Sleeping in Sevilla

All of my listings are centrally located, within a five-minute walk of the cathedral. The first are near the charming but touristy Santa Cruz neighborhood. The last group is just as central but closer to the river, across the boulevard in a more workaday, less touristy zone.

Room rates as much as double during the two Sevilla fiestas (Holy Week — March 20-27 in 2005, and the week-long April Fair, held 2 weeks after Easter). In general, the busiest and most expensive months are April, May, September, and October. Hotels put rooms on the discounted push list in July and August — when people with any sense avoid this furnace — and November through February. Prices rarely include the 7 percent IVA tax. A price range indicates low- to high-season prices (but I have not listed festival prices). Hoteliers speak enough English. Ground-floor rooms come with more noise. Ask for upper floors (piso alto) . Many of these hotels are reportedly unreliable for reservations, particularly the small, family pensiones (as opposed to normal big hotels). Always telephone to reconfirm what you think is a reservation. If you do visit in July or August, the best values are central business-class places. They offer summer discounts and provide a necessary cool, air-conditioned refuge.

Santa Cruz Neighborhood

These places are off Calle Santa María la Blanca and Plaza Santa María .

<$$$> Hotel Las Casas de la Judería has quiet, elegant rooms and suites tastefully decorated with hardwood floors and a Spanish flair. The rooms surround a series of peaceful courtyards. This is a romantic splurge and a fine value (Sb-€87-101, Db-€128-156, Db suite-€147-174, Qb suite-€218-250, extra bed-€30-50; low-season prices — July, Aug, late-Nov-Feb — are discounted a further 10 percent to those with this book who ask; great buffet breakfast-€15, air-con, elevator, valet parking-€15/day, on small traffic-free lane off Plaza Santa María, Callejón de Dos Hermanas 7, tel. 954-415-150, fax 954-422-170, www.casasypalacios.com, juderia@zoom.es, SE).

<$$> Hotel Amadeus is a little gem music-lovers will appreciate (it even has a couple of sound-proofed rooms with pianos — something I've never seen in Europe ). It's lovingly decorated with a music motif around a little courtyard and a modern glass elevator that takes you to a roof terrace. While small, this 14-room place is classy and comfortable with welcoming public spaces and a charming staff (Db-€76, big Db-€90, 2 suites €105 and €126, air-con, Calle Farnesio 6, elevator, parking-€12, breakfast-€7, lounge or enjoy breakfast on the delightful roof garden, tel. 954-501-443, fax 954-500-019, reservas@hotelamadeussevilla.com , www.hotelamadeussevilla.com, Zaida, Christina, & María Luisa SE).

<$$> Hotel Alcántara is new, offering more comfort than style or character. Well-located but strangely out of place in the midst of the Santa Cruz jumble, it rents 21 slick rooms at a good price (Sb-€64, small Db-€72, bigger Db twin-€80, fancy Db-€98, breakfast-€5, air-con, elevator, Ximénez de Enciso 28, tel. 954-500-595, fax 954-500-604, www.hotelalcantara.net, info@hotelalcantara.net). The hotel is adjacent to Casa para la Memoria de Alandalus, which offers concerts (see "Nightlife," above).

<$$> Hostal Córdoba , a homier and cheaper option, has 12 tidy, quiet, air-conditioned rooms, solid modern furniture, and a showpiece plant-filled courtyard (S-€25-35, Sb-€30-45, D-€45-50, Db-€50-60, Nov-March cheaper, includes tax, no breakfast, no CC, a tiny lane off Calle Santa María la Blanca, Farnesio 12, tel. 954-227-498, hostalcordoba@mixmail.com).

<$> Hostal San Benito Abad , with eight humble rooms, faces a traditional Sevilla courtyard buried at the end of a dead-end lane just off Plaza Santa María. The rooms are dark, with windows that open onto an inner courtyard. Communication here is very difficult, but the family is hardworking and offers some of the best cheap rooms in town (S-€16-20, D-€34, Db-€36, Tb-€48, no breakfast, a tiny lane next to Cano y Cueto at Calle Canarios 4, tel. 954-415-255, www.hostalsanbenito.com, burlon11@hotmail.com, Tomas Ortize SE, his family doesn't).

Sleeping Cheap between the Alcázar and Avenida de la Constitución

These small, funky, short-on-service places get mixed reviews from readers, but they're cheap, central, and relatively quiet.

