We will be traveling to Madrid & Andalucia in late Oct/Nov and need some advice on hotels. I am looking for something in the $100-$150 range that is clean, quiet, good neighborhood. For Madrid, I was considering the Crowne Plaza and for Seville the Melia Colon. Has anybody stayed in these hotels or have any alternative suggestions? thanks! J

We stayed at Hotel Amadeus in Seville in May 2003. I loved everything about the hotel. The price was good for what we received and the location was great for walking to most of the sights in the city. I wish I were there now. Their web site is hotelamadeussevilla.com. Enjoy your trip. We loved Seville!

You might want to check out the Carlos V in Madrid. It's about $100 a night, with spacious rooms and a great location a block from Sol, 3 blocks from Plaza Mayor and a block from Gran Via.

Last October we spent 7 nights at Intur Palacio San Martin
www.intur.com..It is a beautiful hotel and the location is excellent for shopping,restaurants,walking tours,using Metro train.. absolutely fabulous.. In Seville, we stayed at the Hotel Amadeus for (3) nights. A small family owned and beautifully maintained hotel almost impossible to find but located nearby everything you can imagine.

Treat yourself to a glass of Spanish roja wine or Portugese brandy in the lobby of the Intur San Palacio then top it off with a hot chocolate homemade ice cream sundae at ice cream parlor around the corner..

In Seville, go to the roof top of the Hotel Amadeus, drink champagne and watch the incredible beauty of the Cathedral at sunset. You will savor both experiences for a very long time.

Oh...the Hotel Amadeus is really hard for cabbies or anyone to find.. it's in a small alley off the beaten path. The alley is too small for a car to drive. You'll get dropped off at the curb... welcome to Seville !

If you live in the U.S., check out Petrabax.com. They sell Bancotel vouchers that are good for several hotels all over Spain. I just purchased several for an upcoming trip from all the good things Fodorites had to say about them.

I posted this yesterday, but it seems to have disappered.

I'd recommend the Hotel Alcantara in Seville. The location is wonderful--right in the pedestrian only area, so there's no street traffic to keep you up. Rooms are a decent size; well appointed, clean, and modern. (Good bathrooms with decent water pressure!) It's not luxurious, but it's a good deal for 80 Euros a night. I'd definitely stay there again! Nice buffet breakfast for an additional 5 Euros per person.

As for the Hotel Carlos V in Madrid, I'm not so sure. Many raves here and other guides indicated we'd be very happy. Unfortunately, while the rooms were again a decent size and had nice, modern bathrooms, they were slightly shabby. Worst of all, the hallway/elevator noise forced me to wear earplugs at night. As for the breakfast (included in the room), we actually opted to skip it after the second day. The coffee was surprisingly blah and nothing seemed particularly fresh.

Heidi, when did you stay at Carlos V?

MFNYC, I was there exactly one year ago. Indeed, things might have changed since then, but it wasn't decades ago either....