Trip Report, Madrid, Seville, Granada, Cordoba
Jul 1st, 2016, 01:19 PM
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Trip Report, Madrid, Seville, Granada, Cordoba
Trip Report Southern Spain March 11-27, 2016
This is a trip report on our travels to Southern Spain this past spring. We went to Madrid, Seville, Granada, and Cordoba.
First, in general terms, we made all the arrangements ourselves. We used this wonderful forum and Trip Advisor to investigate hotels and guides. Thanks to the many who provided input during our planning.
Hotels:
Madrid: Hotel Preciados. Very well located and good service. Nearby everything. The Hotel arranged for airport pick-up which was very helpful. We paid about 222 euros plus tax including breakfast for a two room suite. The rooms are very modern which we found to be a bit “cold” and had all kinds of fancy lights and light switches. There were so many switches that glowed in the night we had a very difficult time sleeping. Amazing breakfast buffet. I would not recommend this hotel if you like sleeping in a dark room. We stayed at a different hotel on our return to Madrid.
Seville: El Rey Moro. This was a wonderful hotel in the old quarter with very narrow streets. We flew in from Morocco and the hotel arranged for taxi pick-up. This was essential since the taxi cannot drive you to the hotel. They stop about a block away and have to walk you up narrow walking streets to the hotel. This was not an issue and made for a wonderful hotel setting. As you enter the hotel, you are greeted by a fantastic courtyard and very helpful staff. Our room was great and about 277 euros for a junior suite including an amazing breakfast buffet. The location was terrific and we walked to every major site and there were so many restaurants to select from we had difficulty choosing among them. We just ate tapas everywhere. The Seville “Free Walking Tour” picks up at this hotel. It is well worth it so tip the guide generously.
Granada: Palacio de Santa Ines. This is a very special hotel in a very special city. It was a 16th century palace and we stayed in what was the living room. It was the largest hotel room that we have every reserved. The room was the size of a volleyball court with high enough ceilings to play. The wood work and ceilings bring strong feelings of the 16th century and the thick double paned windows kept out the night club noise down the alley. It’s the location, however, that is a knockout. It is in the heart of the Albayzín which is a long promenade which is at the base of the Alhambra. It should be noted that while this hotel is accessible by stairs up an alley, it is not in the hilly or steep part of the Albayzin ofen described in tour books. Anyone who can walk a flight of stairs up and down to the Paseo del Padre Manjon can easily manage this very unique hotel. From this hotel, we walked everywhere including to the bus stop to get up to the Alhambra (more on this later). Every evening on the promenade there are street entertainers and on Sunday, there was an art fair. Of course, plenty of great food awaits you. We paid 270 euros per night including breakfast for the best room in the Inn.
Cordoba: La Hospederia de El Churrasco. This is another boutique hotel in a small alley just a few blocks from Mezquita. Our relatively small room had a great outdoor balcony where we could have a drink and listen to the sounds of the church bells. The location was terrific and service good. 239 euros w/ breakfast.
Madrid: Returning to Madrid, we stayed at the Hotel Intur Palacio San Martin. This is also wonderfully located and only a few blocks from the Hotel Preciados. It was about the same price (228 euros) including breakfast) but much nicer. The central court allowed casual seating and the overall service was better the Preciados. Again, you can walk every major site from this hotel. We would stay here again if we return to Madrid.
Highlights:
Madrid: On our first day, we went to the Plaza Mayor for the morning FREE Walking Tour of Madrid. The tour was three hours and was fantastic. The guide makes money only if you choose to tip which, of course, we did. The guide spoke perfect English and was very knowledgeable about the social and political history of Madrid and Spain. We couldn’t have been more pleased. Obviously, the Prado was amazing. We got for free in the evening but you need to get in line early. Our second visit, we decided to pay and go during the day. BTW: throughout Spain we got senior rates at all the sites…we are not too proud to ask! Mostly, we enjoyed the street life in Madrid. Also took the train to Segovia which was well worth the ½ day journey.
