Advice on Madrid, Barcelona, Seville
 

Message: I would love readers advice on areas/hotels to stay in Madrid, Barcelona, and Seville. In Barcelona, I am trying to find a place near Placa Catalunya because it seems very central or Barri Gotic area - am I right? In Madrid, it seems that Placa Mayor or Old City is a good convenient spot to stay - would you agree? And Seville, it we would like to be close walking distance to the alcazar and cathedral. Your suggestions are much appreciated.<BR>

In Barcelona we stayed at the Colon on the square by the cathedral. It was a lovely hotel, and we had a view of the cathedral. Because it is a pedestrian area it was quiet. One evening we sat on our balcony and watched an outdoor symphony performance.<BR>In Seville we stayed at Las Casas de los Mercaderes, but I would not recommend it as the room was very dark. Have fun! Stephan

We just got back from our first trip to Spain. Mixed more luxurious hotels with budget stays, so my advice is kind of limited. In Madrid we stayed at Hostal Persal (www.hostalpersal.com). In Spain hostal are smaller, family owned hotels, not the youth hostels we think of. Anyway, it was a great value for downtown Madrid, just a couple blocks from Plaza Mayor. ($75 for a double, including breakfast) Very nice lobby, elevator, professional staff, like a standard hotel. The rooms were basic and relatively small, like most hostals, but comfortable and spotlessley clean (had tv &amp; phone). We found that budget price usually meant noisier, since the hostals attract a younger, partying crowd. In Seville we stayed at Hotel Amadeus, walking distance from everything. It is high on ambience on a budget...music theme, nicely decorated (but small) rooms, elegant lounge and reception areas. Also $73 for a double room. VERY difficult to find, as it is actually on an ally not a street, but parking is nearby. (www.hotelamadeussevilla.com) A great resource for hotel searching is Madrid Man's site (www.madridman.com), lots of info about all of spain, not just Madrid. I'd be happy to share more info if you'd like to e-mail me direct ([email protected]). Have fun!

Thank you both for the advice. I'm reading good opinions of hotel amadeus. Is it a safe area by the way (Barreo de santa cruz)? I read about Hotel Murillo which seems to be the same area as Amadeus and they said don't walk at night, take a cab.

Did you already try www.multimadrid.com or www.MadridMan.com

NatalieM,<BR><BR>We are staying at the Amadeus in 3 weeks. The website looks good. I have the same question as Mariana5, did you feel safe walking in the area of the hotel at night?

I would recommend the Hotel Simon in Seville. It is pretty much right across the street from the cathedral. A double costs about 75 euros. I was just there last month and loved the location. www.hotelsimonsevilla.com<BR><BR>I am a big fan of the Hostal Aguilar in Madrid. It is halfway between the Puerto del Sol and the Prado. Another great location. A double there is about 45 euros. I've stayed there 3 times and it is my home away from home when I go to Madrid. www.hostalaguilar.com<BR><BR>Anne

It would be helpful to have some information on your budget, so that the recommendations could be specific to your price range.<BR><BR>There's a new posting under my name regarding hotels in Barcelona and Madrid. Another thing for you to consider in Barcelona and Madrid is that &quot;central&quot; can translate into &quot;seedy and prone to pick-pocketing&quot;. There's some detail on that for Madrid in my last posting.<BR><BR>In Barcelona and Madrid, there is a high risk of pickpocketing in the touristy, central areas (including Placa Catalunya and Barri Gottic). For this reason, I decided to stay a little further North in the Eixample district (which has stunning architecture, good restaurants, good shopping etc). If you want to be close to the action, you might think of staying at the Southern end of this neighbourhood (e.g. a 5-10 minute walk from the Barri Gotic).

Sorry I didn't give price range - it's around $100. Little more, little less is ok as long as it's highly recommended.

Quepasa - Hotel Simon looks very pretty and is extremely reasonable considering the location. There are no pictures of the rooms and it seems to be rated a one star hotel. could you tell me more details of the rooms and why it's a one star (by the picture and location it wouuld seem to be more like 2 or 3). <BR>Kate_W - Where is your posting? Cannot find it! Thanks for the travel warnings.

I really enjoyed staying at the Carlos V in Madrid. It is a Best Western (but in Europe Best Westerns are each privately owned and uniqe - not like the cookie cutter chain in the US). It is very conveniently located, close to Puerta Del Sol and right across the street from Corte Ingles (major department store). The rooms are very clean and nice. Rates now are 188Euros for a double (includes a great breakfast). See http://www.hotelcarlosv.com/

BIG Typo!!! vThe rates at Carlos V are 118, NOT 188!!!!

The rooms are not as pretty as the pictures you see on the website, which I'm sure is why they don't show them. But they're quite basic, no frills rooms. For example, there was no TV in the room. I think it did have air conditioning, though I don't remember for sure. I was just there in March so didn't need it. The room we had was a decent size with an enormous bathroom. It was definitely comfortable, and I would stay there again.<BR><BR>I found the staff very easy to deal with over email too. They responded within 24 horus to my email. Also, I had to make a change in my reservation and they did that quickly and without any problem.<BR><BR>The location cannot be beat in my opinion. I hope that answers your questions. Let me know if you need more info.<BR><BR>Anne

The other posting was:<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?screen_name=Kate_W&amp;fid=2<BR>< BR>and had a title like &quot;Hotel Report - Barcelona, Madrid and London&quot;.<BR><BR>I'm not sure, but I think stars in Spain signify amenities (e.g. shared bath, ensuite bath, elevator, restaurant, etc). So, while there is some correlation between stars and luxury levels (e.g. a 1 star hotel probably isn't as luxurious as a 4 star hotel), when there is only a 1 or 2 star difference between hotels, it's probably worth judging them on factors other than stars.

We returned from Barcelona, Sevilla, and Madrid about 3 weeks ago. Barcelona was business so I will not discuss that. We stayed at Hotel Becquer in Sevilla, which we loved, $100/night, very safe, immaculate, one of the best places we have stayed in Europe. It is about 8 minutes walk from the Cathedral but close tot he bridge to Triana, which was also fun. In Madrid, we stayed at Hotel Carlos V, which was convenient and adequate- located a rate for $100 including breakfast online. It is not as nice as it appears on the web in the pics, but clean and adequate. Ask for a bright room, as ours was dark but quiet. Please, carry money, passport in a money necklace or belt loop pouch or whatever, as long as it is close to your body inside your clothes. My husband, a seasoned traveler, and very street smart, was pickpocketed, and even knew who did it. It is a hassle to replace passport.

Last year's trip to Spain...stayed at Hotel Arosa in Madrid, a Best Western managed property. It was nothing fancy but did the trick. Centrally located, but still pretty quiet. Sevilla on the other hand...I would highly recommend Las Casas de las Juderias. Great rooms in a complex of buildings. No two rooms alike with a whole lot of character. Very friendly staff. Great location walking distance to everthing. Something to do...head to La Carbonia...a locals hang with nightly informal flamenco style singing and dancing. Definitely check out multimadrid.com for more general info and you can rent a phone from the guy who runs the site if you need one.

I've enjoyed staying at the Hotel Las Casas de la Juderya in the Barrio de Santa Cruz in Seville. I've been there twice. I paid less than 90 Euro for a single (during low season), which was an incredible deal and was within a 7 or 8 minute walk from the cathedral.