Some dear friends, a young active Belgian couple, will be vacationing in Granada in June for t he 1st time. I have searched the forum for other favs but not too much posted here specifically other then discussions about the Parador & Alhambra, which of course they will see.

They fly into Malaga from Geneva & from there staight to Granada for roamntic 4 days ,their first time sans their 3 toddlers who will stay w grandma.

I was looking for a Granada guide like those in Maribel's....??????

Any favorite places, must sees other than the obvious? Keep in mind they are there 4 days.

Thanks all.

ana maria

Maybe Maribel will have a Granada guide out before June...

You may want to point them to Carmen de La Alcubilla del Caracol. It's a great place to spend their 4 nights in Granada.

http://www.alcubilladelcaracol.com

Hi ana maría,
I'm working on a Granada guide as I write this, but I'm afraid I won't have it up on my page for a while.

But for a SUPER romantic getaway, I suggest the tower room of the Carmen de la Alcubilla del Caracol (I know you've read my rec. of it) or just any room there, as they're all quite romantic, peaceful, private, beautiful and have access to the outdoor terrace with gorgeous views of the entire city and the Sierra Nevada-the quintessential Granada carmen! We could have stayed there forever!

Or if they're more "downtown-urban hipster" types, the Casa Morisca, but book an Alhambra view room. In Feb. we visited most of the properties in the Albaicín, and I liked it the best for romance.
Also the Palacio de los Navas. very stylishly redone typical Andalusian home. 19 rooms decorated in soft cream and white. Peaceful. No views though.

In addition to the Alhambra (both during the day & at night), and the Cathedral/Capilla Real, these are the items our very hands-on host, Manuel, an avid historian, told us not to miss during our stay:

SIGHTSEEING/ENTERTAINMENT:

the amazing, over-the-top Baroque ****Monasterio de la Cartuja-the sacristy is the Sistine Chapel of Spanish Baroque! Some call this the Christian Alhambra. (take city bus 8, 2 km. from downtown)

On the way out there a stop at Hospital Real, above Triunfo gardens, now the rectory of the U of Granada

the Casa de los Tiros-Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares-in the Realejo housed in a 1500s mansion

see the 11th century brick-vaulted Moorish baths of El Bañuelo on the Carrera del Darro

Museo Arqueológico on Carrera del Darro

the walk down from the Alhambra following the ramparts on the Cuesta de los Chinos. Great cardio workout!

a stroll up Cuesta del Chapiz all the way to the top of the Albaicín to the Mirador de San Cristóbal, then down to the famous Mirador de San Nicolás for the renowned sunset view of the Alhambra and a drink on the terrace of El Huerto de Juan Ranas right below. Also a peek into the gardens of the Mezquita, open to the public.

on the walk up Cuesta del Chapiz, ring the doorbell and ask to be let in to the Carmen de la Victoria to see this pretty garden sanctuary.

a soak in a hammam followed by tea, either the Aljibe Baños Arabes (www.aljibesanmiguel.es) or the on at Calle Santa Ana (www.hammamspain.com)

a stroll through the Carmen de los Mártires gardens up on the Alhambra hill

a visit to the museum and gardens of the Fundación Rodríguez Acosta right below the Alhambra Palace hotel (Wed.-Sun. 10-2 only)

walk up through Sacromonte during the DAY to visit the Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte, an ethnographic museum-10 caves displaying how people used to live and their traditional crats. (the walk-another great cardio workout!)
(www.sacromontegranada.com)

the 16th c. Monasterio de San Jerónimo and beautiful cloisters

Centro José Guerrero for cont. art (calle Oficios)-abstract expressionism

informal flamenco music at Bar Soniquete (a peña) on Fri./Sat. at 11 (Carrera del Darro 51)

a (genuine) flamenco performance at the Centro Internacional de Estudios Gitanos (only Sat.)


