cailin,

If that's what you eat for breakfast you'll do fine in front of the alleyway. Lot's of choices a few seconds from the entrance.

We were a bit surprised by Granada. Were only there a day but walked by a square called Bib-Rambla not far from the Cathedral. Many Italian (don't know why) restaurants in the square. Ate outdoors there.

Be careful about the heat in Seville. Tough to do much in a day in those temperatures (we had 39 degrees that translates to 104). walk slowly, drink up and stop between walks.

have fun
Some area such as the shopping street have covers over the walkways to protect from the sun.

Forgot to mention, La Memoria Flamenco is about 2 minutes from the hotel in Seville.

One hour show, no drink included, authentic, not tourist version.

One singer, one guitartist and one dancer. Excellent.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice. I will look into these other hotels, and probably avoid the Becquer as it sounds as I suspected -- like a Holiday Inn!

We just came from Seville, 2 days ago.
We spent 4 days at Cases de la Juderia in Seville. Our room #223. It was great. The buffet breakfast was included and it was the best we have had.
On the way back we stayed at ALFONSO XIII and it was like a palace.
Both are very friendly and accomodating.
Hope this helps.
Sue

Has anyone stayed at the Parador in Carmona outside of Seville or at the Parador in Jaen? Is it easy to get into Seville from the parador if you have a rental car?

Now for convenience we are staying at the modern Melia Sol Sevilla which is adjacent to Parque Maria Luisa. We are going there in early September because the Carmen in Sevilla Music Festival venues are predominantly in the Park and the nearby Plaza de Espana. We are told that there are great views of the Park from our room and that it is an excellent location for walking into the main part of Sevilla from the south along the river. We would greatly appreciate any comments from those who have previously visited the hotel.

In Sevilla we stayed at the Hotel Alcantara (**) which shares a doorway with the Casa de Memoria in the Barrio Santa Cruz neighborhood of narrow, winding streets and walkways. The taxi has to let you off about a block from the entrance, thats a far as they can drive in and this is common to many establishments in this area. Mostly quiet, spacious rooms with full bath, plenty of hot water, AC & TV (BBC World feed included) a nice place for the low season rate of 68 Euros, tax included. Self-serve continental breakfast was 5 Euros. Good luck and have fun!

jessd - I have booked into the Parador in Carmona for one night next month. I will report back afterwards! It looks lovely and I haven't read any bad reviews yet! As far as I can tell, it's about an hour outside Seville. We have booked into Casas de la Juderia for one night, then the parador the next.

I really liked both the Casas de la Juderia and the Parador in Carmona. We had a junior suite in Casas de la Juderia (I can't remember the room number but I think it might have been 43). The room was lovely - it was split level with a nice lounge area below and then the bed & bathrooms upstairs. It was clean and comfortable and in a fantastic location. As for driving, the hotel actually charges something like €15 per day + IVA, but you can park in a proper car park about one block away for €14 a day which was ideal.

The Parador in Carmona was gorgeous - our room was fantastic with a huge balcony that went around two sides of the building so we had incredible views. The room itself and the bathroom were comfortable and clean. The pool was lovely too as were the bar and the terrace. The food was also excellent in the restaurant.