Fodor's Expert Review La Casa Grande

Built in 1729, this extraordinary 18th-century mansion encircles a central patio with lush vegetation and is perched on the edge of the 400-foot cliff to which Arcos de la Frontera clings. Inside, Catalan owner Elena Posa has restored each room, and the artwork, the casually elegant style, and the inventive bathrooms are all a delight. The breakfast terrace allows you to look down on hundreds of swallows circling over the riverbed below. The rooftop rooms, El Palomar (the Pigeon Roost) and El Soberao (the Attic), are the best, but the Cuarto Bajo and Cuarto y Mitad rooms have large terraces.