Dear Friends,

As many of you already know, we’re getting married on September 24th in Granada, and we would be delighted for you to join us. You will receive a formal invitation; however, we wanted to send you this information in advance because many of you will be coming from far away and need to plan your trip and lodging.

We have compiled a list of transportation and lodging options for you. We recommend you make reservations far in advance, as Granada can be busy at this time. In addition, we would appreciate confirmation of your attendance as soon as possible.

On the evening before our wedding, the 23rd, for those who wish to spend part of the night out in Granada, we recommend going to Peña de la Platería (Plaza Toqueros, 7; tel. 958 210 650). It is a wonderful spot to experience the magic of the Albaycín quarter. Usually there is live flamenco music, and they serve tapas as well as a full dinner. We will try to join you from 9:30 pm onwards.

If you arrive before the wedding festivities begin, Granada offers many cultural activities and attractions, including monuments and museum tours, Arab baths, walks on Sierra Nevada, and horseback riding. Granada also has a very lively nightlife: tapas bars, restaurants, and music. You will find some suggestions in the attached list.

We hope you will join us during this celebration.

Please send us your postal address. We will send you more information soon.


Affectionately,



Arancha & Bruno

PS: Please contact us with any questions:

Arancha: +34 619 19 6630 Bruno: +34 696 03 2000
aranchaybruno@gmail.com

Costanilla de San Andrés 16, Ext. 3º Izq.
28005 Madrid, Spain
_____________________________________________________________

Transportation
Getting there
We recommend flying to Granada (GRX). Only Iberia and Ryanair fly there.

Malaga airport (AGP) is 135 Km (85 miles) from Granada, but has no direct link by bus or train.

Madrid (MAD) is 450 km (280 miles) away. Bus service takes approximately 5 hours.

Iberia – OneWorld +34 902 400 500 www.iberia.com
Ryanair www.ryanair.com
Spanair – Star Alliance +34 902 13 14 15 www.spanair.com
Air Europa – SkyTeam +34 902 401 501 www.aireuropa.com

The sleeper train service, though slow, is a good option if you are traveling from Madrid or Barcelona. It departs between 10pm and midnight and arrives early the next morning.

Renfe +34 902 24 02 02 www.renfe.es

Car rental is widely available by the staple global companies (Avis, Hertz, National…) and some local ones. You can easily find information online.

Around Granada
We recommend you not rent a car while in Granada. The Alabycín quarter, where the wedding will be held, restricts car access to residents and taxis (hotels have some parking spots). There is heavy traffic and many traffic restricted areas in the rest of Granada. Luckily, most things are within walking distance.

The buses that run up Albaycín from Plaza (square) Nueva are the 31 and 32.

Taxis: 958 15 14 61 and 958 28 06 54

Lodging
Pre-reserved Hotels
We have made pre-reservations at several hotels in the Albaycín, all in walking distance of the church and venue. EACH GUEST MUST PERSONALY RESERVE AT THE HOTEL OF YOUR CHOICE. Each hotel has unique reservation terms and policies so we recommend you call as soon as possible.

When calling to reserve, make sure to tell them you are guests at Arancha & Bruno’s wedding.

PALACIO DE SANTA INÉS ***
Tel: +34 958 222 362 Cuesta de Santa Inés 9 €105 to €155
http://www.palaciosantaines.com/ sinespal@teleline.es 35 rooms

CASA DEL CAPITEL NAZARI ***
Tel: +34 958 215 260 Cuesta Aceituneros 6 €89 to 99
http://www.hotelcasacapitel.com/ info@hotelcasacapitel.com 17 rooms

HOTEL PUERTAS DE LAS GRANADAS ***
Tel: +34 958 21 62 30 Cuesta de Gomerez 14 €79 to 89
http://www.hotelpuertadelasgranadas.com/ 10 rooms

ZAGUÁN DEL DARRO **
Tel: +34 958 215 730 Carrera del Darro 23 €50 to 90
http://www.hotelzaguan.com/ info@hotelzaguan.com 13 rooms

Additional Hotels
Below are other hotels we recommend, but we have NOT contacted them. The list is sorted by distance from the wedding venue.

