The hotel is located in the old part of Granada and therefore somewhat difficult to access by car and there is a barrier to access to this area at some parts of the day (necessitating using the buzzer to talk to the traffic people who will lower the barrier). After negotiating the narrow streets, there may be parking outside the hotel, though this is not guaranteed and could equally well be full. The hotel is in a very pleasant building and entirely in keeping with the area. The reception staff were helpful on arrival.

The hotel is located within 10 ten minutes walk from the centre of town and closer still to the access road upto the Alhambra, which can be seen from some of the hotel rooms.

We booked the cheapest room (118 euros) which meant that there was no external view and the windows opened to the central courtyard. The room was fairly small but adequate and clean. The bathroom was again compact but clean and quite well equiped. The room was air conditioned which was very welcomed in June. The only bad point was that there was some noise from hotel staff working below in the open courtyard and the walls between rooms pretty thin. However, overall, to be recommended and the car parking (if available) a big bonus).

Having read some of the negative views on Casa Morisca, my heart sank. Had I made a monumental mistake for the first time in a very long time? You see my wife and I are compulsive travellers, with the advent of budget airlines, and having retired early, got the kids through school, and made sure they are on the ladder of life, we have decided to enjoy life and travel.

Having read the comments on the Hotel Casa Morisca, and having spent 2 days there myself, I am obliged to put the record straight. Let me just qualify this review by saying, I was a corporate officer for a large US firm (I am British) and so know what 5 star luxury hotels around the world are like.

If you want 5 star luxury, most probably a 30’ x 30’ bedroom, big bathroom, plush towelling robes, porters falling over themselves to grab your bags and hopefully get a big tip, normally a taxi ride to anywhere, and usually with a very sterile, predictable atmosphere, then book and stay somewhere else. There’s a big hotel right next to the Alhambra, (away from it all) that fits the bill.

If you want a really beautiful hidden gem of a hotel, with a wow factor as soon as you step through ancient heavy oak door into the shaded Moorish courtyard with fountain and steeped in history from head to toe, and one which is REALLY romantic, then stay here. It is close to the Plaza Nueva, (600 yards) which is the heart of the old city and from where you can walk (really) to most of the sights in Granada. The rooms are small, but well appointed, the AC works well, the staff are very helpful, with loads of advice on what to do or where to go. The hotel is in the oldest part of the city, directly below the Alhambra, and because of the myriad of little alleys and narrow streets (often one way), it is closed off to normal traffic , except for buses, taxi's and anyone with a car that is staying in a hotel in that area. Access to this area is guarded by steel bollards in designated places around the city, which lower to let you in, after you speak with someone, via an intercom unit by the bollard. Be warned, if driving, it is difficult to reach the hotel, because of this. Even my sat nav could not cope with the all the one ways, so we ended up following a taxi.

Granada is a fabulous city, with lots of reataurants and bars, fantastic tapas, (they really do give you free tapas with every drink!), the Alhambra is breathtaking, not as elaborate inside as the Alcazar in Seville, but stunning in its size.

Enjoy it.

It was a great experience.
The city is absolutely great, very beautiful.
I advice you visit it.
If you have the chance stay in this hotel, it’s very clean, with an excellent service and a wonderful atmosphere. The decoration is lovely, inviting you to dream with the Arab style.
I am really happy that we chose this one. I will come back for sure!!.
Enjoy!.
McPlaci –Prague-

My partner & I recently returned from a 3 week trip to Spain, and as usual, I had looked up each hotel on TripAdvisor before booking the room. On previous trips I already knew where we would stay, and used TripAdvisor merely for updates on properties, to ensure that construction, fires, etc. had not recently occurred. This trip was different. I actually based many of the hotel selections on TripAdvisor reviews, and now that I have returned, I find myself comparing my experience with the reviews, and am hoping that I can add some insights that others might find helpful. None of the hotels we selected (all costing $180 to $280/night...thank you terrible dollar) were bad or particularly problematic, but I realize that my criteria is very subjective, very specific to me. So I will try to explain both what I thought of the various hotels, and what about me explains that particular prejudice.

With that as a preamble, of the 7 hotels in Spain we where recently stayed, this was our least favorite. Considerable attention to detail was obviously lavished on the renovation of this Moorish building, with an overall successful architectural integrity that speaks to classical elements of Moorish residential architecture. Since all guests in the hotel visit that most famous of Moorish architecture, the Alhambra, there is a nice harmony between a day spent wandering around Granada and the architecture of the hotel.

The room is an average size for a European 3 star hotel, and the bathroom is modern with expected features for this class of hotel. We never eat breakfast in hotels, so have no comments on this.

The problems were a general lack of professionalism and quality service. I felt as though I was staying in someone's home, someone who was doing their best to provide what I wanted, but was simply not terribly qualified. The air conditioning was extremely noisy unless set at the highest level. I realize that makes little sense, but at low and middle speed there was a loud metallic sound. The man on the desk in the evening was unable to explain to us how to walk to the Alhambra. Again, I realize this sound improbable, but was true. He merely motioned up the street, and when we returned after several attempts to find someone to explain exactly which of the 4 dirt/paved roads actually went up the back side of the Alhambra, he admitted that he didn't know and suggested we take a cab. The next day we asked to have our boarding passes printed and instead he printed out the reservations. When we asked again we were told that was impossible because the printer had been broken for 24 hours (even though another employee had printed the reservations an hour previously). During this time an understandably upset guest was demanding that unless the air conditioning in his room was fixed within the hour, after apparently several previous time limits had passed, he intended to move out.

The hotel's response to each such problem was an extreme desire to help, to remedy the problem. But their somewhat clueless and less than professional ability to provide adequate responses wore very thin.

There are a couple of small sitting areas (with weird, highly uncomfortable "moorish" chairs that are also found in the rooms) outside the various rooms and a small sitting area on the first floor which has a few books. But none of these areas are very conducive to relaxing, or feeling any sense of privacy, so once you enter the hotel you have little choice but to retire to your room, and once in the room your choices are the weird and completely uncomfortable moorish chair or the bed. Lights for bed reading are poor. I was forced to read in the bathtub one night.


And a general Granada suggestion: DON'T DRIVE! During the 2 nights and days that we stayed at this hotel we saw probably 5 couples, all from the US, arrive at the hotel, and in each case they had driven, and were near tears. For each, getting to the hotel had been a very difficult experience, despite what all agreed were very good instructions provided by the hotel. The problem is that Granada is a city with old, narrow streets and way too many cars with a casual attitude of where and how to drive. We took cabs, and were very impressed with the ability of the drivers to jump curbs, dart around objects (including buses), and arrive at the desired destination. But why anyone would want to be on the road with them is a mystery to me. I discussed this with one of the hotel employees who said she avoids driving in Granada whenever possible.

I wouldn't stay in this hotel again, but I somewhat blame myself. This hotel is for those who count the romantic as a higher priority than the practical, and I should have known that this was not a particularly good match for me, so that while in my personal opinion this hotel deserves a rating of 3, I believe 4 is a fairer and more objective score.