I looking at tacking-on two nights in Granada to an upcoming trip to Madrid. (I'd fly into Granada on a Monday and take the train to Madrid Wednesday afternoon)
-Any hotel recommendations? The budget isn't tight, but it certainly doesn't reach the €440/night that the Parador there is asking.
-There are a variety of tickets for the Alhambra: General, garden, night, etc... Any insights into the best plan of attack there?
I loved the Hostal Rodri. It’s no frills but it’s so clean and well located and the staff is great.
We loved this airbnb! The view of the Alhambra at night was stunning!
https://abnb.me/qwC9qOTBXob
The 14-euro Alhambra General ticket is the one that covers a daytime visit to all parts of the very large complex. It's nice to also see the Nasrid Palaces at night, but that isn't essential. Just buying the "Gardens, Generalife and Alcazaba" ticket would be a mistake; it omits the Nasrid Palaces, which are the most beautiful part of the complex by far. That's the part that can sell out well ahead of time. There's an extra charge for the audio guide, which I thought was very much worth it.
The Dobla de Oro ticket gives the same Alhambra access as the Alhambra General ticket and also covers some secondary sights. It's our usual suggestion if someone finds the Alhambra General tickets sold out for the day he or she needs. A short-term visitor is unlikely to have time to get to all those secondary sights, and there are other places in town not covered by the Dobla de Oro ticket, some of which might be a higher priority. Individual tickets to most of the secondary sights are quite inexpensive, so the savings from the Dobla de Oro ticket are not large.
I believe hotels in Granada are generally very reasonably priced. I think you can find something nice for much, much less than that eye-popping parador rate. If you give us your nightly hotel budget in euros and tell us how many people are in your group and how many rooms you'll need, we may be able to help more. In the meantime, take a look at booking.com.
We stayed at El Ladron D'Agua, Carrera del Darro, 13. It's in a perfect location at the bottom of the Albayzin. The street parallels the narrow Rio Darro. It's just a few minutes walk from Plaza Nueva. There is a fountain made out of rock in the indoor courtyard with a marble floor and retractable roof. Our room was very comfortable with white walls and a dark wood ceiling. Staff were very helpful and accommodating. I don't remember the price in 2017 but it was nowhere near what the Parador is asking. We generally don't pay over $200.
And make sure you buy the tickets that include the Nasrid Palaces (spectacular), the Generalife gardens and the Alcazaba. We also purchased tickets for the night-time tour, and we thought it was very magical and peaceful.
I stayed at Hotel Comfort Dauro 2 and was very pleased. The prices were reasonable and not too far from the sites.
If you don’t mind a no frills hotel, then hotel América, right at the Alhambra complex might work. It’s just yards from the Parador but without all the amenities. Our room didn’t even have a tv, but there was WiFi. We stayed there in 2014 for a couple nights and it was adequate for what we needed. After walking around the Alhambra we could go back to the room and relax before going out again. You can walk into town if you want, but we took the shuttle bus that drops you off by Plaza Isabel La Catolica. The room came with a continental breakfast.
You’ve become quite the Spain traveler these past few months.
Are you sure that 440 euros wasn't for two nights at the Parador?
Thanks all! A trip that was coming together quickly has fizzled just as quickly. How dare my boss accept new clients for the week before The Eurovision Song Contest‽
Carol: It came up at 880, and I had to drill down to be sure that was the two-night rate! And not because only top rooms were left—that was for the cheapest, standard room.
Jaimeelsabio: I actually lived in Spain a couple of decades ago and went back in November to explore a retirement there. On my first night in Madrid, I met a friend of a friend and I've been surprisingly, inconveniently, delightfully... falling in love?
We really enjoyed staying at the Hotel Posada del Toro. https://www.posadadeltoro.com/en/
