Launched during the pandemic by family-owned wine company González Byass, the world’s first ‘Sherry hotel’ encompasses a collection of former cellar-worker cottages in the Old Town, and practically overlooks the 180-year-old Tío Pepe winery.
Nearby wineries and the city’s main sites attract guests all year round. You’ll find the ornate 17th-century grand cathedral opposite the hotel and the 11th-/12th-century Moorish alcázar fortress just down the street. A five-minute amble brings you to Jerez’s main thoroughfares packed with shops, restaurants, tapas bars and tabancos, the city’s hyper-local taverns known for Sherry served from casks. To dial into the rhythm of Jerez, catch a fiery flamenco show in the evening.
Balancing space, light and art
With the main staircase as a focal point, the property’s guest rooms, suites and communal areas are dispersed around romantic terraces and courtyards. High ceilings, graceful arches, organic textiles and whitewashed walls create space and light in the 27 elegantly appointed rooms.
Rooms range in size and view, with a few boasting private balconies and suites offering separate lounges: all feature original beamed ceilings, antique furniture and hand-selected artworks. Within the roomy bathrooms, you can rinse off the day’s heat in your walk-in rain shower and rehydrate parched skin with organic toiletries from Spanish brand Uvas Frescas. The beautifully manicured grounds feature a fountain surrounded by colourful bougainvillaeas and glossy-leaved orange trees.
On the roof, an expansive terrace replete with loungers and a dipping pool beckons guests from day to night. Potted banana palms accent the space, along with a handful of slingback chairs, umbrellas and tables. At sunset, staff man the bar, pouring Sherry, cocktails and wine while a live musician strums a Spanish guitar to complete the dreamy setting.
If you’re bent on fitness beyond city strolls, a compact gym off the rooftop should do the trick. You’ll find cardio equipment, free weights and mats for stretching and yoga.
For additional needs, ask the helpful staff at the front desk, which is open 24 hours a day. They’re happy to arrange on-site massages, restaurant reservations and tastings at Tío Pepe and nearby bodegas.
Wine and gastronomy
In the land of Andalucían cuisine, the restaurant’s gastronomic flair and deep wine cellar shine. Thanks to chef Alejandro Bazán, the hotel restaurant Pedro Nolasco holds its own in flavour and freshness against the city’s heavyweight newcomers, each with a Michelin star, Mantúa and Lú Cocina y Alma.
On a clear night, you’ll want a table on the terrace overlooking the cathedral. Start with a glass of Tres Palmas fino and a platter of glistening Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, or acorn-fed Iberian ham. Under the ‘life is sharing’ menu, try crunchy prawns with a perfectly poached egg wrapped in razor-thin pork jowl. Pork enthusiasts should carry on with a main dish of cochinillo asado or roast suckling pig in a mango-spiked sweet and sour palo cortado sauce. Otherwise, the gently charred octopus offers a taste of the nearby Gulf of Cadiz.
In the morning, the hotel serves breakfast in Pedro Nolasco’s quiet, leafy gardens. The menu includes coffee, freshly-squeezed orange juice, eggs cooked to order, local pastries and mollete bread paired with jamón and local cheese.
Save one afternoon for a winery tour, whether the introductory experience, a technical tasting or an in-depth look at VORS. Founded in 1835, Bodegas Tío Pepe remains one of Spain’s most prestigious Sherry wineries. To get there, look for the mural of the brand’s icon – a fino bottle donning a tilted red hat, jacket and guitar – which marks the trellised corridor. The basic tour ends with two glasses of Sherry and the lingering question of when you’ll return to Jerez.
For more information, visit Hotel Bodega Tío Pepe
