Maribel

The Eslava apartments are always full! When I left in March 2023 and reserved for next March 2024 for Semana Santa all they could only give me 4 nights, and I had to leave on Maundy Thursday because they have regular clients from year to year who book from Maundy Thursday through Easter Sunday. That's why I'm headed to Málaga to finish Semana Santa.

It took me about 20 minute to walk to the Cathedral from there, but I'm a fast walker who knows the city very well. The distance is 1.6 kilometers.

Maybe the option on Francisco Brunas where it meets Entrecárceles, dead center, would be better for you. It's much closer for sightseeing.

go_laura

Maribel Thanks! It turned out the more centrally located one, had many stairs to go to the bathroom, and that's a safety deal breaker for us as we know what we're like when half awake at 3am, lol. So I thought I'd just go with the one near Eslava and use more taxis than usual.

BUT then of course I kept searching and now am considering two others. One is an apartment that appears to be on Calle Santa Patronas near Calle Cristobel Morales. If I'm seeing correctly, that would be in El Arenal but only 6 minute walk to sites. It gets 9.0 on booking.com and no noise complaints, which is 1 of the things I check for. Any thoughts on this location?

The other appears to be near the intersection of Calle Real de la Carreteria and Calle Rodo...pretty much the same neighborhood?

Muchas gracias, como siempre!

Maribel

Hi Laura,
Yes for me as well the many stairs up to the bathroom is problematic. We had one of those in our lovely room at the Plaza 18 (Casa Califja) in Vejer, up a narrow spiral staircase but the icing on the cake, once we got up there, was a huge sit out terrace with Straits of Gibraltar views. But it was a safety concern for sure.

I know the Cristóbal Morales and Santa Patronas streets, they're near the Taberna del Alabardero, where in the downstairs bistrot they have a very good value lunch menu served weekdays. It's a very central location in the El Arenal and a truly easy walk to sites.

I also know the other location, closer to the river and also close to my favorite tapas bars, Petit Comité, Bodeguita Reyes Antonio Romero and Bodeguita Antonio Romero Origen.
Both El Arenal locations seem fine to me.

go_laura

Wonderful, many thanks. I've also booked the Santa Isabel in Toledo for our 2 nights there, based on your and progol 's rec.

Now, on to Granada and Córdoba! I hope you don't mind if I come back once I've narrowed those down as well. I've taken some notes on your advice to others in other threads, so that'll certainly help get me started.

Maribel

Glad the Santa Isabel is booked! Now on to Granada and Córdoba! Planning is fun!

progol

I’m so glad you chose Santa Isabel! It’s a simple hotel, but well run and perfectly located and we were very happy with our stay.
I’m attaching a link to my Toledo album in Flickr - I hope it opens. Let me know if it doesn’t.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/130174933@N04/88ZP27hRce

go_laura

progol you're quite the photographer, I love these pictures!! (And I'd been meaning to post to you how much I loved the ones from Córdoba too.) We're only spending 2 nights in Toledo but I'm now so looking forward to it. Do you albums for Sevilla and Granada too?!

Maribel

Gorgeous photos as usual, progol, from the neo-mudéjar Renfe station, to the extraordinary Gothic cathedral to the synagogues to the damascene artists. Thanks for sharing.

Laura, the famous sweet of Toledo is mazapán and you can see all the creations at Santo Tomé Obrador,

Maribel

Laura,
It´s great that you´re spending 2 nights in Toledo, the city of the 3 cultures (Moorish, Catholic, Jewish) because the city is extraordinarily rich in artistic treasures. Toledo's artistic patrimony is really unparalleled. It makes my head spin....The cathedral, one of Spain's 3 most beautiful Gothic cathedrals, the two synagogues, Santa Maria la Blanca and Sinagoga del Tránsito with its interesting Sephardic Museum attached, the El Greco House/Museum, the Iglesia de Santo Tomé with El Greco's masterpiece, "the Burial of the Count of Orgaz", the Mezquita de la Luz, the church of San Juan de los Reyes, the Hospital (Museo) de Santa Cruz with its many El Grecos, Flemish tapestries, fine ceramics collection, Visigoth and Roman relics, the Roman bridges, the viewpoints..... Pick and choose! You'll love it!

