What makes Casa 1800 stand out in a city with hundreds of hotels
Hotel Casa 1800 Granada occupies a 16th-century palace — the Casa de los Migueletes — on Calle Benalúa in the Albaicín, Granada's old Moorish quarter. The building has been a hotel since 2004 and ranks fifth out of 136 hotels in Granada on TripAdvisor, with over 3,200 reviews and a Booking.com score of 8.8. Those numbers reflect something real: consistent service from a small team in a property the owners genuinely care about.
The Casa de los Migueletes takes its name from the old constables — the migueletes — who once used the building. The original 16th-century structure is preserved around you as you move through it: stone archways in the courtyard, irregular ceiling heights, the particular solidity of walls that were built to last centuries. It does not feel like a stage set. It feels like a building that has been continuously occupied and taken care of.
The 25 rooms have handmade hardwood furniture, Rococo-style headboards and chandelier lighting throughout. These details signal a proprietor with a clear aesthetic, not the flat-pack corporate finish of chain hotels. The historic building sets physical limits on what renovation can achieve; some rooms are on the smaller side. But the design works with the 16th-century fabric rather than trying to erase it.
The Alhambra view rooms
The top-tier room categories here are worth specifying. The Deluxe with View of the Alhambra looks directly across the Darro valley to the Alhambra fortress. The Deluxe Premium with Terrace and Alhambra View adds a private terrace to that same outlook. The Suite 1800 has a partial Alhambra view from a larger space; the hotel is honest about "partial" rather than inflating the claim.
These rooms cost more, with peak rates reaching 280€. But the view from a private terrace looking at the Alhambra lit in morning light is not something you get at most price points in Granada or anywhere else. Standard and Superior rooms start from around 59€ in low season, which makes this one of the better-value options in the historic centre at the entry tier.
The neighbourhood
The Albaicín is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also built on a hillside of narrow cobbled streets designed for horses, not wheeled luggage. If you arrive by car or taxi with heavy bags, expect some effort at the door. The hotel offers a paid shuttle service and the concierge advises on the most manageable approach with luggage.
The neighbourhood itself rewards the inconvenience. The Paseo de los Tristes, the riverside promenade at the base of the Alhambra hill, is a six-minute walk and one of the best evening walks in Granada. The Mirador de San Nicolás, with its straight-on view of the Alhambra and Sierra Nevada, is 15 minutes on foot uphill. The Sacromonte neighbourhood, where Granada's flamenco caves sit, begins just beyond that.
In the evenings, the immediate vicinity around Calle Benalúa has several cármenes — restaurants in traditional Albaicín houses with walled gardens — that the guide-book crowds have not entirely saturated. For Moroccan dining a short walk away, Restaurante Arrayanes on Cuesta de Marañas is one of the best reasons to eat in the Albaicín. The street outside the hotel is quiet at night, unlike the zone around Plaza Nueva.
Complimentary extras and practical matters
Casa 1800 serves complimentary afternoon snacks in the lounge — a proper spread, not a packet of biscuits. Guests who book direct through the hotel's own website (hotelcasa1800granada.com) receive complimentary snacks and bottled water throughout the stay. Free cancellation applies to most rate types up to 48 hours before arrival.
The hotel has a hot tub for guest use (check availability at booking) and a small terrace area. With only 25 rooms, it books out during peak weeks faster than larger properties. Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the last two weeks of August are the highest-demand periods in Granada; book three to four months ahead for those windows.
Getting there and around
The hotel is a six-minute walk from Granada Cathedral and close to the Carrera del Darro, the riverside path at the base of the Alhambra hill. The Alhambra is reachable on foot in about 25 minutes via the Cuesta del Rey Chico path, or by the C3 bus from nearby stops on the Carrera del Darro. Gran Vía de Colón, the main shopping street, is ten minutes on foot downhill.
