adventuredays

We will be visiting Adalucia for two weeks in May of 2007. We will fly into Madrid and plan to take a fast train to Seville immediately having 3-4 days there before renting a car to visit other areas including Carmona, Jaen, Granada, Ronda and perhaps Jerez and Cadiz given the time. I am interested to know of any particularly special paradors that you have stayed in and can recommend. We are interested in places that are comfortable, historical and convenient most especially to the older parts of these towns. Any thoughts would be most appreciated. Also, any thoughts on our decision to take a train to the region and then rent a car?

Thanks so very much,
Lisa

Jibboo

The one in Cadiz is very nice and right on the beach!!!

SloJan

We will be staying in the paradores at Jaen and Cordoba and perhaps, Carmona in the next 2 weeks. I will post about them when I return.

WE also did the comparison of turning our car in and taking the high speed train back to Madrid (from Seville). The rate was almost $400 (for 4 of us!) So keeping the rental car is less expensive.
Cheers,
J

cailin

We stayed in Carmona for a night two years ago and loved it - beautiful building and the room we had was fantastic. It had a balcony that spanned two sides of the building - I believe it was the only room with a balcony that big. The food in the restaurant was excellent too. Certainly a night to remember as we got engaged there!

Eloise

The parador in Granada, a former monastery that is located on the grounds of the Alhambra, is considered one of the jewels of the parador system. It's generally fully booked months and months in advance.

If you can't get a room there, you can enjoy a meal in the dining room that looks out on the gardens.

bo_jack

Cadiz -- Not a "historic" building, but very nice rooms in one section of the hotel. Good location on the bay and an easy walk to the the old part of the city. Very good seafood in restaurant.
Jaen -- Historic building. Very nice, but did not much like the food. Relatively remote location.
Carmona -- Nice, historic building. Good food. Easy walk to the old town.
Toledo -- Excellent views. OK rooms. Not a short distance to the old town.

Ainhoa

The parador at Jaen, where I´ve only eaten but not stayed, is a reproduction (but you would never know it) building near the over the whole of Jaen. It is, however, a long way down to the town or anything. (You wouldn´t be slipping out to a bar for a quick drink before dinner.) The Parador in nearby Ubeda however, is genuinely old and slap bang in the middle of town.

Ainhoa

somehow "near the castle with a wonderful view" got eaten by the internet.

Dukey

I've stayed, and eaten, at the Alhambra parador and after having done so I understand why it is the most popular one in all of Spain.

The dining experience overlooking the Generalife is wonderful.

We were lucky enough to book it but did so almost a full year in advance.

happytrailstoyou

We have stayed and several paradors and and usually enjoyed our time at them.

The Parador in Cadiz, where we stayed for three nights in April, is an exception. The only thing we liked about the place was breakfast.

The staff was inept. For instance, wWhen we informed them our air conditioner wasn't working we were told to to open our windows and let the mosquitoes in. (I don't want to relive the rest.)

The old city is much larger than it appears on a map. The 15-minute walk to the old town was through a busy, unattractive part of the city. If you take this walk once, it is ok. But if you take the walk two or three times a day for three days, it is no fun.

The place to stay in Cadiz is Hospederia Las Cortes de Cadiz. We tried to move there, but it was booked.

Cadiz is worth a look, but there are much better places in Spain to spend time (Nerja and Marbells, for instance).

We used Cadiz as a base for visiting Jerez, Puerto de Santa Maria, and Sanlucar (all of them more interestng than Cadiz--I am VERY sorry to report).

nessundorma

Granada.

Believe it or not, I e-mailed the Granada a few weeks before our trip -- and they had availability!!!!!!!!

Overnighting at the Parador in Granada -- which included visiting the Alhambra at night and the next morning, eating dinner overlooking the Generalife and napping on the terrace of my room -- remains among the top 5 glorious experiences I have had traveling the world, and I've proably traveled something close to a million miles at this point.

josele

I am a regular Paradores customer. First of all, you can visit www.parador.es and take a look at the different possibilities, including offers such as 5-night cards, 2 nights for the price of one (in certan cases and places), and so.
There is Parador in Carmona and Ubeda, both are monumental cities where you can spend a minimum two day each. Antequera is a beautiful monumental city as well, but the parador is a modern building. Same happens with Malaga, where there are two Paradors, one by the golf course outside Malaga, and the better located one, on the hill above the city center.
The Nerja parador is another common modern building. The Ronda one is modern as well, though exceptionally well located, and Ronda is very beautiful as well. About Granada, you can read other posts, I'll just add that you must book well in advance.
The Cordoba Parador, I have never been. I know it is modern, but there are several hotels better located.

annhig

Nessundorma - as a matter of interest, when you stayed at the Granada parador, did you have to make your own reservations for the tours of the alhambra, or did they do it for you? I agree about the tours, especially the night-time one; it was truly magical.

nessundorma

I made my own reservations for the night tour, in advance, over the internet. I also booked tickets for the next morning as well since the night tour only permits you to visit the interior of the major buildings, and you need to go in daylight to see the extensive gardens. But breaking up the tour it is a nice way to do it, even though it means paying twice: The gardens are cool in the morning and the buildings are cool at night. Besides, the day after I took the night tour, I revisited some of the buildings in the daylight, and they were mobbed. At night, you can sometimes be alone in entire rooms, and the atmosphere is quite mysterious.

But I want to encourage everyone to try to book at the parador even if you are booking late. You never know when something might pop open.

artlover

I'm a big parador fan, though I haven't stayed at those in Adalucia, but have visited the one in Malaga--great views, near the palace, and a nearby cab drive to the old city and the Museo Picasso, which is fabulous.

adventuredays

Thank you to all for those helpful and informative replies. I will most certainly be looking into booking at the Alhambra, Carmona and others. Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts and opinions.

SloJean, I would be most interested to read about your trip upon your return. A quick query, did you rent your car at the airport in Madrid or from a regional airport? I suppose if we rent a car for the full two weeks, we may drive from Madrid to the region. Any thoughts Fodorites?

Bon Voyage SloJean!

Best,
Lisa