The Casino de Murcia — located in the city of Murcia, Spain — is an exclusive social club. I’ve always loved the idea of a “gentlemen’s club” like this. A place where you could sit in leather chairs all day, reading the newspaper and chatting with friends. To be honest, it’s the idea of being wealthy and idle that appeals to me the most, but the lavish decoration has its charms, too. This particular club is housed in an 1852 building that was modified throughout the years before undergoing a complete restoration/renovation and reopening in 2009. If I could ever join such a club, this would be it. While it is still an exclusive club, the building is open to the public during certain hours so that all can marvel over this ornate architectural jewel.

Upon entering, you find yourself in this multi-story, glass canopied foyer. For those of you that saw my post on the Alhambra, this is like seeing that building in all its multi-colored splendor. It’s truly incredible.

Continuing inside, the ornamentation becomes a tiny bit more restrained, but it is still extravagant. Sitting rooms, ballrooms, libraries, and sculpture galleries: all the things you need to survive in style.

Nearly life-sized paintings of women in traditional Murcian dress hang in one room, but my favorite space was the billiard hall:

The men here were gracious enough to take some time to explain the rules of this pocket-less pool. More complicated than it looks, it requires striking all the balls on the table in one shot, after banking off of a certain number of bumpers first. I think all-in-all, it’s easier to play the version with pockets.

I’m now — more than ever — longing to be able to say the words, “I’ll be at the club.”