Boutique Hotel de Su Merced

The building is more than two hundred years old, a house in central Sucre converted room by room into a family-run boutique hotel. Its ceilings, wardrobes, beds and paintings have been restored rather than replaced, kept as evidence of the owners' own history in the property. The result sits between two registers: colonial bones and a modern hotel's practical needs. Rooms range from standard doubles and twins to a triple and an exclusive suite, each with a private bathroom, and several look onto the terraces and belfries of the churches next door. Wi-Fi runs at high speed and satellite television is standard, so the antique furniture is not asked to carry the whole experience alone. At the centre of the house is a patio, used for quiet mornings or evening appetisers, and three terraces sit above it, one with a clear view over Sucre's old town. Plugs and umbrellas have been added for guests working outdoors. It is a compact stay. An auditorium seats eight for meetings, with a waiting room alongside for guests. A separate bed and breakfast annex, Jardín de Su Merced, stands on a ramp 600 metres from the main square, with its own garden-facing rooms. Meals are taken in a small dining room, à la carte, built around home cooking rather than a set menu.