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Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta, a 4-star boutique hotel in an 18th-century oyster-stone palace on Calle Sagasta in Cádiz
charming

An 18th-century merchant palace on Calle Sagasta, now a 38-room hotel with a watchtower and spa

Four-star boutique hotel in an 18th-century merchant palace at Calle Sagasta 1, Cádiz: 38 rooms, imperial staircase, watchtower mirador, courtyard and spa.

Portrait of Lucía Barbera Quintero
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Historian specialising in Cádiz's ancient, colonial and constitutional heritage.

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An 18th-century merchant palace built for the Indies trade

Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta is a four-star boutique hotel housed in an 18th-century manor house (casa señorial) at Calle Sagasta 1 in the historic centre of Cádiz. After the Casa de Contratación and the Consulado moved from Seville to Cádiz in 1717, giving the port the monopoly on trade with the Indies, merchants from across the world built towered homes here so they could watch their ships arrive. Like Hotel Casa de las Cuatro Torres and the Torre Tavira, the palace on Calle Sagasta belongs to that merchant-city skyline.

The building is Baroque-Elizabethan in style (barroco-isabelino) and shows the practical details of an 18th-century Cádiz street front. Its facade is built of oyster stone (piedra ostionera) cut from the quarries of Puerto Real, which now form a natural park, with corner guards (guardacantones) at street level to protect the stonework from passing carriages. Even the ironwork follows period dress: the balconies curve outward at the bottom of the railing to make room for the wide crinoline and miriñaque skirts worn at the time.

The three-floor merchant layout, watchtower and spa

Inside, the palace preserves the classic three-storey layout of a Cádiz merchant house, topped by a stained-glass roof over the central courtyard and a rooftop watchtower:

  • First floor: built originally for the merchant's offices and counting rooms.
  • Second floor: reached by a monumental imperial staircase and reserved for the family's quarters.
  • Third floor: originally the staff quarters, beneath the glazed courtyard roof and the torre mirador overlooking the city's rooftops.

As a hotel, the house holds 38 rooms and 76 beds and pairs that 18th-century shell with a spa, a wellness area and a gym. That wellness setup sets it apart from smaller old-town mansion stays such as Hotel Argantonio, which has a patio and a winter fireplace lounge rather than a spa.

Location and practical details

The hotel stands at Calle Sagasta 1, 11001 Cádiz, in the historic centre, within easy walking distance of the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri and the squares of Barrio del Mentidero. The telephone number listed by the municipal tourism office is +34 856 63 29 00.

Municipal and editorial listings do not publish fixed room rates or check-in and check-out times, so call reception directly to confirm prices and arrival hours for your dates.

Reporter notebook

Insider tips

Photo spot

Look at the street corners and lower balcony rails before stepping inside

The facade is built of porous oyster stone (piedra ostionera) from the quarries of Puerto Real. Check the base of the corners for the guardacantones placed there to fend off carriage wheels, then look up at the lower curve of the balcony railings, shaped for 18th- and 19th-century crinoline skirts.

Local custom

Read the three floors the way an Indies merchant used them

The palace follows the standard floor plan of Cádiz's post-1717 merchant houses: offices on the first floor, the family rooms up the imperial staircase on the second floor, and staff rooms on the third floor below the watchtower used to spot ships arriving from the Americas.

Booking tip

Call the hotel directly to check rates and arrival times

With 38 rooms (76 beds) and a spa, wellness area and gym inside an old-town palace, availability shifts with the season. Because municipal listings do not state fixed room rates or check-in hours, ring +34 856 63 29 00 to confirm current prices and arrival details.

Practical information

Price range
Contact hotel for current rates
Category
charming
Phone
+34 856 63 29 00
Address
Calle Sagasta, 1, 11001 Cádiz View on Google Maps

Frequently asked questions

Where is Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta located?

It is at Calle Sagasta, 1, in the historic centre (Centro histórico) of Cádiz. The municipal tourism office lists its telephone number as +34 856 63 29 00.

What star rating does Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta have?

The Ayuntamiento de Cádiz municipal accommodation directory classifies Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta as a 4-star hotel, with 38 rooms and 76 beds.

Does Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta have a spa and gym?

Yes. According to Cádiz's municipal tourism office, the hotel has a spa, a wellness area and a gym inside the 18th-century building.

What architectural features survive inside the palace?

The Baroque-Elizabethan manor house preserves its three-floor Cádiz merchant layout, a monumental imperial staircase to the main family floor, a central courtyard covered by a stained-glass roof, and a rooftop watchtower (torre mirador) with views over the city's rooftops.

Why do the balconies on the facade curve outward at the bottom?

The lower part of the balcony railings was curved outward to accommodate the voluminous skirts of the period, which were worn over miriñaques or crinolines. At street level, the oyster-stone facade also keeps its guardacantones, which protected the corners from carriages.

Further reading

Sources

10 references Show
  1. Turismo de Cádiz — Todos (opens in a new tab)

    “Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta 4*”

  2. Turismo de Cádiz — Hotel aurea casa palacio sagasta (opens in a new tab)

    “Zona: Centro históricoDirección: Calle Sagasta, 1Teléfono: 856 63 29 00”

  3. Turismo de Cádiz — Hotel aurea casa palacio sagasta (opens in a new tab)

    “El Hotel Áurea Casa Palacio Sagasta es un elegante hotel boutique ubicado en una casa señorial del siglo XVIII en pleno casco histórico de Cádiz.”

  4. Turismo de Cádiz — Hotel aurea casa palacio sagasta (opens in a new tab)

    “El edificio, de estilo barroco-isabelino, conserva su escalera monumental, patio central y torre mirador con vistas a los tejados de la ciudad.”

  5. Turismo de Cádiz — Hotel aurea casa palacio sagasta (opens in a new tab)

    “Con 38 habitaciones cuidadosamente decoradas, el hotel combina historia y modernidad. Ofrece spa, zona wellness, gimnasio y una experiencia inmersiva en su propio pasado.”

  6. Turismo de Cádiz — Hotel aurea casa palacio sagasta (opens in a new tab)

    “Núm. de Habitaciones: 38Núm. de plazas: 76”

  7. huleymantel.com (opens in a new tab)

    “la Casa Palacio Sagasta, con su característica piedra ostionera, de las canteras de Puerto Real, ahora un parque natural; sus guardacantones que protegían las fachadas de los embistes de los carruajes”

  8. huleymantel.com (opens in a new tab)

    “sus balcones con una curvatura en la parte inferior de la barandilla para adaptarse a las voluminosas faldas de la época, que solían llevar miriñaques o crinolinas.”

  9. huleymantel.com (opens in a new tab)

    “Y su típica estructura con una primera planta para las oficinas, una segunda, a la que se accede por una espectacular escalera imperial, para la familia, y una tercera para el servicio, todo coronado por la vidriera que cubre el patio interior y la torre mirador, claro.”

  10. huleymantel.com (opens in a new tab)

    “en 1717, la Casa de Contratación y el Consulado se trasladaron de Sevilla a Cádiz, otorgando a la ciudad el monopolio del comercio con las Indias. Esto atrajo a comerciantes de medio mundo, que se construyeron estás casas con torres y miradores para supervisar la llegada de sus barcos.”