Seville: The Free Walking Tour was excellent. It was very comprehensive and gave us a great overview of Seville and places we could return to on our own. The Bull Fighting Ring was closed but the museum/tour was well worth it no matter how you feel about bull fighting. HINT: Get tickets to the Alcazar online. We got them just the night before we wanted to go and saved hours of standing in line. The audioguide of the Alcazar was well worth it and the special tour of the upstairs Royal Palace with worth the few extra euros you have to pay BUT make sure you get reservations ahead of time.
Granada: We arranged for our tickets and private tour of the Alhambra through Anne Gangemi who runs www.granadapicnictours.com. She did everything for us. She arranged to get us at our hotel, got our tickets and reservations to the Alhambra, and arranged for a wonderful private guide. I'm not sure we could have managed without guide and going with a large tour group looked very unappealing as we walked around at our own pace asking our own questions. This is definitely the way to go. It was 78 euros per person and the best money spent. We also signed up for Tapas tour with Anne and her husband for 48 euros each and they brought us to local places that we would have never found. They are also wonderful people to hang out with.
Transportation: We travel from city to city by train or bus. Both were very easy. I was reluctant to take the train/bus from Seville to Granada but it was so simple and efficient.
Food: Sorry, I don’t have a report on food. We just stopped in places recommended by the hotels or other travelers and never had a bad meal. All were moderately priced but I didn’t keep track of specific names.
This is a trip report on our travels to Southern Spain this past spring. We went to Madrid, Seville, Granada, and Cordoba.
First, in general terms, we made all the arrangements ourselves. We used this wonderful forum and Trip Advisor to investigate hotels and guides. Thanks to the many who provided input during our planning.
Hotels:
Madrid: Hotel Preciados. Very well located and good service. Nearby everything. The Hotel arranged for airport pick-up which was very helpful. We paid about 222 euros plus tax including breakfast for a two room suite. The rooms are very modern which we found to be a bit “cold” and had all kinds of fancy lights and light switches. There were so many switches that glowed in the night we had a very difficult time sleeping. Amazing breakfast buffet. I would not recommend this hotel if you like sleeping in a dark room. We stayed at a different hotel on our return to Madrid.
Seville: El Rey Moro. This was a wonderful hotel in the old quarter with very narrow streets. We flew in from Morocco and the hotel arranged for taxi pick-up. This was essential since the taxi cannot drive you to the hotel. They stop about a block away and have to walk you up narrow walking streets to the hotel. This was not an issue and made for a wonderful hotel setting. As you enter the hotel, you are greeted by a fantastic courtyard and very helpful staff. Our room was great and about 277 euros for a junior suite including an amazing breakfast buffet. The location was terrific and we walked to every major site and there were so many restaurants to select from we had difficulty choosing among them. We just ate tapas everywhere. The Seville “Free Walking Tour” picks up at this hotel. It is well worth it so tip the guide generously.
Granada: Palacio de Santa Ines. This is a very special hotel in a very special city. It was a 16th century palace and we stayed in what was the living room. It was the largest hotel room that we have every reserved. The room was the size of a volleyball court with high enough ceilings to play. The wood work and ceilings bring strong feelings of the 16th century and the thick double paned windows kept out the night club noise down the alley. It’s the location, however, that is a knockout. It is in the heart of the Albayzín which is a long promenade which is at the base of the Alhambra. It should be noted that while this hotel is accessible by stairs up an alley, it is not in the hilly or steep part of the Albayzin ofen described in tour books. Anyone who can walk a flight of stairs up and down to the Paseo del Padre Manjon can easily manage this very unique hotel. From this hotel, we walked everywhere including to the bus stop to get up to the Alhambra (more on this later). Every evening on the promenade there are street entertainers and on Sunday, there was an art fair. Of course, plenty of great food awaits you. We paid 270 euros per night including breakfast for the best room in the Inn.
