The Parador provides very nice accommodations at a very steep price. Even with the Golden Days discount we were paying 250 Euros per night plus breakfast, by far the most that we paid for accommodations in Spain. For this, we got an extremely nice room with the most complicated bed-side light switches I have ever seen, a nice large bathroom, free parking, and easy access to Alhambra. For a two day stay, however, I would recommend staying in the old city and spending one day up on the Alhambra, with dinner at the Paradore. It is easy to get up and down by bus.

We had to make a reservation for this hotel some six months ahead of our visit to Granada as it is usually fully booked. The reason for choosing the Parador was simply that it was the best and most historic hotel for visiting the Alhambra.

Check-in was less than straight forward despite having made the reservation so far in advance. My email confirmation from the Parador site showed that a twin room had been reserved (and paid for at the time of booking!). However, the front desk had a double reserved and it took some persuasion to convince them that the twin was required. A poor start.

Our room had recently been refurbished and was stylish and very comfortable. As it should have been given that it was costing 260 Euro for the night.

A quick lunch was taken in the courtyard. The freshly prepared sandwiches were of poor quality considering their price. Dinner was taken in the restaurant that evening and that meal was good. After a comfortable night the buffet breakfast was more than adequate. On each occasion the service provided at these meals was just about adequate. Given that the Parador claims to be the premier hotel in Granada it is perhaps surprising that at times it appeared a little amateurish and not particularly friendly.

At the time of our stay the Parador was undergoing extensive building work that had closed the terrace overlooking the gardens. This had not been made apparent at the time of our reservation or later. Perhaps the business the Parador gains means that they really think they don’t need to try too hard in terms of the overall service provided.

My mom (60) and I (26) stayed at the Parador de Granada for 1 night on a recent 5 week trip to Europe. It was our one "splurge" hotel on a trip where all the other hotels we stayed in were 2 and 3 star hotels. We found this hotel extremely overpriced and impersonal.

First, the location is fantastic. The views are amazing, and the Alhambra is right out your door.

But, we had countless problems with our room. The main problem was the bathroom, which by the way, is gorgeous. The hotel has just refurbished all the bathrooms and is having tons of problems. The bathrooms are beautiful but do not function. Our room completely flooded every time we showered. It got to the point where we had to turn the water off in the shower when we were shaving, etc. Absolutely awful. The maid came every day to lay down towels in the bathroom and in our room before we showered. We were extremely disappointed, as this is inexcusable for such an expensive hotel. The hotel staff apologized profusely, giving us 15% off the room and a complimentary fruit platter, and they also said that many other rooms had this same problem. It seemed a little dishonest to us that the hotel proceeded to charge nearly $300 euro a night when the bathrooms do not function. Once this problem gets fixed (which hopefully it should be soon - apparently the architect was on vacation for all of August and was supposed to begin to fix the problem starting in September), I'm not even sure if I would stay in the parador again. Also, the restaurant at the hotel is very convenient but is just ok. The breakfast buffet is something like 17 euros per person! There have got to be many more hotels that are a better value in Granada.

My husband and I stayed at the Parador for two nights on April 21st and 22nd. The staff was extremely courteous and helpful, and even left a bottle of champagne and a lovely note, as we were on our honeymoon.

The location CANNOT be beat -- we spent almost one entire day at the Alhambra and were able to stop in and out of the hotel between our visits to the Alcazaba, Palaces, and the Generalife.

Breakfast was included in our rate, and it did not disappoint, with a decent selection of local, American, and British favorites. We also had dinner at the Parador restaurant one night and were very pleased. My gazpacho and swordfish were fantastic, and the wine selection was excellent.

I highly recommend the Parador.