HOTEL NH INGLATERRA ***
Tel: +34 958 221 559 Cetti Meriem 4 (Plaza Nueva) Very close, noisy area
http://www.nh—hoteles.com/

PLAZA NUEVA ***
Tel: +34 958 215 273 Plaza Nueva 2 Very close
http://www.hotelplazanueva.com/ mailto://jtomas@hotelplazanueva.com

AC PALACIO DE SANTA PAULA *****
Tel: +34 958 805 740 Gran Vía de Colón 31 The only 5*, close
http://www.ac-hoteles.com/ psantapaula@ac-hoteles.com

HESPERIA GRANADA ****
Tel: +34 958 018 400 Plaza Gamboa s/n Just opened, very comfortable
http://www.hoteles-hesperia.es/

ALHAMBRA PALACE ****
Tel: +34 958 221 468 Plaza García de Paredes 1 Next to the Alhambra, splendid views
http://www.h-alhambrapalace.es/

HOTEL CARMEN ****
Tel: +34 958 258 300 Acera del Darro 62 Comfortable, in the commercial center
http://www.hotelcarmen.com/ comercial@hotelcarmen.com

You can find many other hotels online and in guide books.

Weather
We hope for warm, pleasant weather, even as on the time of the year it can go from hot to crisp. The reception is outdoors and next to the Darro river, so we recommend you bring some warm clothing to use in case it cools down.
JUL AGO SEP OCT
Max Temp 115 ºF 115 ºF 103 ºF 86 ºF Average of daily max
Min Temp 74 ºF 74 ºF 67 ºF 55 ºF Average of daily min
Average Temp 95 ºF 94 ºF 85 ºF 71 ºF
Rainfall (mm) 3 3 17 40 Average monthly rainfall
Rainy Days 0 1 2 5 Average of day with rainfall over 1 mm
Hours of Sunshine 348 320 243 203 Average monthly hours

Safety
Granada is safe, although there is occasional petty crime. We have never experienced any problems but since there are reports of its occurrence, we feel obligated to let you know. We recommend being aware of the location of your belongings, especially at night.

It is safe to leave your belongings at your hotel.

Tourisms
La Alhambra
La Alhambra may be the most emblematic and beautiful monument in Granada. We strongly recommend you visit. You need to purchase tickets in advance. You can do so at:
http://www.alhambratickets.com/ BBVA +34 91 537 91 78

Guided tours are organized by the Alhambra patronage:

http://www.alhambra.org/ +34 958 220 912 (8 - 14 y 16 – 17:30)

Other monuments
Other monuments include the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, the Cartuja, San Jerónimo monastery… You may find additional information on guide books and at:

http://www.granadatur.com/ http://www.granadainfo.com/

Arab baths (hammam)
Excellent to relax in warm water pools. You must reserve in advance.

El Aljibe de San Miguel Calle San Miguel Alta 41
http://www.aljibesanmiguel.es/ +34 958 52 28 67

Hammam Calle Santa Ana 16
www.hammamspain.com/granada/ +34 958 22 99 78

Gastronomy
Southern Spain’s meal hours are: Lunch 2-4pm, tapas from 8pm on, dinner 9-12pm. It is normal to dine on tapas alone.

Granada is famous for its tapas bars (after you order a drink, remember to wait for the accompanying tapa before ordering more food, as you may not need to order more). The city has its fair share of good restaurants:
Restaurants

Cunini Excellent sea and shell fish. Tapas also served.
Plaza Pescadera 14
958 250 777

El Huerto de Juan Ranas In the Albaycín, beautiful views and modern fare.
Callejón Atarazana 8
958 286 925

La Mimbre Pleasant terrace next to the Alhambra, ideal for lunch. Most likely we will have lunch here the day after the wedding.
Bosque de la Alhambra
958 222 276

Tapas
We have suggested bars in three different areas. Once there, you will find many more:

Los Diamantes Calle Navas 28.
La Esquinita Campo del Príncipe, s/n.
Bodegas Castañeda Calle Elvira 15
Peña de la Platería Plaza Toqueros 7, Albaycín. Night before the wedding only.