www.telegraph.co.uk – The Town House Marbella, Malaga, Spain

Tucked into a quiet corner just off a bubbly plaza, towards the lower end of the tangle of pedestrianised streets that make up Marbella’s atmospheric old town. A quick stroll leads you through narrow alleyways, past designer boutiques, the Moorish-era castle walls and the orange-filled Plaza de los Naranjos.

You’re a five-minute walk from the beach and promenade, and glitzy Puerto Banús is easily accessible. It’s an hour’s drive to Ronda (inland) and 45 minutes to Málaga (northeast).

A sense of calm and quiet elegance oozes throughout this gorgeously refurbished 150-year-old Andalucian townhouse. You enter through the exquisite Alhambra-inspired lobby, under an elaborately carved arch that twinkles with neo-Moorish character.

Graceful, contemporary interiors mix chic cream, white and gold décor, a sprinkling of antiques and some of the house’s original architectural elements (tiled bathrooms, patterned ceiling mouldings). Huge gold-framed mirrors peek around corners and greenery drapes down the twirling staircase.