After reading several bad reviews of the Hotel Carmen, I was apprehensive about staying there. We lived in Granada for 6 months in 2001 and I remembered the Hotel Carmen being very centrally located. I also had remembered the Hotel San Anton but could not get the kind of deal I did at the Carmen. So I ended up gettin a package deal for the airfare and the Carmen.

As I was traveling by myself, I was given a rather small room, but all in all very comfortable. I had a full/queen size bed that was more than ample. The only problem I had with it was that when I arrived in Granada it was rather cold and my room was unusually warm. Opening windows or turning on the air conditioner didn't seem to help. I had no view except for windows of other rooms, but I wasn't planning to spend much time in my room anyway.

The housekeeping staff was excellent. I complained that the mini-bar was not working; it was fixed within a half a day. The hair dryer was fixed within an hour (actually replaced) after I had mentioned that it wasn't working to the maid. The room next to mine put up a "make up this room ASAP" when I left at 9:30 for breakfast. When I returned, my room was made up as well.

The front desk is pretty cold. The older men working there, I think, only handle the tour groups that come through; they definitely have a full-time job. If I had a question or a problem, they always referred me to the young women at the front desk who were a bit more friendly. I assume they handle the smaller reservations.

Breakfast was always very nice. And contrary to a previous review, they do have packaged individual slices of butter in addition to the tub serving. I always enjoyed breakfast, but again, the staff was so busy at times that they might have seemed abrupt.

Another problem was the thin walls, and I assume this is because the hotel is so old. About 7 am you would hear the toilets flushing, the showers turning on, and certainly if anybody in the hallway was talking, you would hear them clearly.

Would I stay here again? Probably not. I noticed so many hotels around the major areas that I would probably try a more friendly, family-oriented place. But it's not as bad as I though it might be.

Just returned from a 3 night stay at the Carmen. We were a little unsure about what to expect after reading some of the reviews. Our experience is that we pulled up outside the hotel in our hire car which was then parked in the hotel car park for us. At reception we were checked in by not particularly welcoming staff. However, the porter was excellent, he produced a map of Granada and pointed out the best places to visit and gave us lots of helpfull information. The bedroom and bathroom were to a very good standard and overlooked the main road. Although this was busy the double glazing cut out all traffic noise.At breakfast you couldn't have asked for a better selection. Overall we feel this hotel is excellent value for money, ideally situated in a stunning city. We were a little dissapointed that furniture wasn't out on the roof terrace as the weather was excellent and would have been nice to sit out as the views from here are magnificent - however, it was only March. Would definately return to this Hotel

directly opposite el corte ingles. only a few minutes walk from all tourist attractions. excellent views from the roof, alhambra and mountains. breakfast ok. rooms dated, but clean and comfortable. superb value for money.£46 for both of us B&B.would definately stay again.A must is the old town and st nicholas mirador(albayzin ) -for the breathtaking view.

After booking Hotel Carmen online, we were excited to be staying in the heart of Granada in a nice hotel. How wrong we were!! Location was excellent, but there is nothing else positive to say about the experience.

The hotel staff were absolutely pathetic - they could not lift a finger to help, the check in line was 30 mins long and they are majorly understaffed.

The room was terrible. Our aircon did not work and the room must have been 30 degrees Celsius and it was winter!! I am sure the room was next to an aircon exhaust or something as even with the window open and the cool winter air coming in, the room stayed hot.

The walls are so thin that we could hear the next door neighbour talking till 2am!! A young tour group were also on our level with teenagers screaming at each other all night long.

Breakfast had a large selection but the quality was poor. You would be better off having brekky in a nearby cafe.

I suppose you pay for what you get. We paid about 65 EURO on a special deal, and would have been better spending a bit more on a classier hotel.

Our tip - spend more money somewhere else, and don't stay at Hotel Carmen!!