Those who spend 2 nights in Toledo will be richly rewarded, as it's so peaceful after the tour buses depart and it even takes on a mystical air at night.

progol

Laura and Maribel,

Thank you for the lovely compliments on my (and my husband’s) photography! We’re both former professional photographers though, these days, we are only doing it for ourselves - and most of our photography is simply iPhone!

Laura, we were also in Toledo only 2 nights! We started our trip in Toledo, so after our nap after arrival, we hit the ground running. And, as Maribel has outlined, Toledo is a city with an extraordinary number of cultural and artistic riches. I’m amazed my husband still allows me to plan trips because we walked SO much while we were there and I’m sure it felt like a week’s visit in 1 1/2 days! I’m happy that you gave yourself 2 days - you won’t regret it.

And yes, I do have albums for Granada and Sevilla which I’ll post sometime later!

go_laura

Lol, Maribel and progol , I suspect I'll be overdoing my body's limits in Toledo while dh sits at a cafe admiring the view somewhere! It'll be at the end of our trip (just 1 day in Madrd after) so I'll probably figure I have plenty of time to recover.

Progol, I look forward to those albums whenever you have a chance.

On another note, I've booked a cancellable Granada apt, it's apt. 2B in Aljibe Rodrigo Apts at 17 Cuesta de Rodrigo del Campo. Any experience with them? Reviews and pictures look amazing, almost too amazing which sometimes makes me wonder!

Casa 1800 also has superior rooms available, tho none mention a view. I'm a little confused about rooms with exact same description and "cancel by" dates but very different prices. Does anyone know why this is?

Gracias!

Maribel

go_laura,
For the Granada apartment, I don't know it, but it appears to be in a very good location and quiet!. And in a lovely, restored 16th c. building.
Certainly the prior guests on Booking.com say it's very, very central and quiet.
It has only 2 reviews on Tripadvisor, which makes me think it's fairly new.
Just a 2-min. walk from Plaza Nueva to catch one of the red mini buses that will take you up to the Alhambra or to the Albaicín. That's very convenient.
That review score of 9.7 is exceptional, and the reviews in Spanish make me want to book there!
And you would have 60 square meters of space, which is also exceptional for a one-bedroom in Granada!

You're referring to the Casa 1800 in Granada, correct? (not the one in Sevilla). What you wouldn't want is the standard room on the ground floor (noise) and only artificial light.

For a superior room on an upper floor, I see 4 different rates:
a pre-pay, non-refundable rate,
a pre-pay rate that can be cancelled (refundable) within 10 days of arrival,
a pre-pay, 5% discount rate, (throwing in a bottle of cava), that can be cancelled 7 days prior to arrival
a flexible, non-pre pay rate, pay upon arrival, that can be cancelled 2 days prior to your arrival.

That's the same situation with the sister hotel in Sevilla, with 4 different rates for the same room, depending on when you pay

go_laura

Thanks Maribel! That helps me look at the fine print more. I'm going to keep that as my Granada reservation.

Now I'm on to Cordoba! Which I'm surprised to find is the one I'm going most back and forth with, with several locations. The main ones I'm considering are Lineros 24 and Casa Ayo en Centro, so if you have any thoughts on them or their locations, I'd love to hear. Next choices would be Ermita Suites or La Llave de la Juderia, but they're both a bit pricier so I'd only pick them if there were either real negatives about the others, or if 1 of them is a "don't miss out on this!" type of experience (Ermita maybe?).

