Maribel - ayudame!
 

Hola,

I'm still trying to find the right hotels for my trip with mom in November. We're only spending one night in Madrid and then we're off to Sevilla, then Rota. I know in Rota we're staying at the NH Duque de Najera which is wonderful. I've stayed in the Gran Lar and Becquer in Sevilla. My mom walks a lot, but starts getting paranoid at night that we won't be safe on a walk back to the hotel.

What do you recommend for hotels in a safe, well-lit area in Sevilla and Madrid?

Mil Gracias!

Oliva -

It would be a big help to state your budget. Also, this post title does not describe your question, and assumes that no one but Maribel can answer it....

Try text searching by typing "sevilla AND hotel" and so on into the text box at the top of this page to find lots of info that's already here, much of it from Maribel.

In Sevilla, I can recommend the moderately-priced Hotel Amadeus - TONS of feed back here on it. Anywhere in the Santa Cruz area would be perfectly safe, IMO.

Hola, olivia,
Lesli's fine reco of the Amadeus I honestly can't beat 'cause it's spot on!-a little place with charm, a fantastic and safe location right off a busy-til-the-late-hours street, nifty rooftop terrace, attractive public rooms, solid value.

Besides the Amadeus, there's everyone's favorite, Casas de la Judería, just steps away, but it's more $. Before Nov. 16, a double goes for 150 and afterwards only 124, but you may grab a better rate thru a discount site. And don't forget their lovely sister hotel, where Olga works, the Casas de los Mercaderes on Alvarez Quintero above the cathedral, also a safe downtown spot and a very attractive, well run. less exp. alternative to the Judería. I think you just can't go wrong with any of the 3-depends on your price range.

www.hotelamadeussevilla.com
www.casasypalacios.com

For downtown Madrid, I like the Hotel Green Lope de Vega, near the Prado and the Intur Palacio San Martín, 2 1/2 blocks from the Puerta del Sol (but those 2/12 blocks make lots of difference, re noise & hubbub!). I stay away from highly recommending the immediate Puerta del Sol area and the Gran Vía, but many people are Carlos V fans here, so just ignore me :-)

if you like NHs, there's the 4 star NH Sanvy on Goya in the very safe, quite tony Salamanca shopping/residential district, right behind the Plaza Colón and the Castellana, but a 15-20 min. walk from the Prado. In this area, my former 'hood, I just never worry about pickpockets (since they don't abound here because of fewer tourists) or my personal safety when I wander around at night. The Sanvy has very competitive wkd. rates, as low as 89 euros.
www.nh-hoteles.com (but Sp. page works better for me for booking)

And on the other side of the Castellana, there's the Hotel Residencia Galiano, my "budget decompression chamber", EXTREMELY quiet, fairly elegant in a Old World style and on the safest 1 block street in all of Madrid, right above the Ministerio del Interior, guarded by submachine toting police 24/7.

www.hotellopedevega.com
www.hotelinturpalacio.com
www.hotelgaliano.com

Hope this gives you more ideas, but don't forget to do that text search too! :-)

Dear Maribel

Why your preference for the Green Lope de vega over the CarlosV? Have you ever stayed at the Hotel Mora?interested in how it directly compares to Carlos V if any one has stayed in both!!

Maribel, Thank you for your reply. It's a great help. I'm forwarding the links to my mother for her to make a choice. She has a good friend who is also from the Goya area and always stays there on her return trips, so we'll definitely look into that!

Thanks so much.
O

Hi lornamd,
Why my preference? Primarily location.

I realize the Carlos V has many, many fans here. Very recent posts attest to that, and many of my very "favorite" Fodorites :-), whom I trust and respect, have chosen it and been most happy. And it's a Best Western, well priced, easy to book, family run and offers the shuttle to the airport. But for me...

In Old Madrid, I personally prefer the 4 star L de V because it's newer ('00) and more contemporary/stylish/up to date (Carlos V is 30+ yrs old). The LdeV is also on a fairly quiet side street closer to the Museum Triangle, where I can spend days, and Castellana Blvd. with its fountains and shade, where I walk. Up the street there's Plaza Santa Ana, with its plethora of tapas bars and a great Basque cider house, Zerain, on Quevedo. A Sp. travel co. owner friend of mine chooses the LdeV for his English speaking clients & likes dealing with management and the friendly young staff. (For tighter budgets, he suggests the 3 star Hotel Opera near the Teatro Real)

So many enjoy the Carlos V's dead center location off the Puerta del Sol, Madrid's Times Square. (Gran Vía is its Broadway). But since it's the most crowded tourist spot in town plus a major transportation hub, it naturally attracts the greatest # of pickpockets, and the gypsy women working Preciados street with their rosemary sprigs are particularly aggressive-just walk on by. They're not dangerous, just pests. However, the Carlos V is on a pedestrian side street, and one must ring a bell to enter the lobby (door always locked for safety-or was the last time I walked by). In this area I always, always wear a money pouch since I was once pickpocketed in the Sol metro station (nothing lost-he grabbed my glasses case thinking it was a wallet). I just don't enjoy the constant vigilance. And I do my El Corte Inglés shopping on Goya, although it's not as handy.

I used to post enthusiastically on the Mora but hesitate now because of the "street life" surrounding the hotel: beggars and unemployed immigrants who hustle the passers by. I don't have as postive a view on that area so close to Atocha station, plus I've had so-so feedback from friends who've stayed there to save $. Of the two, the Carlos V, I feel, is a sounder choice.

I stay in the Salamanca district near Goya because it's my former home, I'm not there for heavy sightseeing and don't mind the longer walks on the pretty Castellana to downtown. There I can carry a handbag and go about my business normally.

I'm also super sensitive regarding Madrid's image, so I try to steer my friends to the prettier, less congested, quieter, more residential parts of the city so they'll go back with an even nicer picture. But two friends, despite my protestations, once stayed for a week at the Carlos V AND rented a car to DRIVE =-o in Madrid and had a GREAT time!! And we're still friends! So, to each his own!

(Sorry! Too long an answer to a simple question, but now you know!)

Dar Maribel,

Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful answer.It will help me sorts out my hotel issues!! I appreciate your taking your time to help Fodorites plan their trips!

LAW!!