WINING/DINING:

the outdoor terraces on the Campo del Príncipe in the Realejo

the contemporary wine/small plates place Puerta Real, across from city hall

La Ermita -either the branch near the cathedral or the one at the Plaza de Toros, which is more atmospheric, being right at the bullring along with the bar Tendido 1. Fun.

pastries and coffee at López Mezuita, founded in 1862, on Reyes Católicos downtown

maybe dinner in an Albaicín carmen like Mirador de Morayam, Carmen Verde Luna or Carmen de San Nicolás (they'll pay dearly for those views though-the later would be my choice)
www.alqueriarmorayma.com
www.sannicolasrestaurante.com
www.restaurantejuanranas.com

churros & chocolate on the pretty Plaza Bib-Rambla downtown.

drinks in the ivy covered downstairs coutyard of Pilar de Toro, along the Carrera del Darro on Hospital de Santa Ana 12

drinks and lunch at Café Oliver on Plaza Pescadería (far better than next door Cunini-although Cunini serves good & plentiful free tapas with drinks)

a luxurious, splurge meal at the beautiful El Claustro (the convent's former library) off the cloisters in the AC Palacio de Santa Paula hotel

the outdoor terrace of Azafrán (very reasonable) on the Paseo de los Tristes along the river Darro

fried fish tapas and Alhambra beer at Los Diamantes, Calle Navas

ice cream at Los Italianos on the Gran Vía de Colón

SHOPPING:

for the blue/green/white granadino pottery, Artesanía El Suspiro on the Plaza Santa Ana next to Plaza Nueva

for taracea, the typical marquetry work, Laguna Taracea in the Alhambra complex (the quality, real McCoy stuff is in the back room on the right)

for local foods & wines, La Oliva, on Rosaro 9, the continuation of Navas, at the end, on the corner, left hand side. The owner speaks English and is very knowledgable about wines.

Oops, forgot!
If they'd like a 2 1/2 hr. guided walking tour of historical downtown Granada and the Albaicín, they can check out
www.ciceronegranada.com

Daily departures at 10:30; cost €10

Now, I have to get back to writing that guide! O

I better bookmark this.
Check Hotel Dauro, very near Palacio de los Navas, but not so pricey. It has two buildings, the other very near, besides El Corte Ingles.

Hi amsdon,

maribel has said it all really.

a rather more prosaic [possibly cheaper] place to stay is the hotel guadelupe, right opposite the alhambra. it has the advantage of reduced price parking in the huge public car park oposite, which can be accessed by the ring road.

so it's very convenient if you've got a car.

there are buses down to and more importantly back up from the town.

when we went about 2 years ago, a very large room with a full ensuite bathroom was E60 per night.

regards, ann

Me again ana maría,
As josele and ann have mentioned, there are certainly those more prosaic (well put!) and less pricey places for your friends to stay, that I left out because I was too focused on that romantic getaway without the kids part. I just listed the ones I found to be high on a romance scale!

And I didn't include the tiny Hotel América right below the Parador because I imagine that it's already fully booked for the entire summer.

Also forgot to mention that the International Festival of Music and Dance will be going on in June, actually 6/11-7/11. The two major venues for it, impossibly romantic both, are the amphitheater of the Generalife and the rotunda of the Palace of Carlos V.

Unfortunately when the program is announced in mid-April, online tickets for the "big" performances (such as Eva Yerbabuena!) sell out that very same day! But there are minor music and dance events in other venues that still might have seats available. And there are free concerts in the cloister of the Hospital Real. If they're interested they can check
www.granadafestival.org

And I forgot one more site that on our Feb. trip we didn't get to, for music lovers:
The Casa Museo Manuel de Falla in the composer's former residence on Antequeruela Alta (Alhambra hill).
www.museomanueldefalla.com

Speaking of more gently priced lodging, we liked the tidy, family run 3 star Reina Cristina downtown, with its interior courtyard with marble fountain, pretty lanterns and antique mirrors, brass planters filled with ferns, watercolors-all very typically granadino. Not exactly romantic but rather historic. It's the former home of the Luis Rosales family where García Lorca spent his final days.
www.hotelreinacristina.com
Summer rates run around €100 depending on dates.

Wow thanks everyone!

