AoA Plaza Santa Marta

Hotel Description

You know what? I wasn’t expecting much when I first walked up to the AoA Plaza Santa Marta – honestly, the entrance is pretty understated for a 4-star place. But then you step inside and realize you’re basically living in a piece of Seville’s history, right on one of those impossibly charming little plazas that locals actually use, not just tourists. The Plaza Virgen de los Reyes isn’t some random square they stuck a hotel next to; it’s literally where Sevillanos meet for coffee and kids play football after school. I mean, you can hear the cathedral bells from your room, which is either magical or annoying at 7 AM depending on your jet lag situation.

The rooms are actually really well done – they’ve managed that tricky balance of keeping the old building’s character (thick walls, those gorgeous tile floors) while making everything work for modern travelers. The AC is solid, which honestly matters more than anything else if you’re here in summer. What I really appreciated was how quiet it stays at night, even though you’re right in the thick of things. The walls are thick enough that you don’t hear every conversation from the plaza, but you still get that lovely ambient buzz of Spanish evening life drifting up. Fair warning though – parking is basically nonexistent around here, so if you’re driving, you’ll want to use one of the public garages a few blocks away. It’s not a dealbreaker, just plan for it.

Here’s the thing that really sets this place apart: the staff actually knows the neighborhood. Not in that rehearsed concierge way, but like they live here and care about showing you the good stuff. They sent me to this tiny tapas place three streets over that I never would’ve found otherwise – no tourists, just locals and the best montaditos I had in Seville. The location really is something special because you can walk to all the major sights (the cathedral is literally right there, the Alcázar is maybe five minutes), but you’re also in a real working neighborhood where people actually live. In the mornings, you’ll see grandmothers buying bread and office workers grabbing coffee, not just tour groups with selfie sticks. The whole Santa Cruz area can feel like a theme park sometimes, but this little pocket still feels authentic. Plus – and this might sound weird – but the lighting in the plaza at night is just perfect. Not too bright, not too dim, just this warm glow that makes everything look like a movie set. I spent way too many evenings just sitting at the café across the square with a beer, watching the world go by.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $185. Three-Bedroom Apartment with 1 double bed and 2 × 2 single beds for Max persons: 6

Reviews

• Flora from Canada – 9 April 2025 (8/10)

  Quiet and yet central location. Unique old building and apartment with some quirks that come with any older building. Charming.
  Could need some updating, eg toilet paper holder, towel racks.

• Marguerite from Ireland – 26 March 2025 (9/10)

  Excellent location in the heart of Seville but at the same time it was both quiet and safe.
  The historic building is beautifully and sympathetically converted to Apartments.
  
  What could be improved: The only negative was we would have liked a kettle to make tea. We had to use the microwave to boil water which was slow.

• Angela from United Kingdom – 15 November 2024 (9/10)

  Lovely spacious apartment in a great location

• Ana from Australia – 23 September 2024 (9/10)

  Amazing location in La Giralda. Good instructions and easy access.
  
  What could be improved: The toilet cistern was not working in one of the rooms

• Alison from United Kingdom – 17 June 2024 (8/10)

  Fantastic location, fascinating building, an excellent experience

• Brian from United States – 16 February 2024 (9/10)

  Everything was amazing. Apartment, location and value. We can't wait to come back again for more than two nights!!!
  
  What could be improved: Interface between Booking.com and owner. I received fraudulent emails through booking phishing for info. If I had not looked into the linked conversation thread I would not have seen the booking.com warning it was fraudulent. Made the rest of owner to me conversation difficult.

• Julietta from United Kingdom – 20 November 2023 (9/10)

  Easily the most beautiful and best located apartment I've stayed in. Very authentic, very spacious.
  
  What could be improved: It is not really modern so if you look for contemporary, this isn't for you but we loved it, absolutely charming.

• Ana from United States – 6 September 2023 (8/10)

  Right in the center of Seville. The house was very spacious, with plenty of rooms. Full kitchen, updated bathrooms in each room.
  
  What could be improved: Wifi had poor signal in some parts of the house. No access to the house by car. We were there in August and there were some construction work happening in the building which was happening everyday from 7am-2pm. Very noisy. Because i came with kids and they wake up early anyway it wasn’t a huge problem because we were touring around seville during the day and we didn’t have to stay home to hear it.

• Joan from Ireland – 19 September 2024 (6/10)

  Great location. Very spacious. Lovely rooms . All bedrooms en-suite.
  
  What could be improved: Dreadful customer service. Agent very unresponsive both before and during our stay, which caused a few anxious days before check in (took a minimum 2 days to reply to emails, if at all and never answered the phone or returned calls – If it was my property I would sack the agent). WiFi only in 2 bedrooms, no signal in other rooms including living room. No tv. No household cleaning products beyond 1 dirty old sponge and some washing up liquid (agent said she would drop off but didn’t)

• Martijn from Netherlands – 27 December 2024 (6/10)

  It was really spacious at a great location.
  
  What could be improved: The WiFi was terrible, the appliances in the kitchen was a bit low, for instance no coffee machine or even a water cooker.
  The shower in my room was leaking.
  Also the chairs were old and not very comfortable without an extra cushion.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities