Jaen parador
May 17th, 2004, 04:48 AM
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Jaen parador
We are unable to get reservations in October for Granada parador. Does it make sense to drive from Seville to Jaen, stay there a night and then travel the next day to the Alhambra for a full day's visit? Any tips on the route from both Seville to Jaen and from Jaen to the Alhambra, bypassing the town of Granada? And finally should we book dinner at the parador and ask for any particular room? Thanks.
May 17th, 2004, 04:29 PM
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bashful, I can't advise you regarding whether it makes sense to stay in Jaen given your itinerary. I can, however, tell you that I stayed at the parador in Jaen in 1998 and liked it very much. It is an authentic recreation of a 13th century castle, with amazing views and it is really, really cool! Do eat dinner there, as the food is good and the atmosphere/dining room is great. One word of caution -- if you stay there, book a room away from the front of the hotel. I was up ALL NIGHT from the sound of a generator below my window, as well as the arrival of staff very early in the morning. Even so, I have great memories of my stay there. any questions? Don't hesitate to ask.
May 17th, 2004, 04:55 PM
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Thank you Iregeo...We were hoping to drive from Seville to Granada parador, stay the night, tour the Alhambra the next day and then that night head back to Marbella to begin our timeshare week. Since the Granada parador is booked, I looked on the map and see that Jaen is only an hour from Granada. Our other alternative is to stay at the Arcos Frontera parador, drive to our timeshare and then take a long day trip from Marbella to Alhambra. Can you tell me if I ask to have a room away from the front of the hotel, where would our room face? Where should I tell them I want our room to face? Thanks again for your input..
May 17th, 2004, 05:12 PM
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Hi bashful. First, you should know that all of the public areas within the parador are really special -- very medieval and quite a treat.
My room (the room itself was nothing special) in the front of the property overlooked the driveway right below, but amazing village views in the distance. The property sits quite high off the main road, affording amazing vistas.
If memory serves, they were doing pool construction on the side or rear when I was there in 1998. Also, I believe that the breakfast room is off the rear of the property. I also recall meadow and mountain views from the side and rear. Other than that, I can't be of much help with room choice. Perhaps you can request a QUIET room with the best view possible!
That said, if you choose to look elsewhere in Granada, consider the Alhambra Palace Hotel. I stayed there, again in 1998, and enjoyed it very much. Vey Moorish decor and architecture, with a great outdoor patio for cocktails/coffee/lunch with gorgeous views. And, you can always have cocktails or dinner at the Granada Parador if you choose.
Whatever you choose, good luck and have a great time! It is some of the most beautiful land and architecture I've ever seen!
Just one more idea -- try to fit in Cordoba so you can visit the Mezquita. That was truly my favorite!
My room (the room itself was nothing special) in the front of the property overlooked the driveway right below, but amazing village views in the distance. The property sits quite high off the main road, affording amazing vistas.
If memory serves, they were doing pool construction on the side or rear when I was there in 1998. Also, I believe that the breakfast room is off the rear of the property. I also recall meadow and mountain views from the side and rear. Other than that, I can't be of much help with room choice. Perhaps you can request a QUIET room with the best view possible!
That said, if you choose to look elsewhere in Granada, consider the Alhambra Palace Hotel. I stayed there, again in 1998, and enjoyed it very much. Vey Moorish decor and architecture, with a great outdoor patio for cocktails/coffee/lunch with gorgeous views. And, you can always have cocktails or dinner at the Granada Parador if you choose.
Whatever you choose, good luck and have a great time! It is some of the most beautiful land and architecture I've ever seen!
Just one more idea -- try to fit in Cordoba so you can visit the Mezquita. That was truly my favorite!
Jun 17th, 2004, 06:07 PM
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I cannot let this pass: The Carmona parador is OUTSTANDING! If you can get there, do. I have never seen anything like it. Arcos de la Frontera is definitely second class in comparison and the parador near Seville was more like a fancy city hotel,which it is.
There are nice pictures of Carmona at www.parador.es. We had the sounds of sheep in the morning and night, a wiew of an orange tree outside our incredibly luxurious room, and an expanse of plain and farm land outside.
gene
There are nice pictures of Carmona at www.parador.es. We had the sounds of sheep in the morning and night, a wiew of an orange tree outside our incredibly luxurious room, and an expanse of plain and farm land outside.
gene
Jun 27th, 2004, 11:45 AM
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We stayed overnight at the Jaen parador in May on our way from Toledo to Granada. It was one of the best paradors of our trip - built on a hill, all stone, in the style of a medival castle. We had a room at the back with a balcony that had stunning views of the surrounding hills & olive groves. The main lobby and dining room (delicious dinner)also had soaring castle-like ceilings and large picture windows with views of the surrounding country-side. If you have time I would definately stay one night in Jaen, however, it is about an hour (or maybe more) from Granada, and one of the absolute highlights of Granada is a night visit to the Alhambra, which you will not be able to do very easily if you stay in Jaen -- unless you are not concerned about driving back from Granada to Jaen after midnight and taking the winding road up the hill in Jaen to the Parador. I'm sorry I don't clearly remember the road between Jaen & Granada, but I think it was a wide highway. We were lucky to get a room at the Parador in Granada, but there are certainly other places you might stay in Granada that will be just fine.