Cordoba: La Hospederia de El Churrasco. This is another boutique hotel in a small alley just a few blocks from Mezquita. Our relatively small room had a great outdoor balcony where we could have a drink and listen to the sounds of the church bells. The location was terrific and service good. 239 euros w/ breakfast.
Madrid: Returning to Madrid, we stayed at the Hotel Intur Palacio San Martin. This is also wonderfully located and only a few blocks from the Hotel Preciados. It was about the same price (228 euros) including breakfast) but much nicer. The central court allowed casual seating and the overall service was better the Preciados. Again, you can walk every major site from this hotel. We would stay here again if we return to Madrid.
Highlights:
Madrid: On our first day, we went to the Plaza Mayor for the morning FREE Walking Tour of Madrid. The tour was three hours and was fantastic. The guide makes money only if you choose to tip which, of course, we did. The guide spoke perfect English and was very knowledgeable about the social and political history of Madrid and Spain. We couldn’t have been more pleased. Obviously, the Prado was amazing. We got for free in the evening but you need to get in line early. Our second visit, we decided to pay and go during the day. BTW: throughout Spain we got senior rates at all the sites…we are not too proud to ask! Mostly, we enjoyed the street life in Madrid. Also took the train to Segovia which was well worth the ½ day journey.
Seville: The Free Walking Tour was excellent. It was very comprehensive and gave us a great overview of Seville and places we could return to on our own. The Bull Fighting Ring was closed but the museum/tour was well worth it no matter how you feel about bull fighting. HINT: Get tickets to the Alcazar online. We got them just the night before we wanted to go and saved hours of standing in line. The audioguide of the Alcazar was well worth it and the special tour of the upstairs Royal Palace with worth the few extra euros you have to pay BUT make sure you get reservations ahead of time.
Granada: We arranged for our tickets and private tour of the Alhambra through Anne Gangemi who runs www.granadapicnictours.com. She did everything for us. She arranged to get us at our hotel, got our tickets and reservations to the Alhambra, and arranged for a wonderful private guide. I'm not sure we could have managed without guide and going with a large tour group looked very unappealing as we walked around at our own pace asking our own questions. This is definitely the way to go. It was 78 euros per person and the best money spent. We also signed up for Tapas tour with Anne and her husband for 48 euros each and they brought us to local places that we would have never found. They are also wonderful people to hang out with.
Transportation: We travel from city to city by train or bus. Both were very easy. I was reluctant to take the train/bus from Seville to Granada but it was so simple and efficient.
Food: Sorry, I don’t have a report on food. We just stopped in places recommended by the hotels or other travelers and never had a bad meal. All were moderately priced but I didn’t keep track of specific names.
Jul 1st, 2016, 02:11 PM
#2
great report, KCS and I like the very clear way you've laid it out, thank you.
One question, why do you think that you couldn't have negotiated the Alhambra without a guide? We had the Green Michelin guide to Spain; we read a lot about it before we went and found it easy to walk round and understand. did we miss something?
One question, why do you think that you couldn't have negotiated the Alhambra without a guide? We had the Green Michelin guide to Spain; we read a lot about it before we went and found it easy to walk round and understand. did we miss something?
Jul 2nd, 2016, 09:43 AM
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Hi,
I'm sure you didn't miss anything but the Alhambra was so big I'm not sure we would have gotten all the highlights without a guide or really doing the homework that you did. The guide also provided deeper historical and contextual information than a guide book can provide...It's expensive to have a private guide but this stage in our lives we find it more efficient that doing our homework which we don't have time to do...just an option, not necessarily better.
KSC
I'm sure you didn't miss anything but the Alhambra was so big I'm not sure we would have gotten all the highlights without a guide or really doing the homework that you did. The guide also provided deeper historical and contextual information than a guide book can provide...It's expensive to have a private guide but this stage in our lives we find it more efficient that doing our homework which we don't have time to do...just an option, not necessarily better.
