Hospes Amérigo

The Amerigo boutique hotel in Alicante is the result of an ambitious restoration. Given the beautiful facade of a Dominican convent, there is a lot that could have wrong. When the designers began work they were left with the shell of a building and had the responsibility to recreate the interior whilst leaving as much as possible of the original front intact.
The photographs themselves tell the story; a beautifully preserved exterior with the original stone-work emphasizing large Gothic windows. Too often the desire to create a wonderful space on the inside can lead to over-designed barn-like structures. Chic maybe, but also pretty dehumanizing. The brief from the beginning for the Amerigo was to create spaces, collections of areas that give the feeling of an intimate but rather grand house. They succeeded and the Amerigo is a beautiful hotel with a great location.
Some parts of Alicante away from the historic centre have not, it’s fair to say, been treated with the respect they deserve. Come to the streets surrounding the Amerigo, however, and it really is a different city altogether. Whilst it’s fairly normal for the old quarters to hide the more traditional gems, Alicante does it rather well with a remarkably cute area of streets for those who like to wander in the evening and take the air in one of the more authentic quarters.
On top of this the hotel is a stone’s throw from the sea-front boulevard but if you feel inclined for something a little more exclusive the Amerigo has a wonderful roof-top terrace with loungers, a pool and bar with views over all of the historic centre.