If you find yourself looking for a place to stay in Granada, let me introduce you to one place that really stands out from the crowd!
Hotel Casa 1800 is a gorgeous hotel in the Albaicin neighborhood of Granada, part of the UNESCO Heritage Sites. Located in a 16th-century building with original preserved Renaissance-style murals in and around the main courtyard, it’s a breath of fresh air among the promenade of soulless hotel options in the city.
If that wasn’t enough, it’s also located a walking distance to Alhambra, with some of the hotel rooms offering one-of-a-kind views straight from your windows or terrace.
Let me show you around!
Albaicin Neighborhood
When I was looking for accommodation options in Granada, I really wanted to stay somewhere that’s easy to walk to most places. The Albaicin neighborhood is the oldest and certainly the most charming part of Granada, and I was amazed that you could find a hotel in the heart of it.
If you want to explore Albaicin, prepare to climb some steep narrow cobbled streets and wear appropriate footwear.
Just around the corner from the hotel, on Plaza de Santa Anna, is a selection of small shops, taxi rank and a few restaurants (along with the popular La Cueva Restaurant). From the square, you can also catch the small red bus that takes you all the way up to Alhambra.
A short side note about taxi in Granada – we found the local taxi to be much more cheaper than Uber we would normally use.
Hotel Entrance
The old murals and the smell of fresh lilies dominate the entrance to the hotel. The small reception room is on the right side.
The staff is really welcoming and very attentive, with a really good command of English and always willing to help. Through the main entrance hall you arrive at the main courtyard, where breakfast and afternoon snacks are served.
A set of stairs will then take you to the first floor where most of the rooms are located.
The Courtyard / Breakfast Room
Probably my favourite place in the whole hotel, the courtyard was dominated by beautifully preserved mural contrasting with the old wood on the window frames.
The normally open roof has been covered, providing shelter from the weather while allowing lots of natural light to flood the space. On the right side of the courtyard is a large room where coffee making facilities are available for guests, and a few extra seats ready for breakfast service.
In the afternoons, they put out a spread of snacks for guests to enjoy free of charge.
A note on breakfast: I found that the breakfast was rather expensive (especially since it wasn’t an open buffet), so I didn’t initially plan to take it, but we tested it for one morning.
I hate to say anything negative because I loved the hotel so much, but we were kept waiting for 35 minutes before any food appeared on our table. We were asked to select food from a sheet, which the hotel staff managed to lose and even from the one they found, they didn’t bring half of the stuff we asked for.
We were not the only ones in this situation as other guests were complaining about the wait and some of them just left to search for breakfast elsewhere. The breakfast room wasn’t full or busy, it’s just a shame to start your first morning with such a letdown. It could be that they were just short-staffed, as I imagine something like this can’t be happening on daily basis.
Our Deluxe Room
The prices for the hotel room were really good value for money, and we opted for a deluxe room with more space as there were 3 of us in there. They set up an extra bed for my son, and the room was huge!
The room decor matched the rest of the hotel and even though you can see the furniture isn’t the newest, it really fits this place. We had a small window looking into a small courtyard and a very spacious wardrobe with a full-size mirror, which was hugely appreciated.
The room didn’t have any coffee-making facilities (these were available all day round in the courtyard), but there was a fully stocked and well-priced minibar.
The Bathroom
The bathroom had a really high – cathedral-like – ceiling with walk-in bathtub/shower and double sinks. A big window was letting in a lot of natural light and all the necessary bathroom accessories were provided, including face masks for all the guests!
And that concludes the grand tour!
I really enjoyed my stay in here, and the staff more than made up for the issues with breakfast and were super friendly. I would not hesitate to book the same place for another time, and perhaps upgrading to the double room with terrace which also has Alhambra views (but had no space for an extra bed sadly).
Also a bonus tip – if you stay in their hotel in Granada, they have also another sister hotel of the same style in Seville, and the staff will give you 10% voucher for the stay in there!
Hotel Casa 1800, Granada
Location: Calle Benalua 11, 18010 Granada, Spain
Prices: from 70 euro per night in season, with free cancellation. More expensive with breakfast included.
Facilities: the hotel has spa services, although no dedicated spacious spa facilities (they have one room they use for spa treatments). There is also no restaurant on the premises.
Parking: they have outdoor covered parking in the vicinity of the hotel, contact them prior to travel to confirm availability.
Booking: online here.
