Here is my review of the Hotel Palacio De Santa Paola – Autograph Collection in Granada, Spain, where my wife and I stayed in April 2022 during our honeymoon (delayed two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic).

We booked this hotel with four 35,000-point Marriott Bonvoy certificates earned with our respective Marriott Bonvoy^MD American Express^MD* Card and Marriott Bonvoy^MD Business American Express^MD* Card.

For the second time (this strategy also worked at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto), we used them so that the first and last nights were booked by the person with the highest Marriott Bonvoy status and then wrote to the hotel requesting that all four of our reservations be processed as a block. In doing so, we received the benefits of the highest status, including complimentary breakfast. At the time of this reservation, I was a Platinum and my wife was a Silver.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points for free stays at over 8,000 hotels worldwide is to have the Marriott Bonvoy^® American Express^®* Card (and/or the Marriott Bonvoy^® Business American Express^®* Card).

In addition to the exceptional welcome bonus of each of these two cards, you’ll earn 2 points per dollar on all your purchases and 5 points per dollar at any of the Marriott establishments. On top of that, every year, you’ll receive a free hotel night certificate (worth 35,000 points) and 15 Elite Night Credits toward your Marriott Bonvoy status.

The hotel’s drop-off point is located on Calle Gran Vía de Colón, a street reserved exclusively for public transportation and by cab from the traffic circle at the end of Avenida de la Constitutión to Reyes Católicos. If you drive there, be sure to notify the hotel before you go to avoid a ticket; there are speed camera photos and we were charged the ticket by the car rental company two months after our stay.

Also note that there is virtually no on-street parking available near the hotel due to the narrowness of the streets, and if you are unable to use the hotel parking lot, you will need to find parking far outside the hotel. That said, in our five days in Granada, we never used the car, as everything can be done on foot or by public transport.

The welcome at the hotel was by far the warmest we received during our trip to Spain! We were congratulated at length on our child to be born (my wife was 7 months pregnant) during the arrival formalities, which were completed quickly. We were also assisted with our luggage from the car to the room and a maid even gave us small chocolates on the way (and almost every day during our stay).

Since we had previously announced that we were on our honeymoon, they made sure to write us a personalized note and leave us a glass bottle of water that we reused throughout our trip, a bottle of sparkling wine and a piece of cake with fruit.

The architectural design of the hotel is very interesting. Its heart is formed by an old building with traditional Spanish architecture in an angle, integrated with a modern facade built parallel to Calle Gran Vía de Colón. Our room was located on the third and penultimate floor of the hotel in its modern part and the corridor leading to the room allowed us to appreciate the integration of the traditional building.

Despite my Platinum status, we did not get an upgrade for this stay. Our room was small (suitcases had to be kept near the front door), comfortable and had interesting decor. Once the windows and shutters were open, we had a beautiful view of Calle Gran Vía de Colón and the Albaicin. Our only reservation is the shower which didn’t seem to be able to provide a good dose of hot and cold water at the same time and was constantly wavering between the two, enough to freeze or burn your butt off every forty-five seconds.

Marriott Bonvoy’s complimentary Platinum Breakfast is served in a glassed-in room overlooking the courtyard in the oldest part of the hotel. Presented in the form of a buffet of local specialties (Iberian ham, queso manchego, doughnuts and other Spanish pastries, fresh seasonal fruit juices …), it is also possible to order from an a la carte menu at no additional cost, including eggs cooked to one’s desires, or Spanish tortilla.

Since we had booked with 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy point certificates, the Check out formalities went very quickly. Again, we had a little help from the hotel staff with our luggage and made sure to notify the front desk when we were leaving the hotel by car through Calle Gran Vía de Colón.

If we had to do it again, we would pick this hotel again with our eyes closed. It is not only affordable in Marriott Bonvoy points, especially with the aforementioned 35,000 free night certificates, but also beautifully located within walking distance of all the tourist attractions (the Albaicin and its various miradores, the Cathedral and the Capilla Real, the public market, the Alcaiceria market, several lively public squares… etc.). It is also possible to take public transportation within walking distance of the hotel entrance to get to the Alhambra and Generalife in a few minutes.