balsac

I'm going to Granada for 3 days and am deciding on an apartment (through Homelidays). I found places in the Albaicin and in the Universidad/Catedral area. Which would be a better base? Safe at night?
Thanks!

danon

Albaicin is a big place . Some of it looked very nice, some rather seedy.

gertie3751

Near the Catedral would be more central. You can always get up into the Albaicin on the 32 bus.

hanl

Agree that the area near the Cathedral might be preferable - the area is easier to navigate and there are no steep steps to climb! Also lots of shops, bars and restaurants around there.
As Danon says, the Albaicin is big (and easy to get lost in), and some streets are more accessible than others, so it would really depend where the other apartment is.

balsac

Thanks for the responses! The apt in the Albaicin is on Cuesta de San Antonio, near Real de Cartuja and Avenida del Hospicio.
The apt. near the Universidad/Catedral area is on C. Duquesa.

I guess I'll go with this one unless I hear otherwise. Thanks for the help. I love this site!

hanl

Just had a look at both locations on Google maps and would definitely go for the one on Calle Duquesa. I don't know that exact street but I know the general area and I like it, overall. (I used to live quite near there, on Plaza Bib Rambla.)

annhig

hi, balsac,

I agree about staying in the more central spot. the albercin is easy enough to get up to but you'd waste a lot of time getting back and forth if you were staying there.

I'm assuming that you are planning to visit the alahambra during your trip. do consider going at night as well - we did so on a whim and were so pleased that we'd done this. It's quite magical at night.

regards, ann

balsac

Well, as luck would have it when I tried to secure the Duquesa apartment she said she already rented it. This is definitely the downfall of renting from private parties!! So back to the drawing board. And I'm leaving on Friday!

Hanl- I saw a place near the Plaza Bib Rambla. WOuld you recommend staying in that area?

Annhig- I have reserved tickets to the Alhambra at 9:30am. Do you know if I have to buy new tickets to go back in the evening?
thanks!

annhig

hi, Balsac,,

hard luck about the apartment. if it helps, we stayed at the Hotel guadelupe right opposite the alhambra. huge double and full bathroom for E60 per night. [nov '05]. there 's a bus into town and better still, a bus back up.

yes, you do need another ticket for the night visit to the alhambra. It's the same price as the day visit, but you only get to see the nasrid palaces. it's still a bargain; you get much more atmosphere and there are far fewer people.

it's the same as with the day visit - you have to enter the nasrid palaces within 30 minutes of the time on your ticket - so if your ticket says 9.30am, you have to arrive at the entrance to the palaces before 10am. all the other sites have no time-limits, though some you may only enter once on that ticket. that means that you should enter the alhambra complex by 9.30am at the latest as it's a bit of a walk down to the nasrid palaces, and you don't want to have to rush. you can enter as early as you like and stay as long as you like until closing time. the whole visit took us 5 hours plus.


have a great time,

regards, ann

hanl

Hi,
Yes, Plaza Bib Rambla is just on the other side of the Cathedral. Obviously it might depend on the exact apartment and street, but overall I'd say it's a good area to be based in.

balsac

Thanks for the Hotel Guadelupe tip but they're booked for one of the nights I need.
I'll wait til I get there to see about the Alhambra at night. Hopefully, since it's Nov I can get tickets same day or next day.
Still looking for a place to stay. Nothing like last minute pressure!!
Thanks everyone.

balsac

Hola,
I'm back from my trip and wanted to give the good, bad and ugly about the apartment rentals.
In short, in Granada I rented with Friendly Rentals which was ok but not overly friendly. Limited english, difficult to meet up with (they gave the wrong # for the address!) Not very helpful. Apartment was in a great location in the area Realejo which was very convenient to the sites.
In retrospect, I wish I had rented with Granadainfo.com. They were so helpful, even when I told them I had chosen a different apartment. They have a great website, speak English and actually seem to care about your travel experience. Live and learn.

In Sevilla I had a problem with a Homelidays rental #45703. The guy wrote me the day I was leaving that the plumbing broke and I couldn't rent the apt (though it was 5 days later before I would be there.) I asked him to help me get another place and he said I could rent from a woman but I should send a deposit immediately. Her phone never answered and he said she did not have email. It all sounded very suspicious. His name is Rafael, email name "miguel donis ryan", address [email protected]. Maybe the reefer name should have tipped me off.
Anyway, we then rented a place through sevilla5.com which was really great. We rented a place on calle Rioja, great location, really great owner (lives in building.) Nothing fancy, but pretty quiet for sleeping and a good experience overall.

In Barcelona I rented through Homelidays. lst apartment (43172) on calle merce was SOOO loud I had to get out of there! (Violently loud neighbors, hammer banging all night.) Also, it was pretty much a dive. The owner very nicely put us into a different building on Pom D'or which was great. Don't have that rental # handy but I'll try to post it.

The only hotel we stayed in was in Ronda at the San Gabriel Hotel. What a beautiful town! The hotel was pristine and really wonderful. A little more than the apartment but really charming and well worth it.

To all those who gave advice, Muchas gracias! Happy travels.