Spain
A good value, friendly hotel. Convenient location with only a short walk to bars, restaurants or public transport, including the Alhambra bus that you will be catching early, if you forgot to buy tickets in advance!
The hotel is calm and quiet and has a nice central courtyard with a fountain (everywhere in Granada seems to have some sort of flowing water and it is surprisingly soothing I think).
It is possible to reserve parking space in a private carpark. It was unusually cold whilst we stayed there and we were glad of the tea-making facilities and bath, though neither felt like a very spanish touch to the room!
Triana Baja 7
Tel: +34 958 27 19 79
www.abadiahotelgranada.com
abadiahotel@gmail.com
(I found availability at booking.com when the abadia website showed full occupancy, so try there if no joy)
A great tapas bar/store on the edge of Elvira (so it is convenient for late nights). A deli by day, you can sample local wines by the glass, each with free tapas- carefully made by the young team.
Order a tabla mixta and you won't need to eat any more, all night! If you want foodie souvenirs they also sell a wide range of local specialities, fresh and dried as well as wines and liqueurs. It is a surprisingly buzzy and friendly place and very popular with locals.
Calle Elvira 150
www.alsurdegranada.net
Tel: 958 270 245
A small airport with a relaxed atmosphere and a good restaurant, plenty of car hire firms nearby and served by Monarch from Gatwick.
Ocana is a bar/restaurant/ bocadilleria/pizzeria. It's an interesting place with friendly staff, and away from the main tourist areas.
The thing that made it special when we visited (about 5 years ago) was that it was still serving tapas in the traditional way - with every beer, you get a free snack, each one different. The chef was a bit perplexed when we got up to our ninth beer one night!
Parts of the building are pretty old, and the staff were proud to show us around the areas that weren't in use at the time when they saw we were interested.
The patron is a great supporter of local musicians, and eagerly told us (despite very limited English) about a recital of flamenco guitar and singing that was taking place nearby.
If you don't speak Spanish, take a phrase book and be prepared to use it!
Plaza del Realejo, 1
Tel: 958 25 64 70
After many trips to Granada I finaly found the perfect place to stay. Its one of those secret places you find that you don't want anyone else to know about, but the owner is a cool guy and I would like to see him do well. Plus it's the best deal in town. With views of the Alhambra from the roof top terraza.
Aljibe de las Tomasas, in the Albayzín, Granada;
tel: (0034) 958 22 0682, or mobile: (0034) 610 32 22 16;
email: info@elnumero8.com;
www.elnumero8.com
There's no better place to sit for a late lunch, enjoying a bottle of chilled Rueda, than Bar Kiki, just off the Mirador de San Nicolas. Their food is good, the ambiance is great, and you can sample some typical Morisco specialties of the area.
For real foodies, check out the new Mediterranean Cooking School, which offers food market tours and multi-day cooking vacations. The School also has apartment rentals.
Bar Kiki: Mirador de San Nicolas, Albaicin, next to Inglesia San Nicolas
Mediterranean Cooking School - tel: 958 201 557 ;
email: info@alhambratravel.com;
www.alhambratravel.com
A beautiful unspoilt village to the north of Granada on the route of the Caliphs.
With a 14th Century Moorish Castle towering over the village, views to the Sierra Nevada and down into Granada, the village is an excellent base from which to explore all around the Granada province and even Cordoba.
Not much English spoken in the village but there are two great bars that both do food, a village shop and the church with the famous painting of El Cristo del Paño (The Christ of/in the Cloth).
www.spanishhideaway.co.uk - where we stayed and info about the village in English, or in Spanish : www.pueblos-espana.org/andalucia/granada/moclin/
These rental apartments put you in the heart of the Albaicin district and include a traditional Casa Cueva (cave house). Lovely terraces, and you can walk to flamenco shows in Sacromonte.
A traditional Spanish delicatessen offering the very best of Andalucian products. From outstanding, award winning wines through to high quality oils and vinegars and other deli goods. The orange jam is a must try. And be sure to take home a goats cheese in rosemary – it’s the best you will ever taste. All products are locally sourced and the owner is an Englishman called James who has lived in Granada for nearly 20 years.
Calle San Jerónimo, 3;
tel: 958 206890
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