Alcázar del Rey Don Pedro

The Alcázar Real, or Alcázar del Rey Don Pedro, sits on the remains of ancient Roman construction and was expanded during the Muslim period, when Carmona was part of the Taifa of Seville. After five centuries of Muslim history, Carmona was reconquered by Fernando III "the Saint" in 1247. In the 14th century, Peter I "the Cruel" restored it and converted it into one of his favorite palaces, closely echoing the Real Alcázar of Seville given his passion for the Mudéjar style — the alcázar served in turn as residence and prison for his mistresses, la Padilla, la Coronel, and la Guzmán.

The Catholic Monarchs undertook its reconstruction and raised the "cubete" (an exterior fort), but abandoned the project after damage from the 1504 earthquake. The Parador del Alcázar del Rey Don Pedro opened its doors on 30 March 1976, attended by the then-reigning King and Queen of Spain, Juan Carlos I and Sofía.

Today its rooms sit within the Mudéjar alcázar, closely echoing the architecture of Seville's own Real Alcázar.

The alcázar's documented use as both residence and prison for Peter I's mistresses gives the property a specific and dramatic royal narrative distinct from the more purely military or administrative history of many other Spanish castle-hotels.

The Catholic Monarchs' abandoned 16th-century reconstruction, halted by the 1504 earthquake, left the alcázar in a state that persisted for nearly five centuries before the Parador's 1976 restoration.

The castle's position overlooking the Vega de Carmona gives guests staying here sweeping views over one of Andalusia's most fertile agricultural plains.