Five Best: Convent hotels

You don't have to be religious to enjoy some quiet contemplation in these once holy luxury retreats, says Kitty Melrose

Hospederia Convento de La Parra, Spain

Built in 1673, this former convent in Extremadura was home to the Order of Santa Clara. The nuns left in 1978, but they would approve: now a 21-room hotel, it is still a place for peaceful contemplation. The cloisters are beautiful, the decor both monastic and minimalist - whitewashed walls, beams, muslin, terracotta floors. The simply elegant bedrooms - no TV or radio - go from nun's-cell singles to suites with wood-burning stoves. Outside, flowers overhang the pool.

Hospederia Convento de La Parra, Santa Maria 16, La Parra, Badajoz, Spain (00 34 924 682 692; www.laparra.net). Doubles from €111 (£79), including breakfast

Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, Italy

You're assured a warm welcome at the Santa Maria, a grand B&B in Puglia. A convent back in the 15th century, Lord and Lady McAlpine (but please call them Alistair and Athena) transformed it into their home, offering eight rooms to guests four years ago. Alistair, an avid art collector, has filled it with pieces from around the world. The ethos is "help yourself" - to books, wine cellar, pool and music. The food is "indulgent and sumptuous", says Athena.

Il Convento di Santa Maria di Costantinopoli, Via Convento, Marittima di Diso, Puglia, Italy (UK mobile 07736 362328; no website). Doubles from €350 (£250), including breakfast, lunch, drinks and laundry.

Hôtel Jules César, France

Once a 17th-century Carmelite convent, the Jules-César, right in the centre of Arles, is now a romantic hotel with the reputation - despite its imposing lobby - of nothing being too much trouble. Most of the 53 rooms overlook the pretty cloister or the swimming pool, and the interior decor is traditional Provençal, with rustic antiques collected at auctions dotted throughout, and cool, high arched ceilings. The hotel also owns the beautiful chapel attached, where you can even get married, and the restaurant is one of the best in the region.

Hôtel Jules-César, 9 boulevard des Lices, Arles (00 33 4 90 52 52 52; www.hotel-julescesar.fr) Doubles from €160 (£114) room only

Pousada Flor da Rosa, Portugal

One Friar Pereira ordered the construction of this convent in 1356, in an Alentejo village near Crato. It was augmented over time, becoming a castle, then a palace. Today, it's a hotel, and an architectural treat, with the original vaulted ceilings, stone walls and medieval cloisters, as well as fortress towers and arrow slits. The 24 rooms are furnished with modern pieces (ask for rooms in the old wing), and dinner is served in the old refectory (try the veal steak with cheese, and other traditional Alentejo recipes). The original design of the garden, in the shape of the Cross of Malta, has been lovingly maintained.

Pousada Flor da Rosa, Crato, Portugal (00 351 245 997 210; www.pousadas.pt; book via Keytel 020-7616 0300; www.keytel.co.uk). Doubles from €200 (£142), with breakfast

Hotel Charleston Cartagena, Colombia

The Convento de Santa Teresa was built in the 17th century around two courtyards in the heart of Cartagena, on Colombia's Caribbean coast. Now a five-star hotel, it has 91 large rooms, all facing either the ocean or the walled city, and an atmospheric interior, with wooden doors, religious statues, gilded mirrors and sweeping staircases. The one-time convent now offers sensual treats: massages in the spa, four restaurants for local specialities, and a rooftop pool with an amazing view.

Charleston Cartagena Hotel, Carrera 3, 31-23 Centro Plaza Santa Teresa, Cartagena, Colombia (00 57 5 664 9494; www.hoteles-charleston.com). Doubles from US$243 (£143), room only