Ok, my mom and I are finally taking our long awaited trip to Andalucia in mid November. We are trying to decide among several Seville hotels and although I've been there before, I keep seeing mixed reviews.

Can someone please give me the pros and cons of Simon, Murillo, and Dona Maria? We're looking for something central and are trying not to spend more than 100 Euro a night. If you know of any other gems out there, please let me know. Also, mother is 61 and can be a little picky about temperature (if you know what I mean), so the air conditioning has to be great (even if it is in November). Thanks for your suggestions.

Any suggestions, Olga? Gracias!

Hi Olivia,

I don't have any first hand knowledge of those 3 hotels, so I rely on this board's and other reviews.
In mid November it's low season again, so I anticipate lots of internet sales to come up about mid October or early November. You can always book one of those 3 if they have a good cancelation policy and then keep checking for later deals.
One thing: the Doña Maria is usually way more expensive than Simon and Murillo. It seems much nicer also and the location just cannot be better.

As for the air conditioning, I'm not sure if you mean climate control or just plain cold airconditioning. This time of year you will not find airconditioning anywhere, just heating. Most hotels set it according to season for one or the other.
The temperature outside will be pretty much a matter of luck, but quite often it gets rainy and cold. It is not very cold, but you do need heating in the room, specially if it is not carpeted, which is common in hotels 3 star and below.

Please stay away from Simon. I stayed there last March and would never be back. The front desk people are nasty and the rooms are musty. By coincidence, I just read some other bad reviews about them this past week. Too bad, their location and building are great, but they are not people persons.

Dona Maria is a great choice, second will be Murillo.

Enjoy your trip to my ancestors land.

Hi: I spent 2 wks in Sevilla this past June. I stayed at the Alcantara which was recommended on this site by Maribel. If you go to Maribels name or put in Seville you will find her choices. It was one of the cleanest hotels I have ever stayed at and the a/c was deliciously cold. It was in the old section so I walked everywhere. It was 60 Euros a night. Everyone was very helpfu. I even checked out of my room for 2 days and they kept the luggage while I went to Gibralter and Morocco. I walked to the bus station. Another day I went to the Algarve coast in Portugal . Have fun.

Thanks everyone. Is Hotel Alcantara hard to find? Those streets in Santa Cruz have always eluded me!

Hotel Alcantara is on Ximenez de Enciso street, just next door to the Casa de la Memoria de Al-Andalus museum. It is actually on the edge of the Santa Cruz Quarter, so it is easier to access than others that are deep into it, like the Murillo. A car or taxi can leave you just down the street from the hotel at Fabiola street.
The hotel is very near the Casas de la Juderia, Fernando III and Alfonso X hotels which are on Santa Maria La Blanca square.

I suggest you get Bancotel vouchers through Petrabax.com. We're staying in 4 star hotels in Cordoba, Granada, & Marbella for $63 a night (plus $25 shipping charge.) Lots of people on this board have recommended these vouchers and been very happy with them.

Hi again, would you mind giving me some more information on these Bancotel vouchers? I went to the Petrabax site and saw them. Do the tickets cover taxes and everything or do I have to pay extra for that? Has anyone used these in Seville and Madrid and where did you stay? Thanks!

olivia,
The vouchers don't cover the 7% VAT tax
which you pay upon checking out.

You can also see the participating hotels on the official Bancotel site-
www.bancotel.com, but there you must purchase these vouchers in booklets of 5, not individually.

In Madrid we've used Bancotel vouchers on wkds., Xmas and July 15-Aug. 31, for 3 hotels in the upscale Salamanca shopping/residential district, where we usually stay (when we're in Madrid for family visits and business rather than sightseeing).
We've stayed at the Melia Galgos, the NH Lagasca, near Plaza Colon, and the newly and superbly refurbished Intercontinental on Castellana Blvd.
BUT www.inter-conti.com has its own competitive weekend rates for Madrid's Intercontinental, as does www.solmelia.com for the Galgos. The solmelia.com site, however, has special discount rates available every Wed. for the following wkd., so I always check there at the last minute.

For downtown Madrid, Old Madrid, posters here have used vouchers at the 5 star Westin Palace, requiring 3 per night, and the 4 star Intur Palacio San Martin, tucked away on a quiet square a few blocks from the Puerta del Sol, which requires 2 per night.
The Madrid hotels requiring only 1 50 voucher per night on wkds. are just not our favorites, we don't find them all that attractive, and they're located a taxi, bus or metro ride away from Old Madrid.

In Seville, we've used Bancotel vouchers at the Occidental, but only because the rate was 50 euros per night in late July (with pool!), and we were visiting friends who picked us up everyday. The Occidental is a looooooong walk from the cathedral area! I just checked bancotel.com and don't see it listed anyway as a participating hotel this year, so it may not even be a choice.
Other posters have stayed at the central 4 star Melia Colon for 2 vouchers per night and the 5 star Grande Dame Hotel Westin Alfonso XIII for 3 per night.
The Seville hotels requiring only 1 50 euro voucher per night tend to be in less central locations, either a long walk (Hotel Macarena) or a bus ride away (AC Santa Justa) from the Cathedral/Alcazar area, thus the savings, just so you know. For every great deal there is a bit of a disadvantage.
The "boutique hotel" Fodor favorites in the Santa Cruz quarter don't usually participate in the Bancotel program.

That is so helpful, thank you!

I would have to disagree with the person who said to stay away from the Hotel Simon. I stayed there last March and would definitely stay there again. I will admit that the rooms are nothing special, but they certainly are sufficient.

I also did nto find the employees to be anything other than friendly. For example, we got there before the check in time. They allowed us to leave our bags at the desk and when we got back they had been moved to our romm for us. They were also helpful with directions and suggestions for places to eat.

Plus, it's location is very convenient, right across the street essentially from the Cathedral.

Anne

In May my daughter and I stayed at the Hotel Amadeus for 88 euro. It was very near the Giralda tower and the cathedral. I believe it is located between the Santa Cruz neighborhood and the Juderia. The room was very nice, large and the bathroom was large as well. I can't specifically recall how the ac worked although it was pretty hot when we were there and I don't remember being uncomfortable sleeping at night. Check out their website www.hotelamadeussevilla.com