience less that of a hotel than going to stay with a friend—though, equally, if you want to hole up in your room and see and speak to no one, the hotel is uniquely suitable, with lots of privacy and places to sneak away.

What can we expect from our room?
Thick walls keep spaces cool in summer and warm in colder months. The hotel's 11 rooms are housed in the main building and there are three adobe-and-thatch casitas on the hotel’s grounds, all of which follow a similar aesthetic: terra cotta floors, beamed ceilings, traditional farm tools or equestrian gear repurposed as decorative elements, plus antiques from Europe and Asia. The latter, in the large casita we stayed in, includes a teak mirror from Rajasthan and a carved Indonesian headboard. There is a large marble bathroom, a mezzanine bedroom under a woven rush roof, a separate sitting room with a deep sofa, plus a strip of lawn at the front and direct access to a pool, bordered by lavender and rosemary, almond, and orange trees. Ostensibly shared with two other casitas, we normally had the pool to ourselves. A private terrace for sundowners and meals means you could come here and barely move.

How about the food and drink?
Food is exactly what it should be: faithfully Spanish, simply presented, and emphatically seasonal, with menus supplemented by the property’s vegetable garden. Lunch might be octopus salad, fried squid, or grilled wild asparagus, while dinner is a slightly more formal affair but reassuringly uncomplicated: fillet of beef, pumpkin risotto, grilled sea bass. Sherry is from Jerez, wine is local, all elements in keeping with the Hacienda’s authentic, unfussy ethos.

Anything to say about the service?
Friendly and can-do. Because of the family’s historic links to the area, the staff are very good at pulling together special insider itineraries to little known Jerez cellars, stables and secret spots in Seville.

What sort of person comes here?
Honeymooning New Yorkers on the recommendation of British friends, London families (women in Pippa Holt kaftans, men in Orlebar Brown), clued-up Baby Boomers, including a fair smattering of the chinos-and-panama-hat contingent.

What’s the neighborhood scene like?
Seville is close to hand, as is Jerez, while Ronda and Granada are at easy access. The team can secure exclusive access to the Royal Alcazar in Seville and Granada’s Alhambra, as well as recommend places to eat in all the major Andalusian hotspots. The hotel offers further ways to interact with the area’s specific delights: among them, horse-riding through the olive groves from a local stable and hiking in the hills around the pueblo blanco of Grazalema.

Anything you'd change?
The pools are unheated, which is fine in summer, but, out of season, as when we visited at Easter, so freezing they’re completely off limits except to the hardiest guests: not ideal for those traveling with children.

Anything we missed?
The hotel runs twice-yearly Lu Jong retreats, or Tibetan Healing Yoga, guided by master Dominique Caubel. Anthony Reid is a keen proponent of the practice and testifies to its powers as life-changing.

A final note: is it worth it?
Yes. This is a jewel of a hotel, fizzing with romance, set in a garden of languorous, extravagant beauty—the secret your most elegant friend was reluctant to share.