I JUST got home & will start to read in detail. I really appreciate this. She is leaving on May 15th for Geneva where she will be for about 4 weeks then her DH will join her & they will go to Spain.

By the way guys I appreciate the suggestion, I should have mentioned I had sent her the link for The Acubilla right away. I fell in love with that place just from the fotos on the website after Maribel suggested it on this forum....
I want to go there very much as soon as possible especially after the day I had today at el banco.....
When will we Americanos learn to enjoy life!!!

Thanks for the details I am so appreciative as well I will use this for myself too for sure!

Just got back from Spain and wanted to second the Carmen de la Alcubilla del Caracol. We had the Buganvila room, facing out and overlooking the city, and it was lovely. I saw the El Torre room (waited to long to book and missed it, darn it) and it was beautiful too. The owner, Manuel, is very, very nice, and recommeded the restaurant Oliver for lunch, which we loved (we were the only ones in the tented outdoor seating area and it was raining - very romantic).

Iwan2go,
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Carmen. Manuel takes such pride in his lovely, beautifully decorated home and is such a sweet person. At breakfast, after fixing us our coffee and our pan con tomate, he sat down with us to help us plot out our daily sightseeing tour. Then in the evening over after dinner drinks he joined us again to explain in detail the history of what we had seen that day. He's a professor, fountain of knowledge about the city and surrounding area and a very gracious host.

Manuel showed us all the very pretty and individually decorated rooms, and we decided that the Buganvilla room was our 2nd favorite!

Hi all -- eagerly awaiting your Granada guide Maribel! This is a great info thread for starters. Thanks to all who have contributed.

I have been researching more "budget" end hotels in Granada and saw the Guadalupe. Will also check out Josele's reco.

Was wondering if anyone has comments about Hotel Plaza Nueva. It gets pretty nice reviews on TripAdvisor and the rooms look nice on their webpage: http://www.hotel-plazanueva.com/en/index.htm
I plugged our dates and got back a rate of 79E for a double (early Oct).

Location looks good, maybe a little noisy? I like the views of the Plaza out of the rooms (candid photos on TripA). Any thoughts or other recos along these lines?

Hi there, my Belgian pals have reserved a room at the Alcubilla just FYI.

The tower was already booked but she got another room...and said they were very nice to her over the
phone. It is nice that the site is also in French for them even though their English is good.

I told them to say it was recomended by Maribel's Guides.

The DW in particular is very excited about the romantic ambiance.

Thanks so much again.

amsdon,
So glad it worked out for your friends! I forgot to mention that the day manager is a wonderful young woman who speaks really good English. I think they'll enjoy their stay so much!

Molloy,
I'm working fast and furious on that Granada guide and hope to get it polished off soon.

About the Plaza Nueva-that area is a pretty noisy part of town-wouldn't be my choice, first or second, because I'm just not real partial to that square.

But I think the Best Western Dauro II double will run around 96.
www.bestwesterndauro2.com

The Guadalupe double rooms run from 60-110, depending on dates.

You might get lucky with Bancotel coupons (you can purchase them now individually at any Viajes Iberia branch in Spain) or...

www.halconviajes.com (which is in Spanish, which won't be a problem for you!)
We've used Halcón Viajes online reservations twice this year without a hitch. We got friends a 95 euro room at Madrid's 3 star Hotel Prado in April through them. You never know what they might have.

You might check...

I've stopped using Talonotel because I can't find any great deals with them.

amsdon = I was in Granada for 3 days and loved it. I don't think enough people give it enough time. Most people seem to just stop in to see the Alhambra and that's all. I have photos of it at: http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/sevilla_cordoba_granada They are two thirds of the way down in that gallery. Everything is labeled so while I don't have written descriptions I do have photos of a lot of places they might want to check out. Everything I did was walking distance of Plaza Nuevo. My favorite place was San Juan de Dios Basilica, which is actually a working hospital but with great patios, etc open to the public. It is listed in guidebooks, but just barely. There were lots of places like that I found just wandering around.