<$> Pensión Alcázar rents eight basic rooms. The lower rooms have ceiling fans, the three top rooms are air-conditioned and have with terraces (Db-€45-54, Qb-€60-75, no CC, Dean Miranda 12, tel. 954-228-457, owners Micky and Liliane SE). Note: Taxi drivers often confuse this with Hotel Alcázar.

<$> Hostal Arias is cool, clean, and no-nonsense. Its 14 basic rooms are air-conditioned and come equipped with medieval disco balls (big Sb-€37, Db-€47, Tb-€63, Qb-€69, Quint/b-€81, nearby parking-€14/day, Calle Mariana de Pineda 9, tel. 954-226-840, fax 954-211-649, www.hostalarias.com, reservas@hostalarias.com, manager Manuel Reina SE, but rest of staff doesn't).

Near the Cathedral

<$$$> Hotel Seises, a modern business-class place spliced tastefully into the tangled old town, offers a fresh and spacious reprieve for anyone ready for good old contemporary luxury. You'll eat breakfast amid Roman ruins. Its rooftop garden includes a pool and a great cathedral view (42 rooms, Sb-€101-138, Db-€132-189, extra bed-€30, breakfast-€15, lower prices in July-Aug and Dec-Feb, air-con, elevator, valet parking-€17, 2 blocks northwest of cathedral at Segovias 6, tel. 954-229-495, fax 954-224-334, www.hotellosseises.com, info@hotellosseises.com).

<$$$> Hotel Inglaterra , a big blocky four-star place on the no-nonsense Plaza Nueva, has 109 rooms and all the professional amenities (high season April-May, low season rest of year, big Sb-€93-104, Db-€118-132, extra bed-€25-37, buffet breakfast-€10, air-con, non-smoking floor, elevator, attached restaurant and Irish pub, American Express office, Plaza Nueva 7, tel. 954-224-970, fax 954-561-336, www.hotelinglaterra.es, hotin@hotelinglaterra.es).

<$$> Hotel San Francisco , with a classy facade but little character, offers 16 rooms with metal doors, a central location, and a good value (Sb-€40-55, Db-€50-68, Tb-€62-80, no breakfast, air-con, elevator, rooftop terrace, Alvarez Quintero 38, tel.954-501-541).

<$> Hostal Sierpes is sprawling, with 36 small rooms, fine lounges, and a big, airy courtyard. The place annoys some of my readers; reconfirm reservations (Sb-€44, Db-€65, Tb-€85, Qb-€105, breakfast-€6, most rooms have air-con, noisy downstairs, quieter rooms upstairs, popular with backpackers, parking-€14/day, Corral del Rey 22, tapas bar next door, tel. 954-224-948, fax 954-212-107, reservas@hsierpes.com).

West of Avenida de la Constitución

<$$$> Hotel Taberna del Alabardero is a unique hotel with only seven rooms, taking the top floor of a poet's mansion (above a classy restaurant, Taberna del Alabardero, listed in "Eating," below) . It's well-located and a great value but often booked in advance. The ambience is perfectly 1900 (Db-€152, Db suite-€185, includes breakfast, air-con, elevator, closed in Aug, Zaragoza 20, tel. 954-502-721, fax 954-563-666, www.tabernadelalabardero.com, hotel.alabardero@esh.es).

<$$> Hotel Simón is a classic 18th-century mansion with a faded-elegance courtyard. Although room quality varies, many of its 30 rooms are decorated with period furniture under high ceilings. On weekends, avoid rooms on the noisy street (Sb-€45-50, Db-€67-80, extra person-€18, high prices are only for April-May, continental breakfast-€4, air-con, a block west of cathedral at Calle García de Vinuesa 19, tel. 954-226-660, fax 954-562-241, www.hotelsimonsevilla.com, info@hotelsimonsevilla.com ). As they have a scam charging your credit card in dollars at a poor rate, it's best to pay cash.

<$> Hotel Maestranza has 18 small, clean, simple rooms well-located on a quiet street just off Plaza Nueva (Sb-€47, Db-€65 most of the year, Db-€87 July-Aug, extra bed-€20, no breakfast, elevator, air-con, Gamazo 12, tel. 954-561-070, fax 954-214-404, sevilla@hotel-maestranza.com , www.hotel-maestranza.com).