Arab baths in Granada

Let’s go to the foot of the spectacular Alhambra. This is a unique setting, and the Arab bath here is also unique - it was the first to be opened in Spain, five centuries after the Catholic Monarchs decided to close them down.After a day exploring the gardens and palaces of the Alhambra, it’s time to relax in the warm, hot and cold waters. There is also a steam room and a room for massages such as the traditional kessa: as you lie on a hot stone bed, a thick layer of natural soap is applied to your body with a cotton fibre glove. After floating in the water or sipping a mint tea, it’s easy to imagine yourself in bygone times, when the baths were social centres as well as places to relax.

The final suggestion doesn’t involve bathing, but it is a time-travelling treat. As well as the luxurious baths of Baños Reales and the Comares de la Alhambra, Granada has historic Arab baths to visit. These are the 11th century baths of El Bañuelo, perhaps the oldest and best-preserved in Spain. They are among the few that escaped the destruction of the Catholic Monarchs, and their brick vaults with star-shaped openings are a wonderful sight.