Upon booking this hotel through Lastminute for my weekend break to Granada I expected the Saray to be a functional hotel along the standard of say a 'Holiday Inn'. However i was very much mistaken.

On arrival it was evident that the hotel was smart and well kept, with an inpressive entrance area which bettered most of the hotels in the region. Once inside I found the rececption area very smart and tastyfully decreated. With a very good hotel bar downstairs.

The staff were extremely helpful and freindly behind reception and were able to upgrade our room upon arrival due to us having extra people than we expected with no fuss whatsoever.

I know people have criticised the hotel for its location, but basically unless you are disabled this should not be a problem given that you are literally no more than 8-10 minutes from the city centre.

The rooms themselves were of both good size and cleanliness level and actually rather comfotable to saty in and not too bland which you may expect with a modern style hotel. Furthermore we had a wonderful view of the Siera Nevada mountain range from our window.

In summing up the Saray I would say that firstly I have been to many parts of Spain on numerous occasions and this is by far the best hotel i've ever stayed.

Secondly when it comes to travelling abroad I am a notorious whinger over even the most minor details, but I can honestly say hand on heart I could not fault this place for anything.

My first tip is to check the Saray Hotel website directly: we ended up paying more on Expedia, so be sure to check the Saray site before committing elsewhere.

This hotel was perfectly fine in terms of the hotel itself: the bed was comfortable, although the requested matrimonial bed ended up being 2 single beds pushed together (ask for a "cama italiana" in this case...they'll at least try to improve this by adding a mattress pad and king sized sheet). There was a flat screen television, a nice desk area, lots of good lighting, good curtains for those of us who like the dark in the morning, a wide selection of pillows, a very good shower, and overall, we found the room to be quite comfortable.

The hotel lobby is also non-smoking, a real bonus. We did find, though, that folks smoked even in the non-smoking rooms on the non-smoking floors, but that is certainly not the fault of the hotel.

We had two problems with the hotel: internet and location.

1. Although they advertise wireless internet access throughout the hotel, they were well aware of the fact that it doesn't work past the ground floor. They made some half-hearted commentary that they would call a technician to see why ours didn't work on the fourth floor, but we all knew it never works. This was an issue for us, as we require internet access for work purposes.

If you do not bring your computer, you can access the internet through the television and a wireless keyboard for 7 euros for 24 hours, a fair bargain for europe.

2. The location of the hotel, while a relatively short walk to the edges of town is on the WRONG edges of town. Yes, it is close to the center, but the parts of the center where the action really is (around Plaza Nueva) are further afield. There are cafes and restaurants within a relatively short walk to this hotel, but the better cafes and more interesting restaurants are further along.

And for those who are looking at the hotels near the Alhambra and are thinking as we did that the Alhambra must be a 30 minute taxi ride out of town, it isn't. It is a good hike up a pretty steep hill near Plaza Nueva, but if you are in good shape and like a little exercise, it was a nice climb, and the hotels that are nearby are probably closer to the action than this one.

However, there are lots of buses that stop very close to the hotel, so if you are willing to take a bus, you might not mind the distance.

If we were to visit Granada again, we would look at hotels closer to Plaza Nueva than this one. Although the Saray was perfectly fine, after a long day of hiking to the Alhambra, we wished we were closer to town.

The hotel is located about a 10 minute walk from the town center which was a nice walk because of the parks and city streets. We were by the river which is where we spent many nights at the small tapa bars. The locals eat there which means that they are not over priced and the servers were very friendly (even if you don't speak spanish). The only bad part of our trip was that my camera was stolen. Be careful when you are approached by locals trying to distract you from your valuables.
We went the first week of June which is the feast of Corpus Criste. There are parades and the locals dress up in traditional Spanish atire. It was beautiful. See the Alhambra at dusk to get the light. There is an observation point across the hill.

I stayed at this hotel in October 2007. My rate was 82 euro / night. Overall its OK, but I didn't it find it to be anything special.
The good: The lobby, pool and fountains are very nice and inviting. The glass elevators are a nice touch and give it a more modern look.
The not so good: The rooms are pretty basic, after seeing the lobby you will be disappointed with the rooms. There is no work-out facility. They claim to offer high speed internet, but the signal is so weak you have to be in the lobby to use it. Reception is efficient but far from friendly. They still allow smoking in some areas and the smell is evident through out. There is a nice breakfast buffet, but its offered in a windowless room with overworked wait staff.

Tips: If you are in the area eat at Carmen Restaurante (you will need to take a taxi), beautiful view of the palace. Don’t miss the Cathedral