Granada is situated in the eastern part of the region of Andalusia. The land is characterized by exquisite scenic beauty and geographical diversity. There is the coastal area with its warm climate; the extensive fertile plain and the mountainous regions with a colder climate, where we find the 3,481 meter Mulhacén, the highest peak of Spain.
The city of Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the confluences of the Darro and Genil rivers. Its unique history has conferred it with an artistic grandeur consisting of Moorish palaces and Christian Renaissance riches. The city of Granada has been shaped by the hills, where the old districts in the Albaicín and the Alhambra were founded, packed with steep, narrow streets, beautiful alcoves and fissures, and marvelous landscapes.
The new part of the city is situated on the plain. The Moors crossed the strait of Gibraltar in 711A.D and settled here, erected walls and laid the foundation for the prosperous civilization.
It was in the 9th century when Granada rose to importance after the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba. Its splendor was reached in 1238, when Mohammed ben Nasar founded the Nasrid dynasty, and the kingdom of Granada stretched from Gibraltar to Murcia. This dynasty bore twenty kings until King Boabdil was forced to surrender Granada to the Catholic monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, in 1492.
During three centuries, a magnificent and rich Islamic culture flourished, leaving Granada with architectural marvels of the quality of the Alhambra, declared a World Heritage Site, along with the Generalife and the Albaicín.Fascinated by the rich history along with enormous architectural and natural beauty of the place I decided to make Granada our destination for the next vacation. The first thing I required was to get a hotel booking at Granada. On searching internet I found that there are numerous hotels in Granada providing a wide range of options for the tourists to book hotels in Granada from top notch luxury hotels to budget hotels in Granada, besides this cheap hostel facility and option to live in Sacromonte cave apartments is also open.
Another good option is to reside in a historical parador which is Govt. sponsored hotel established in a renovated historical monument initiated by the Govt. for supporting tourism industry at Granada. I was looking to book a budget hotel in Granada and on internet I found numerous of them. Many such hotels are located right in the city centre. I also found many budget hotels in Granada located in the old Albaicin district which has remained unchanged since centuries. Many of the hotels in Granada are renovated forms of centuries old mansions.
Some of the budget hotels in the Granada Center are: Juan Miguel – Price starting from 40 Euros, Hotel Reina Cristina – Price starting from 46 Euros, Abadia Hotel – Price starting from 32 Euros, Hotel Granada Center – Price starting from 50 Euros etc. Some of the budget hotels of Albaicin are: Hotel Casa Del Capitel Nazari, Hotel Santa Isabel la Real, Hotel Placio Santa Ines etc. Many hotels can be booked online directly while others can be booked online with a “on request” status where you will be informed within eight business hours on your email that your reservation has been made, if reservation is not possible your money will be refunded and you can go for another hotel booking.
I got hotel booking in the Hotel Casa Del Capitel Nazari. On reaching there I found that it was an ancient Renaissance palace built in 1503 and located in the picturesque area of the Albaicin, in front of the Alhambra in Granada and in the city centre, close to the cathedral. It was a palace with lintels and Tuscan columns, Arabic chromium plated beams and Renaissance decorated wooden ceiling and two Roman columns. The hotel service was good. Throughout our stay we enjoyed a variety of activities; visiting Alhambra was without doubt the most thrilling and memorable, as reminder of the summit of Islamic era of splendor, essence of romance and mystery, La Alhambra is much more; walking through its rooms, pass ways and courtyards takes you centuries back in time, to the era of Islamic grandeur, forget the rest of the world amongst the serene fountains, the lavish rooms and paradise like gardens. It has been very rightly declared the World Heritage Site.
We were obsessed by the enchanting natural beauty of Granada with snowy peaks at one side and impressing castles and palaces in multitude on another, the panoramic view of houses cuddled in the mountain slopes, the fresh and intoxicating air, the beautiful lap of nature everything was exciting. We enjoyed all sorts of activities like passionate Flamenco dance and music, lively nightlife, great beaches and the Sacromonte cave dwellings. Truly our stay at Granda is a memorable event of my life.
