We had given no thought to visiting Osuna, Spain, a city of 16,500, (a 90-minute bus ride from Seville) until we came across a website for the Casona de Calderon, a small 15-room hotel and restaurant facing one of the town's many plazas, the Plaza Cervantes.
This 17-Century home, has passed through generations of the Calderon family. After an extensive -- and obviously expensive -- restoration, Elena Calderon and her sister Aurora, opened their 'museum hotel' to guests three years ago. In addition to providing information about the local area, Elena took us on a tour of the hotel, taking us through history as she pointed out Roman columns used in the courtyard, family photos, and museum quality art that fill the place.
We had booked a 'junior suite' for three nights, Thursday - Sunday, for a total rate of 270E (about $359US) in early November, 2011. Elena led us to our room through a bricked courtyard. Our 'junior' had been upgraded to a full 'suite', she explained. We would call the 'suite' a casita, or small house, that consisted of a table (for 8) and living room with television, half-bath on the main floor and a large bedroom with canopied bed and full bath on the upstairs second floor. The free wi-fi in the suite worked perfectly throughout our stay.
We began each day in the glass-roofed courtyard eating a European style breakfast that consisted of cold cuts, sliced cheese, fruit and toasted bread on which we poured large amounts of olive oil produced in Osuna and then added a large dollop of fresh tomato salsa (just as we had seen the locals do in various restaurants). It was served with tea or coffee; our favorite being caffe con leche, with the steamed milk added at tableside.
We ended each day in that same courtyard sipping a glass of Spanish wine -- a generous pour for 2E -- and watched the moon play hide and seek in the clouds.
The hotel's location made for an easy walk into the town's central Plaza as well as its street of mansions, (which shouldn't be missed). Using a map provided by the hotel we found both the Osuna City and Archeological museums. It was also a good location from which to walk -- a bit longer and uphill -- to the University and the Roman Necropolis.
The modern Volvo long distance bus that took us from Seville to Osuna cost 13.50E or $18US for the two of us. The 90-minute trip took us through spectacular countryside along the 'Ruta de Washington Irving' (Irving's trip Seville to Granada in the 1800's led to his book, "Tales of the Alhambra".) We used an Osuna taxi to get to the town's train station for a train ride to Malaga when our stay was over.
It was the Casona de Calderon that took us to Osuna the first time and it will likely bring us back to this part of Andalucia. It is a one-of-a-kind type of hotel and worth a visit, especially for history buffs.
