Pensión Venecia Gomerez

The room was clean with pleasing, simple decorations. It was good to have our own wash basin. The shared toilets and shower cubicles were also very clean. The hosts were charming and very helpful. The parking was tricky and I was very thankful I had hired a small car or would not have made it round the sharp bends of the car park. Thank goodness for help from Carlos! The price was good for us and fair for the room. Car parking cost an extra 20 euros (it was convenient for us). Check-in was before 2 pm or after 6pm. The pension is very central, on the street where you walk to the Alhambra. There was Easy access to the Albaicín with loads of shops and good restaurants.

The location was a bonus AND a problem for us. The issue with the location was that because of the local (very hot July) weather and culture, and being very central, the street outside was noisy till after 4 am. We managed the noise by keeping the double-glazed floor-length windows onto the v small balcony shut, and coped with the heat (still around 28C) by running the ceiling fan. I recommend either staying out late like the locals, or using ear plugs. I also realised how British I am now - I really wanted to make some tea in the room and maybe have a small fridge for keeping water and other drinks cold in the stifling heat.

Great value and very well located. I especially liked having a window/tiny balcony overlooking the Plaza Nueva. Carlos is extremely helpful and friendly. He answered all of our questions and helped us get tickets for Alhambra (for the next day) and a Flamenco performance in Sacromonte. A good breakfast buffet is available at a nearby establishment, at a reasonable price. The Pension is very clean and nicely decorated. Having a sink in the room was a nice plus.

The shared toilets and showers are not separate for men and women. This could lead to awkward encounters, but didn't in our case. The Reception door wasn't always open when I needed to speak to Carlos (during the posted hours), but he did always answer the phone when I called him.

- fabulous location! Close to many restaurants! Puerta de Syria was our favourite. - Carlos is super friendly and informative! - very comfortable beds - nice view of the square - good size, large room. - it was good to have parking at a reduced price - as opposed to some, we had no problems finding either parking or pension - we used Google Maps.

- unfortunately, I missed that the reception closed between 14.00 and 18.00. Carlos had kindly waited for us to pick up the luggage. It would be good to have those hours on the doors.