Spain
This three-star hotel is located right in the heart of Granada. As well as its location, the great feature of the hotel is the roof top terrace. In the day you can sunbathe on the roof with a great view of the Alhambra and the Sierra Nevada. At night the roof top terrace becomes a bar/ restaurant. Even if you are not staying in the hotel, its worth popping up on the roof at night for a drink and the view.
We booked via a well known hotel website and got rooms for £40 per night.
www.hotelcarmen.com/granadahotel/esp/index.htm
Acera del Darro , 62 ,18005 Granada
+34 95 825 83 00
Google map: bit.ly/ovZFIS
In Las Alpujarras is a traditional group of homesteads and farm buildings which have been beautifully transformed into an hotel/apartment complex, enjoying fantastic views of the Sierra Nevada National Park. We (wife, son and I ) stayed there in 2009 and enjoyed this peaceful, idyllic location including it's inexpensive fine menu and wines. It has it's own vineyard, stables, hermitage and swimming pool to enjoy. Heaven!
www.alqueriamorayma.com/
Carretera A348, Km, 50, 18440 Cádiar, Spain
+34958 34 32 21
Google map: bit.ly/j6hHlu
This hotel has excellent and very helpful staff, is spotlessly clean, serves a lovely breakfast, is close to all major attractions and the town centre, and offers free Wi-Fi. A very pleasant place to stay while in Granada.
+34 958 130 009, www.hotelgranadasaray.com
A lovely villa, right in the city centre of Granada. It actually shares its garden wall with the Alhambra. It is a big place, with gardens and a swimming pool (quite rare in any city centre).
Bars, restaurants, shops and the magnificent Alhambra palace all in easy walking distance. Most of the terraces have fantastic views over the Albaicin (old Arabic quarter). It may seem a bit on the expensive side, but really isn't when you take a reasonable sized group and see the price per person.
We used the villa for a joint family holiday, it was perfect as it catered to all of us - adults, teenagers and the smaller kids. Definitely one of our top three family holidays.
Ultra stylish newly built hotel - offers top quality accomodation at very reasonable prices probably because it is a few miles from city centre.
Fantastic reception team who really wanted to help.
www.abadesnevadapalace.com/en/
www.abadesnevadapalace.com/en/
This is the absolutely ideal place - as originally recommended by the Guardian. Perfect and funky attention to detail, great and helpful service, the right balance of privacy and community if you want it, easy access to the best of both worlds - old and new city; stunning views, no traffic noise as it's in the middle of the UNESCO world heritage pedestrian zone of the Arab old city, the Albaicin. And it turns out to be the absolute cheapest option in town - if there are more than two of you travelling together, it even works out cheaper than a bunk in a backpackers dorm. So with the individual kitchen in each apartment this is an ideal budget location, too. Or use it as a hotel, don't even bother cooking, and dine out in style in the fab tapas bars and restaurants all around.
We stayed in this charming house last June and had a lovely time. The house is comfortable and can sleep up to 6 people and has its own garden with amazing views of the Alhambra. It was fantastic to be able to sit out in the evenings with something to eat and a bottle of wine and just unwind after a day of exploring Granada. It was the perfect base and one of the best holidays I've ever had. We booked it through Granadainfo who were extremely helpful. They have a great website with lots of information about Granada (what to see and do, etc.) and it was good to have someone on the other end of a phone to answer any questions we had.
The house is in Granada's old quarter and its website is granadainfo.com/bo/index.htm
Slightly off the tourist trail situated just off the 'Plaza Trinidad' below the Cathedral (so no snappers on the doorstep).
Yes, the decor a is a little OTT including the large basket of faux fruit, (check the web link) but it made for an amusing start to the holiday.
We only stayed for two days (late Feb 2008) so didn't spend much time in or around the hostel but the location was perfectly within walking distance of the Cathedral (2mins), the Albaicin quarter (3/4mins) and the Alhambra (10/15mins to the ticket office); however, if your holiday party includes people not as fit as most then something a little closer to or in the Albaicin might be better as the city is sited on a gradiant with the hostel at the bottom.
Some of the rooms (and the one we stayed in) are situated in a building two doors from the main hostel with the reception.
We had the apartment, but looking back this was perhaps a waste of 20 euros per night as the only things (I imagine) we gained was a flight of stairs to reach our room on the top floor, a tiny 'kitchen' food prep area and tiny terrace with no view.
The kitchen wasn't much use due to the lack of pans (for the two-plate hob) or kettle so no night-time cocoa or early morning tea. Only coffee drinkers were catered for with a stove top coffee pot, but all they provided was clean etc.
Everything in the apartment was clean, tidy and hygenic however the notice in the bathroom reading 'Please do not flush towels, use the bin provided'; with a rather dubious looking open-topped wastepaper bin beside the toilet was a little offputting...