Molloy, we stayed at the Plaza Nuevo Hotel and were very pleased with it. Here is a photo of our room: www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/76736398, and this is the exterior: www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/76736285 The two photos following that one are shots I took from our tiny balcony. I loved the location, we walked to everything but on weekend nights it was a little noisy outside late at night. That would be my only complaint, I would stay there again.

My trip report which includes Granada is at: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34977031

Hi again,


I appreciate the links and will emphasize the museo Manuel de Falla because they are classical music lovers and I have decided to give them a CD, De Falla since the museumis there in Granada
Falla...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYpdUo__dM8

I LOVE Spanish Classical music and
want to encourage other to learn about it, not just flamenco.
It is a completely different category...You know I just have to slip in my own personal suggestions like this but I think too many people do not know of the wealth of Spanish music.

Isabel those are beautiful photos and I am re reading your trip report thank you.


Now if someone were to recommend
ONLY ONE special day trip from Granada what would it be? Or would you sugggest all 4 days there?

hi again, amsdon,

just to the south of Granada, and visible from the alhambra, are the peaks of the sierra nevada.

My elderly Green Michelin guide says that it's only 29 miles to the top of the pico de veleta, which can also be accessed by cable car [sic].

a drive to the top would make a very nice half day trip [i think there's a parador up there as well to provide sustenance]. if they wanted to go further, the med is only about another 1 hour's drive further south so they could have a paddle before heading back to Granada!

there are some interesting villages in the hills between Granada and the coast if they wanted to turn it into a full day trip.

regards, ann

hi amsdon,
I love Manuel de Falla, Granados, Albéniz, Turina as well.

We had no problems in early February filling our 4 days in Granada (Manuel made sure that we kept busy!!) and could have used an extra night even. I think it takes a while for visitors to "warm up" to Granada. It casts its spell slowly. And in Feb. we didn't have to contend with the crowds that your friends may encounter in June if they're in town during the Festival or after the school yr. ends.

But then again, it might be nice for your friends to have a half day change of pace.
Will they have a car?

I haven't been up to Pradollano (Solynieve resort) in a long, long time-many yrs. ago there was a parador, but now it's filled with modern ski resort hotels like the Meliá. But your friends could go up there by bus from downtown Granada. It think it's a 25 min. journey. It might be fun for them to do the cable car ride. Here's some bus info:

http://tinyurl.com/4dh5sd

Going further afield...
We asked Manuel about a day trip to the Alpujarras (there is a bus), but he suggested we save this still somewhat remote and isolated area for a return trip when we have a car and the time to do it justice-to do some hiking from village to village, like the program that "Above Clouds" offers.

And he suggested that we venture further east, even beyond the Poqueira gorge and use Cádiar and the Alquería de Morayma as a base because he finds it less "touristy" (his words, not mine!!) than the villages of the Poqueira valley-Capileira, Poqueira and Bubión.

So that's something we've filed away, knowing that he knows our tastes and travel style. His recommendations suited us perfectly.

Maribel & Ann thank you both.

These guys are definately not the touristy types. They are fearless.
But they have not been to Granada
I am not sure if they have been to Spain at all.


In fact thet have a website online so I assume it is there for the public to see, they even had sponsors. Before the three babies,(8 years ago) there was a the mother of all trip reports...14 months driving from Homg Kong To Brussels!

Here it is
http://www.destoop.com/trip/trip_index.htm


P.S. Maribel I am SO impressed you are after my own heart with those composers. I love them too.
Find me some $$ & we can create our own company with EKScrunchy "food and music concerts" and call ourselves the Hurok sisters.

Wow! "a young active couple" indeed!!! That is REALLY impressive!
They should have their own adventure tour company!!

Speaking of companies....I like that idea of the 3 of us and "food and music concerts" and we need to add some wine. Hurok sisters-that made me laugh!

BTW, I'm also a big fan of two wonderful musicians, both catalanas-
the late soprano Victoria de los Ángeles and pianist Alicia de Larrocha. Was very fortunate to get to see both in concert. I think that really dates me!