I did look at Casas de la Juderia which I believe karenwoo loved, but ruled it out, I forget if due to price or lack of refrigerator/microwave (which we really appreciate with 4 nights) or something else.

mike1728

In Cordoba now. Loving it. Weather is perfect and crowds are very manageable especially in the early am or after 6pm. Highly recommend exploring the Plaza de las Tendillas area and the Plaza de Corredara area. Only a 10 min walk from the busy Mezquita area with some wonderful sights, beautiful buildings and the Roman Forum ruins. No tour groups in sight👍

Maribel

Hi mike,
We actually have reservations at the new-ish H10 Palacio Colomera on the Plaza de las Tendillas for Holy Week, because we snagged an unbeatable rate, better than the rate at the Casas de la Judería. We had toured it on a previous trip. Yep, no tour groups in sight and less busy than the Mezquita area. We like to have tapas at Taberna San Miguel Casa el Pisto on the Plaza de San Miguel nearby.

go_laura,
When I was in Córdoba in late winter, I really liked the Ermita Suites, away from the heavy Mezquita area tourist crowd but didn't see Casa Aya. I didn't stay at the Ermita Suites because it was beyond my budget. That 5-week trip necessitated apartments in all my cities, as I was on a very strict budget, my "self-funded" fam trip.

Casa Aya is near the Plaza de las Tendillas, where we'll stay during Semana Santa, where mike is now. It's in the modern section of the city, yet an easy walk from the Mezquita----I walked it several times.

Not to confuse you, but have you looked at La Posada del Sojo, also away from the madding crowds?

The Lineros 24 is very close to where I stayed in an apartment that I didn't like (almost froze to death) because of the lack of good heating in winter, and it was a studio without a Nespresso-like coffee machine and quite small. But it fit the budget and iIt does get a 9.1 review on Booking, which is why I chose it along with the low price. It was the "Córdoba Atrium", that I don't recommend compared to your other choices.

However, the location of the Lineros 24 is great, as it's outside of the souk-like tourist souvenir shops and just beyond the lovely Julio Romero de Torres Museum, my favorite portrait artist, and before reaching Bodegas Campos, which is a very nice place to dine in the Taberna. Far from the crowds but close to my favorite "Garum 2.1 Bistronomic Tapas Bar" for really creative and inexpensive tapas, frequented by a loyal local crowd.

go_laura

mike1728 thanks for sharing your enthusiasm for Cordoba and the recs for areas you're particularly enjoying! If you're staying somewhere you're happy with, I'm all 👂 .

go_laura

Thanks Maribel! I'm looking now at La Posada del Sojo and will compare available options for our dates to the others, especially Lineros 24. And will certainly stay away from Córdoba Atrium - so awful that you had to be cold, ug! I hope the rest of your trip was filled with warmth (I admit to envying those 5 weeks!)

Maribel

The rest of my late February, early March solo trip was filled with warmth except for another freezing airbnb in Málaga!
But I truly loved my apartments in Sevilla (Espacio Eslava), Cádiz (Fabio Catedral) and Jerez (Suites Alfonso X), where I finally met ekscrunchy at midnight! (entirely my fault, we were like ships passing through the night until we finally met....so much fun!)

progol

Here are more albums:
Sevilla (we fell in love with the city)
https://flic.kr/s/aHskfmhE2F

Granada (the photos don’t do the city or the Alhambra justice - we hit a heat wave and were definitely feeling it)
https://flic.kr/s/aHskctb88z

Cordoba (we had a charming Airbnb with a great view and LOTS more photos of the Mezquita)
https://flic.kr/s/aHskfmJoHU

Ronda and Environs (we arrived right in the middle of a wonderful local festival, Ronda Romantica, where people recreated the Romantic age, dressed as wealthy merchants, gypsies and bandits! We lucked upon it and it was truly a delight!)
https://flic.kr/s/aHskcsnUhN

mike1728

Hi Laura, we have an incredible apartment on the local side of the Roman Bridge. 10 min walk across the bridge (which is fun with the bird sightings in the river and the old men on their accordions) . No tourists to be found and some great local restaurants and coffee shops before you enter the beautiful but touristy Mesquite area.