Hotel Palacio Carvajal Girón, Renaissance palace hotel in Plasencia, Spain

Hotel Palacio Carvajal Girón is a Renaissance palace in Plasencia with a facade from that era and a central patio now covered by glass and steel. The patio keeps its original pilasters and balustrades, while the building holds 28 rooms across three floors, a restaurant serving regional food, a gastrobar, and meeting spaces.

The palace's oldest parts date from the second half of the 16th century, built for the Carvajal family on land near the former Jewish quarter, whose synagogue site was vacated at the end of the 15th century. The Carvajal acquired plots in the Algeciras area after the 1492 expulsion. Between 2010 and 2011 the building was substantially renovated for use as a hotel.

The palace takes its name from the Carvajal and Girón lineages, one of Plasencia's leading noble houses, which included Pedro de Carvajal y Girón y Loaysa, bishop of Coria in the early 17th century. It was built on land the family acquired after the Jewish quarter was moved and its synagogue passed to the Cabildo de Clérigos, where the altar of Santa Isabel gave the square its name.

The main entrance is on Plaza de Ansano, while the rear facade opens onto Calle Trujillo, near the Puerta de Trujillo. The building has two interior courtyards, a rear garden and a former carriage area with stables. The granite columns and balustrades of the porticoed patio are worth a look.

Each floor of the hotel displays preserved coffered ceilings from the palace's original period, a detail rarely seen in modern hotels. These carefully restored ceilings give the rooms a depth and craftsmanship that modern construction rarely achieves.