Hello,

Part of our trip to Spain will include renting a car and driving from Seville to Granada. We will be staying at the Sol Melia Granada. From what I understand the hotel is located downtown and there is no parking. However, the hotel does have valet parking.

Should I feel ok leaving the rental car with the valet service? We arrive on Friday and leave on Sunday. We won't be needing the car at all on Saturday. Are there secure garages where I can leave the car for a couple days without breaking the bank? Any other ideas?

Thanks for everyone's help so far.

Newton

Newton,
Yes, you should be able to count on the valet parking of any 4 star Sol Melia hotel, a reputable chain. If they have valet parking, they will take good care of your care, at a price, of course. Since the downtown Granada traffic is so horrendous and the city streets a maze, I would simply hand over your car to the valet and no worries. You won't need the car in Granada, a very walkable city, and there's a mini bus service from the Plaza Nueva downtown up to the Alhambra and also to the Arab quarter, the Albaicin. There are underground garages downtown, but the valet service will probably be worth the extra charge to you.

Granada is truly a city with no parking. The taxi which took us to our hotel had to literally stop in the middle of the street and unload us, while blocking traffic.
I would feel ok about using the valet parking--the hotel probably has an arrangement with a parking garage. We didn't have a rental car while we were in Granada, but have used valet parking in other European cities without problems.
Where are you going after Granada? Another option might be turning your car in in Granada.

We will be driving from Granada to Madrid on Sunday; returning home on Monday. Thanks so much for the help. T minus seven days!

Newton

I've used the Melia's valet with no problems. I do however take everything out of the car whenever I valet. There is also an underground garage next to the Corte Ingles about 2 blocks from the Melia. I've never used it tho. I'd just valet and not worry.

Thanks for the replies. Any idea on how much I should expect to pay for leaving my car from Friday until Sunday?

Newton

My recollection is that about 3 years ago it was around $10 a day.

You really don't want a car in Granada. Check into returning it early and taking the bus (faster and more frequent than the train) to Madrid.

Newton,
Since I now know where you're headed after Granada (thought you might be driving more around Andalucia), I agree with patg.
To save aggravation and money (valet parking could run 15 euros or more per day at the Sol Melia), I would turn in the car upon arrival in Granada and take the bus back to Madrid.
According to the schedule at
www.continental-auto.es
there are daily departues to Madrid from Granada: at 8:30 (arriving 1:50), at 10 (arriving at 2:25) and at 1 p.m. (arriving Madrid at 6:20), and the fare is 13,42 euros.

I wouldn't attempt to drive around Granada, even if you do decide to keep your car there. The streets are not very car-friendly and some of them have these pop-up barriers that come from beneath the ground and do not let any cars pass unless the driver swipes some special card. Wild!