Casa Numero 7 is for those seeking a Pandora’s Box of style and ambience hidden away in the core of the glorious city of Seville.
I do not have a white gloved butler at home serving sumptuous scrambled eggs, nor do I have a white marble bathroom, nor a serenely silent drawing room to retire to for there is always a level of chaos at home. But this is all managed for your convenience and pleasure at the pulse of this City. Just 5 minutes from the humbling Cathedral, within the perfect symmetry of the Real Alcazar and gastronomical heaven provided by streets of tapas bars, Casa Numero 7, manages to be a much welcome retreat to rest and recuperate in.
In this area of central Seville you will find some of the prettiest streets you could ever imagine. Although your phone’s GPS will likely become your best friend as you get lost in the beautiful narrow streets and alleyways which are a riot of colourful geraniums in amongst the imposing Gothic architecture of the nearby cathedral.
Casa Numero Siete hotel may well be one of the smallest hotels in the world, but it offers something rather special to the guests of its 6 rarified rooms. The owner Gonzalo Del Rio Gonzalo Gordon, is of the era of complete appreciation. His hotel, adorned with period furniture, family portraits and signature napkins make you feel like you are staying with a very wealthy uncle. Part of the attraction of the hotel is the owner himself (your uncle in this case) for he is an expert in sherry, extremely charming and hospitable, and will help you make it a trip that is nothing less than memorable.
What is most enchanting about Gonzalo del Rio is that he spends time sharing Seville’s history with you, the story of the renovation of this 1847 townhouse which was opened in 2000, one of the first to create an intimate ‘su casa’ luxury at the time. The criteria in the rebuild was to get the mood and attention to detail just right and not simply rush through the changes from home to hotel. In this Gonzalo has totally succeeded. Gonzalo Del Rio is a self-proclaimed anglophile thanks to his British Grandmother, and in many ways he brings the best of the two cultures together to produce this intimate hotel.
There is no reception area at Casa Numero 7. Instead, you enter the gun room – which also serves as a study. Piled high with books, papers and shooting sticks, it also has the obligatory family tree on the wall.
On the first floor you will find English etchings of country houses contrasting te red upholstered stools. Leading off the gallery are the sitting room, drawing room and dining room where breakfast is served. The furniture is upholstered with fabrics by Pepe Peñalver and Gaston y Daniela inviting you to calm and relax with a drink from the bar.
Opposite lies the more formal drawing room painted a delicate powder blue and elaborated with fine oriental rugs and a roll-top writing desk.
The third floor houses three of the bedrooms, all individually decorated in yellow, blue and burnt sienna and all with bathrooms en-suite. Each oozes charm.
Sevillians think that this is the best place on earth with the sea and mountains both just an hour or two away. The climate is indeed remarkable, providing an excellent environment to savour the culture, society, aristocracy and beauty everywhere. It is all about the outdoors and living under the elements.
Thanks to this, there is no ‘best or bad time to visit’. For the summer there is a lovely roof terrace and courtyard, and indeed the entire house has been designed around a courtyard, which now has a glass roof. You are well looked after in the winter too, when not only is there a roof over your head, but a cosy fire and unlimited bar from the sherry and wine collection.
Seville is at the centre of the city of romance, loved and immortalised throughout history. This is the city of Carmen, the inspiration for the ‘Barber of Seville’, the port of departure for Christopher Columbus, the city of Gold, the city of Silver. This is Seville. And Casa Numero 7 is right at the centre of this.
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