The Castle stands on a rock on the ravine where the waves break all day long. It possesses a square base and tower, two storeys covered with vaulted ceiling arris vaults and pointed arched windows. According to the Diputación Provincial de Cádiz ( Government of the Province of Cádiz) the castle dates back to the Arab period, according to historical documents, Chipiona was conquered by Fernando III “The Saint” in 1251, and reconquered in 1261 by his son Alfonso X “The Wise”.
It was restored in 1527 and up to 1651 it was full of soldiers to defend and watch the castle due to the constant plundering/sacking by pirates, Moorish, berebers and Turkish, even the famous pirate Redbeard is said to have been here. In the 19th century it was used as a Guardia Civil headquarter.
The earliest reference of being used as a hotel is from 1887, Royal Hotel.
For many years, the castle was a fortress and watchtower for the defence of its inhabitants, creating the first population nucleus near it until it finally became a hotel from 1890 to 1989, closing down due to disagreements between the partners, leaving it then abandoned and in ruins until 26 December 2000, when the City council of Chipiona acquired it.
