[Gocamino] Lodgings in Seville

[blaroli at aol.com]

Hello you all,
I apologize for the delay in replying to your messages. The last two weeks have been entirely consumed by Richard Wagner.? His monumental Ring of the Niebelungen was presented at the Metropolitan Opera House twice by none other than?the Kirov Opera Company from Russia.? Such majestic events have become all too rare in New York of late, and those of us who are fanatical Wagnerites have been pretty much in another world.
At any rate, I promise to reply to all your messages before I leave on August 4 for Bayreuth to attend, as it happens, the Wagner Festival.? (If you are a?Wagnerite?and would like to receive a card?or memento from the Festelspielhouse just send me your mailing address).

Now:?? there is a tremendous variety of places to stay in Seville. While the city does not have a Parador, it does have a beautiful Hotel in a Mudejar Palace, the Alfonso XIII.? But yu needn't stay there to go and spend a couple of hours listening to music in the lovely courtyard bar.? Another lovely DeLuxe hotel is "Los Seises", built on the ruins of an ancient Archbishopry Palace. Parts of the inside restaurant's floor are mere glass so that one can see the ancient ruins underneath.? You don't have to stay there either to go up to the rooftop bar for a beer and enjoy a magnificent view of the city and the Giralda.
For the past twenty years or so I have stayed at a 3-star hotel in the picturesque and lovely Barrio Santa Cruz.? The hotel was built by a painter-sculptor, whom I got to know and whose work is now exhibited in museums, and the hotel had his sculptures and fabulous carvings and woodwork all over the place.? Unfortunately, with the city renovations in Seville the hotel has undergone many changes and most of its art work is now in museums.? The hotel has also enlarged and "modernized"..... although I liked it much more before. the name of the hotel is Murillo and I couldn't possibly recommend it any higher. Its young manager, Jose Luis,?was educated in England and his British-accented English is a joy to hear.? The "Governess", Cristina, is the granddaughter of the original builder-owner-artist.??The hotel's website is www.hotelmurillo.com?and the phone number is 03495 4218095.? I don't know how much it costs, but the range goes from suites to small single rooms. I shouldn't think that it is expensive, particularly during the summer when it is "low season" in Seville and hotels only charge about one half what they charge during "high season", which in Seville is Holy Week, the ten days of the "April Fair" and the week around the Romeria of Rocio.?There are four or so guys at the desk who speak sufficient English to help guests, although it seems to me that their French, Italian and German language skills are much better. They are enormously friendly and helpful.
Should the Murillo?charge more than you are willing to spend you can find a tremendous variety of places to stay in the neighborhood.? Just go to www.madridman.com/seville/sevillehostels.html and you'll find many hostels listed.? Make sure that you choose one in Barrio Santa Cruz.? People I know have stayed in the "Goya", "Sierpes", "San Esteban", "Sol y Luna", "Picasso" and "Van Gogh" and have been quite satisfied, more so since the neighborhood is an absolute joy to behold and be in and since these hostels are housed in old and typical andalucian houses.? Walking around the neighborhood I have seen signs offering "beds" for the night during Holy Week, but I don't know if they exist at other times.
The barrio Santa Cruz is, really, pretty much the most lovely place to stay.? It is close to the Cathedral, the Gardens, the Park, Sierpes, the Guadalquivir, and to one of the two bus stations.? I just love it there.... and I don't know anyone who doesn't.
While the other neighborhoods have their own charms, they are not as centrally located.? From Barrio Santa Cruz one can walk to Triana and to anywhere with the greatest of ease.
In a separate message I will tell you about food and drink in Seville and those places which, in my view, should not ever be missed.
Lastly; Barrio Santa Cruz has no car traffic (some of the streets are so narrow that if you are walking in one of them and extend your arms you'll touch both sides of the street) and, also, traffic in the center of the city has been drastically curtailed.? In fact, Seville has gone back in time and this year re-established electric trams (a-la Vienna) throughout the center of the city to keep cars and buses out; but not to worry,?if you book yourself in a hostel or hotel in Barrio Santa Cruz just send me a message and I'll tell you how to get there.

Hope the above helps.??? there is soooooooo much to tell!

Hugs!

Rosina?
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