Overall, I'd recommend a stay because the owners are so nice and friendly, making no fuss over the fact we were a gay male couple... but perhaps not in the apartment as it wasn't much use in the end. Save those additional euros for some tapas or drinks in the bustling bar on the plaza instead or the fantastic veggie restaurant Botanico on C/Malaga round the corner.
www.hostallimagranada.com/en/index2.htm
travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/europe/spain/andalusia/granada/restaurant-detail.html?vid=1154654636214
A wonderful unspoiled village high above Orgiva in La Alpujarra, with fantastic views towards the Mediterranean. The village is on the GR7 route, so walking is terrific.
Stay in one of the local rental apartments mentioned below - they're excellent.
This is a comfortable hostel with great facilities. The rooms are kept in immaculate condition and the hostel is in a great setting with shops and restaurants barely a minute away. The park named after the famous playwright Garcia Lorca is right opposite the building.
The kind and jolly owner will help you with anything - in fact, he helped me to settle into the Spanish way of life and to find a flat to share while I was studying in Granada. Without a doubt, the best and most memorable hostel I've ever stayed in.
C/Infanta Beatriz, 3
18412 Granada
The hostel is on the western side of Granada on the ring road.
Take a taxi or take bus no 10 from Granada's bus station. Count 10 stops (including the first one) and get off at the 5th one (Glorieta Arabial). Walk 50m from the stop and on your right you'll see the Caja Granada bank. Cross over the Camino de Ronda (Granada's ring road) and make a right turn down the first street on your right. This is C/Infanta Beatriz. Look out for a palm tree and this hostel is in the corner of building no3.
The Granada RENFE train station is a 15-20 min walk away.
These are cave houses in the old town (Barrio Sacromonte) - a great place to stay practically overlooking the Alhambra.
Friendly staff. Basic but clean, with good showers!
We stayed in a double but I think there are bigger ones available. They also include small kitchen/dining areas for those who want to self-cater.
The old town is great (lots of bars, restaurants, nice squares) but if you want to go into the main town, it's only a short leisurely walk.
A guesthouse run by by Brits for a cosmopolitan and sporty crowd. The purpose-built accommodation is five minutes outside of a tiny village called Santa Cruz, near to Alhama de Granada.
Geoff and Sally the hosts can recommend local bars and restaurants, or serve a dinner of local produce and wine on request.
They also provide walking and cycling suggestions which we thought were fantastic, and meant that we saw a lot more of the local area than we had expected to manage.
The hotel is near enough to the Sierra Nevada ski resort to be on the slopes in just over an hour apparently.
Alhama de Granada itself is a spa town and has hot springs which you can cycle to. Local families use them by day and they are a favourite chillout spot post-clubbing.
www.elamparo-granada.com
Cortijo Lorenzo, Santa Cruz del Comercio, 181292 Granada
Tel: 00 34 628 96 7755
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)
Stay in your own little white-washed house, nestling in the Alpujarras. The owners cultivate organic vines, olives, figs and almonds, some of which end up on the table at dinner. With a swimming pool, library and bodega, this is the perfect get-away.
www.alqueriamorayma.com
CÁDIAR - GRANADA - ALPUJARRA - ANDALUCÍA
Tlf. 958 34 32 21 - 958 34 33 03
The last stronghold of the Moors in Iberia, the Alpujarras is an unspoiled region of hilltop villages spilling down from the Sierra Nevada mountains south of Granada. Up here the mule is still an essential form of transport and tapas are still free when you buy a glass of wine in a village bar. Fabulous area for walking and birdwatching.
We stayed in a lovely, newly reformed holiday let with stunning views in Juvíles, one of the highest and prettiest of the villages, about an hour and a half from Granada city.
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
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.
Vegetarian/vegan restaurant and tiny guesthouse in the Alpuharas Mountains outside of Granada. After weeks of salad and chips, this vegetarian couldn't get enough of the varied and inventive multicultural fare on offer. Set in a peaceful village, situated in the heart of trekking country, it’s a perfect break in the journey or a place to unwind at the end of the day. Recommended in Rough Guide to Andalucia, but should be more widely known.
Calle Alberca s/n, 18416 Mecina Fondales, La Taha, Granada;
tel: 958857 501;
www.ivu.org/atelier
An old 15th century grand house with an open courtyard that overlooks the Alhambra which is floodlit at night. There are inward and outward facing rooms. Very atmospheric and within easy walking distrance of the Albaicin area. Has Ac and central heating. Very cosy in Jan this year 2006. Helpful staff.
Dine at El Huerto de Juan Ranas which over looks the alhambra, tapas at bodega castaneda in calle almireceros.
Cuesta De La ictoria 9m 18010 Granda
Tel +34 958 221 100
info@hotelcasamorisca.com
The Carmen is a large four-star hotel in the centre of Granada. It has a restaurant serving excellent breakfasts and evening meals, a large comfortable lounge with bar, a piano bar, outdoor pool and roof terrace. Everything about it is high quality; from the bedrooms and public rooms, to the efficiency and friendliness of the staff.
The Carmen is quiet and relaxing, depite being only a five-minute walk from the cathedral and a ten-minute bus or taxi ride from the Alhambra.
Acera del Darro, 62 Granada, ES 18005
Tel: +34 958258300
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