EME Fussion, Seville, Spain

The last time a new hotel caused such an uproar in Seville, it was 1929 and King Alfonso XIII had just inaugurated his namesake hotel for that year’s huge Ibero-American Expo. The new EME Fusion may have less regal origins, but it doesn’t skimp on style. A cluster of fourteen 18th- and 19th-century houses in the heart of Seville has been ingeniously cobbled together into a 70-room property. Shaded patios, a stunning rooftop pool terrace with a bar and drop-dead views of the cathedral, a tranquil spa and no fewer than four restaurants are the happy byproducts of the transformation. It has all been blended together with a mix of cutting-edge design, Andalusian practicality and a few over-scaled Moorish architectural elements: most notably the loopy grilles on the interior windows, which were adapted from fretwork harem screens. No wonder the hotel recently graced the cover of Spain’s well-respected Diseño Interior magazine.

THE LOCATION

You can’t do any better. Face to face with La Giralda, as the cathedral’s famous bell tower is affectionately known, the hotel is smack in the city center, and the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages mingles with the fragrance of orange blossom from the street below. The Alcázar, Plaza España and María Luisa Park are a leisurely stroll away, as are the city’s best shops and the taverns and squares of Barrio Santa Cruz.

THE ROOM

Each room is unique, but they all share a welcome sense of cool reprieve from the heat and hubbub outdoors. The décor is a luxurious riff on modern monastic — unpolished stucco walls and sleek tester beds with rustic Andalusian grass rugs that seem suddenly urbane when dyed an inky black. My room, No. 219, wrapped around an interior courtyard and felt more like a chic pied-à-terre than a hotel room. Six suites and two superior rooms have terraces with private Jacuzzis.

THE BATHROOM

Spacious and slightly quirky: my large shower had a column in the middle of it that required standing directly under the showerhead. The citrusy-smelling Etro bath products seem at home in Seville.

THE LOBBY

There is little lobby per se, since much of the public space is given over to dining and drinking, which explains why smartly dressed locals join the hotel’s guests sipping juices or spirits on the front terrace by day and practically line up at night to make it up to the popular roof bar. There is also a quiet and comfy lounge opening onto the main courtyard.

ROOM SERVICE

Why bother? The hotel has four restaurants ranging from a tapas bar, a salad and juice bar, a pan-Asian spot called Japo, and the see-and-be-seen Santo serving modern Mediterranean cuisine.

AMENITIES

The rooftop pool tops my list, but there is also a decent gym and a spa with sauna, steam room and Turkish bath. The in-room minibar stocks free beers and water.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Doubles start at 280 euros, about $392 at $1.40 to the euro, but can climb much higher during peak tourist season in the spring, so it’s worth booking early. The prime location and the current buzz surrounding the hotel’s chic design, lively restaurants and roof terrace make it feel like the center of the Sevillian scene at the moment.

Hotel EME Fusion, Alemanes, 27; 34-95-456-0000; www.emehotel.com.

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