KSC
Aug 6th, 2016, 02:54 PM
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I am in early stages of thinking about going to Spain next year. My tentative list of places to visit is same as yours but only common time both my daughter and I can get off work is early June. Wonder if heat would make trip difficult then. Thanks for sharing.
Aug 6th, 2016, 11:08 PM
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CLBtravel
Early June usually starts to get warm in inland Spain, statistics says high 80's for Sevilla, and that is about what to expect in all these cities. http://www.wetteronline.de/klima-temperatur/sevilla
Perhaps break it up with a couple of days in fabulous and cooler Málaga by the Med, an easy and quick travel from all of the other cities. 3000 year old Málaga is one of the oldest cities in Europe, and the only Spanish city on your list which is recommended in the New York Times' "Places to go in 2016" - "Beauty, but now a cultural capital, too." http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...isit.html?_r=0
Málaga is fabulous sights - the Roman theater, the Moorish alcazaba fortress (much older than Alhambra in Granada), the Gibralfaro, the huge 16th century Cathedral, the Picasso museum, the Picasso home, the Carmen Thyssen museum, the Pompidou center, the Russian museum and tons of other museums. Great cafés, tapas bars, restaurants, theaters, concerts, shopping, and genuine laid-back Andalucian atmosphere. Fine beaches in and around the city. My favourite city in Andalucía after much traveling in the region the past 14 years.
By the end of 2016 two both old and new attractions open in Málaga, the 1926 Gran Hotel Miramar reopens as a five star luxcury hotel with five restaurants, and the Museo de Málaga opens in the former customs building (Palacio de Aduana) as both an archeological and arts museum.
Gran Hotel Miramar Resort & spa: http://www.granhotelmiramarmalaga.com/en/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s6t-9Rsl7s
Museo de Málaga:
http://www.malagaturismo.com/en/tour...ana-palace/446
http://www.museosdeandalucia.es/cult...os/MMA/?lng=en
Early June usually starts to get warm in inland Spain, statistics says high 80's for Sevilla, and that is about what to expect in all these cities. http://www.wetteronline.de/klima-temperatur/sevilla
Perhaps break it up with a couple of days in fabulous and cooler Málaga by the Med, an easy and quick travel from all of the other cities. 3000 year old Málaga is one of the oldest cities in Europe, and the only Spanish city on your list which is recommended in the New York Times' "Places to go in 2016" - "Beauty, but now a cultural capital, too." http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...isit.html?_r=0
Málaga is fabulous sights - the Roman theater, the Moorish alcazaba fortress (much older than Alhambra in Granada), the Gibralfaro, the huge 16th century Cathedral, the Picasso museum, the Picasso home, the Carmen Thyssen museum, the Pompidou center, the Russian museum and tons of other museums. Great cafés, tapas bars, restaurants, theaters, concerts, shopping, and genuine laid-back Andalucian atmosphere. Fine beaches in and around the city. My favourite city in Andalucía after much traveling in the region the past 14 years.
By the end of 2016 two both old and new attractions open in Málaga, the 1926 Gran Hotel Miramar reopens as a five star luxcury hotel with five restaurants, and the Museo de Málaga opens in the former customs building (Palacio de Aduana) as both an archeological and arts museum.
Gran Hotel Miramar Resort & spa: http://www.granhotelmiramarmalaga.com/en/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s6t-9Rsl7s
Museo de Málaga:
http://www.malagaturismo.com/en/tour...ana-palace/446
http://www.museosdeandalucia.es/cult...os/MMA/?lng=en
Aug 7th, 2016, 05:16 AM
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Thank you! I live in heat and humidity (Georgia) so I should be okay with it but heat and sun tire me as a traveler. My only time in Italy was July and afternoons were very hot in Rome, Florence, and Assisi. Venice was okay. I will start reading guidebooks on Spain soon. Malaga sounds fascinating.
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