La Joya de Santa Cruz Calle Vírgenes 21

Hotel Description

You know what? I wasn’t expecting much when I first walked down Calle Vírgenes – honestly, the street’s so narrow I thought our taxi driver was going to scrape the walls. But then there’s La Joya de Santa Cruz, tucked right into the heart of the old town like it’s been there forever (which, let’s be honest, it probably has). The building itself has that weathered Andalusian charm where you can’t tell if the worn stone steps are from centuries of foot traffic or just really good design. What struck me immediately was how quiet it gets once you step inside – I mean, you’re literally in the middle of one of Seville’s most touristy neighborhoods, but somehow the thick walls just swallow all that street noise.

The thing about staying right on Calle Vírgenes is that you’re basically living in a postcard, but actually experiencing it instead of just snapping photos. I could walk to the Cathedral in about three minutes (I timed it), and the Alcázar is so close you’ll hear the tour groups gathering in the morning – which, fair warning, starts pretty early during peak season. The staff here actually knows the neighborhood, not just the hotel. When I asked about avoiding the crowds at the Cathedral, the guy at reception told me about this little side entrance most people miss, and honestly, it saved me about an hour of waiting in line. The rooms themselves feel authentically Sevillan without being too museum-y, if that makes sense – traditional tiles and exposed beams, but you’ve still got proper air conditioning (trust me, you’ll need it in summer) and decent WiFi.

Here’s what I really appreciated though – this place gets the balance right between historic character and modern comfort. The courtyard has that classic Andalusian vibe with the fountain and everything, but it’s not just for show. I actually spent most evenings there with a book and some wine from their surprisingly good selection. Parking is tricky in this part of town (well, it’s basically impossible), but they’ll sort out a garage nearby for you, and it’s worth it to be able to stumble back from the tapas bars on Mateos Gago without needing a taxi. The 8.6 rating feels about right – it’s not perfect, and the rooms facing the street can get a bit noisy during Semana Santa or when there’s a wedding party wandering through the barrio, but that’s just part of the Santa Cruz experience. If you want sterile and predictable, stay near the airport. If you want to actually feel like you’re in Seville, with all the gorgeous chaos that entails, this is your spot.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $112. One-Bedroom Apartment with 2 single beds and 1 sofa bed for Max persons: 3
• Estimated price from: $122. Duplex Apartment with 1 double bed and 2 bunk beds for Max persons: 4
• Estimated price from: $142. Apartment with 1 double bed and 2 single beds for Max persons: 4
• Estimated price from: $142. Duplex Apartment with 2 × 1 double bed for Max persons: 4

Reviews

• Joanne from United Kingdom – 4 April 2025 (8/10)

  Great Apartment, very clean and spacious ,host was very good at responding to any queries.
  Towels need to be bigger and better quality and would like fresh ones maybe on the 3rd day as we were there 6 days so could have done with fresh ones .

• Tanya from United Kingdom – 18 March 2025 (9/10)

  Lovely apartment in a great location – close walk to everything. Beautiful shared roof terrace.

• Arnaud from France – 21 February 2025 (8/10)

  Wonderful location, beautifully refurbished, all looking freshly renovated. Rooftop very nice too!

• Danielle from Belgium – 7 January 2025 (8/10)

  no beakfast – location perfect
  
  What could be improved: nothing

• Zachary from United States – 4 January 2025 (9/10)

  A beautiful property in the heart of Seville’s old town, beautifully updated. Property was extremely and proactively communicative. Everything was as described/pictured or better!
  
  What could be improved: I’m not sure if it was just our apartment (the two-bed maisonette), but hot water seemed in short supply.

• Juan from United Kingdom – 26 November 2024 (9/10)

  Great flat, super super clean, well furnished, nice staff
  
  What could be improved: Needed to do the sofa bed myself even if it was requested several times

• Edward from Canada – 3 October 2024 (8/10)

  Clean, well located property that had all the basics. The roof top terrace was nice though we didn’t use it. It was 10 mins away from many areas and historic places. Located on a quiet narrow street. Two mins from a laundromat.
  
  What could be improved: The towels need to be replace as they have no plush left in them. There was no washer dryer available to us, (though I thought one was mentioned)

• Choi from Singapore – 23 September 2024 (8/10)

  location and cleanliness. Everything was cool except the check in hassle.
  
  What could be improved: communication was bad and slow. We had to wait for the host to respond like after 2 days requested on our early check in. Ended up waiting outside the premise and lucky that got people come out to pass us the whatsapp contact number so that we can text for faster response. Other groups of people are facing the same problem as well. I had never been to an apartment with such a lousy communication.

• Mike from United Kingdom – 15 September 2024 (8/10)

  We did have difficulty identifying which apartment we were due to stay in however we used the same entrance code for the front door in all the doors within the building and managed to identify our apartment.
  
  What could be improved: We had a leak from an apartment above which meant water came through the ceiling. This usually occurred in the mornings so we thought it must be from the shower in the apartment above. This meant that we had water dripping onto our breakfast bar and floor in the mornings. We used pans and pots to try to capture the water as best we could and contacted the owners with limited response. The leak continued throughout our stay. I think this is a continuing issue as the ceiling had staining on from previous leaks.

• Sally from United Kingdom – 8 August 2024 (9/10)

  Great central location but still on a quiet street so no city noise inside. Clean & modern. Good air con. Towels & toiletries provided. Kitchen had everything we needed. Lovely roof garden which we had to ourselves every time. Good communication from hosts.
  
  What could be improved: Bit of noise every night from the apartment next door but nothing too bad. Sofa only seats 2/3 but most of the time we sat in garden. Not an issue for us but people might like to know that the apartment is over two floors so need to be able to do stairs.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities