ss315

I stayed here as a Gold for 5 nights on a reward last October. I was given a really nice room, but it did not have a King bed. It overlooked the courtyard and was very well maintained. I was on my honeymoon, so my wife asked if we can get a King. They provided us with a King room mini suite that also was well maintained. This is the best hotel I've ever stayed in. We also were at the Palace and Madrid, which was only ok. The service at the Alfonso is also great. See if Christian is still around--he provides very good service

ned

Stayed there 5 nights (award) about 18 months ago. Great room, great stay, and I have 0 status. Some at front desk were a bit difficult while others were very nice. ^

martinplas

well,FYI Im a gold as it says on my profile,maybe you saw the CO plat and confused it. I still am dissapointed,as I said in my original post ,the couch is torn, the desk was rude, my res booked on SPG.com said KING bed,and I have two single beds pushed together and made up as a King.The middle crack is not too good for the Honeymoon expierience.
I will say I booked this in Dec. and booked on an AARP rate at $263.00 Euro night for a Superior Deluxe room requesting upgrade if available. Should I assume that if you book on an AARP rate I will get a rack / tour group room or similar low quality space for cheaper paying clients?
So far the only bright light has been the concierge who has been helpful with reservations for evening restaurant and tour ideas.

stimpy

Two beds pushed together to make a king is the norm in Europe. It's not just your hotel. Try asking the manager *kindly* to replace your couch and see how it goes.

sbtinme

Previous poster is correct that virtually always in Europe a KING bed is exceedingly scarce. Even in our master Doge's suite at the Hotel Danieli in Venice (this room has gone for 4200E a night!!!!!) there was no King, just 2 singles pushed alongside one another. Just how it is. This is no reflection on the hotel, per se.

Sorry your request for special treatment for your honeymoon apparently was not honored. That's a shame, but I don't know what other events or guests might have trumped you. That's always the unknown. Remember, just b/c there's a Jr Suite available tonight, it might not be available for the rest of the nights that you're there.

All in all, I hope by the time you leave, things will have improved for you. Congrats on the wedding.

paulusst

Just back from Seville and the Alfonso:

Good:
- location
- gorgeous building / interior / patio
- large room / high ceilings
- good service from valet parking
Bad:
- some of the funiture worn/falling apart ...
- reception staff cool/arrogant
- called #9 for requesting a late check-out, was put through to reception and the phone rang and rang and rang ....
- later walking down to the reception no late check-out wasnt granted as they "need" the room ....
- when asking for a place to store our bags till leaving told to schlepp them down to the hold (quite some steps) ourselves when wife obviously pregnant (so I made the way two times to spare her the workout) ...


Try to avoid rooms x20-x3x as they face a very noisy street (Pool unusable due to the same location). Breakfast is just so-so, if not in the rate try something else ...

The hotel is really like a palace, but could do with an service overhaul. There are better options in Seville if you arent addicted to *points.

DrMaturin

We stayed at the Alfonso XIII last November and had an excellent time. Very comfortable hotel with a very interesting design and beautiful grounds. Very good location as well. The only downside was the gym, which was small. I don't know about the other hotel you're considering but I'd recommend the Alfonso without hesitation.

ajnaro

I agree that the Alfonso XIII is a fantastic hotel, with a great historic location. They treat SPG Plats very nicely. There was a different amenity delivered to my room every day, including cava, olive oil, sherry, etc. However, the hotel is a bit on the formal (stuffy) side and the restaurant would win no awards from me (for breakfast there is a Starbucks just outside the front door). The decoration, at least in the suites I saw, is the sort of frilly style you see in old California cowboy films in the whore house scenes, with silk-lined walls, flowing satin curtains, etc. Your reaction to all this will, of course, depend on your personal tastes.

douglas99

I am trying to book a break in February but the cheapest rate I can get is €340 per night.

Has anyone any tips or hints for getting a better rate. Should I book now and keep an eye open for any offers that appear later? Is this a peak period for the hotel or do they not do many specials?

Any hints gratefully recieved.

best

This is a super hotel. The rooms we got were fantastic---full with beautiful mosaics.

Try to do it with points-it was a better deal that way last year.

damon88

We're thinking of visiting this hotel and your description has me cracking up. One of the best written summaries I've read here!

SacFlyer

We stayed at the Alfonse XIII two years ago, and really enjoyed it. In fact, although it is not huge, and may be just a bit past its prime, we consider it one of the great hotels of Europe.

Although we were paying standard rates (or lower), our room had a ceiling about 14 feet high, which created a wonderful sense of spaciousness.

King Alfonse XIII of Spain had the hotel built to host his royal European friends who he invited to Seville's 1929 World Exposition. It is very close the Alcazar and the Cathedral, two of Seville's main attractions.

Of course, everyone's taste varies. If you're looking for a cutting-edge, "W" type of hotel, you had best look elsewhere. The outdoor pool and garden bar, while nice, area not "with it" when compared to resorts built in the past twenty years.

Frommer's guide calls the Alfonse XIII "Seville's premier address" and "one of Spain's three or four most legendary hotels," and I would agree. I can't compare it with the Baeza, since I'm not familiar with that hotel.

damon88

Thank you for the link! I usually use weather.com but this is much better.


Looks as if Seville is typically 50s in Feb. Thats fine. Our magic number is above 50. (we San Diegans are weather wimps) Strangely though-- on all of our trips- there always is a warm spell and it's always much hotter than we expected.

Perhaps the averages are not as accurate bc of global warming?

We just visited Amsterdam in March and it was balmy-- like home!

damon88

OK-- here's a few more thoughts.

I'm a little confused about why this hotel is cat 6. I guess I'm just not used to the category increases yet.

But typically-- if we use points for a cat 6 specialty select room we get a room that costs over $1000 USD per night.

At this hotel-- the rates look pretty reasonable. During Feb 08 they have the "taste of luxury" specials where the 5th night is free.

They have not loaded specialty select or spg50 yet. But a deluxe room with the TofL package works out to $240/night. I won't spend
80000 points on that.

3Cforme

Damon88 - you're finding cheap rates relative to the hotel's Cat 6 rating because of the weather. No too many people are charmed by 50s and rainy when September and October are reliably glorious. But you may be sick of that, living in San Diego.

If you NEED a great room and don't trust SPG status for the upgrade, know that this hotel has many unremarkable rooms that routinely go for EUR300-400. I got upgraded, some friends didn't, and they thought the property a very poor value.

It is a great location from which to explore the city.