Hotel Casa Grande - Receptionist Lola Noble has received our 2007 Hotel Employee of the Year Award

Reviewed by Michael Soffe


HER NAME WAS LOLA ..............

Well, there is Monika too, but on arrival at the Casa Grande Hotel, I was greeted by the receptionist Lola like a family member and with a warmth that is wonderful to see in this day and age of impersonal service. Monica, the owner and “hands on” Director has trained her staff admirably and the Hotel has an exceptional reputation for this highly personal “touch”. A small converted palace overlooking the lovely “Plaza de las Angustias” the Casa Grande has been a work of love for Monica since she bought it and oversaw the renovation some five years ago. It is on the edge of the historic quarter and within walking distance of all the tourist sites.

As you enter reception you are immediately taken by the bright white interior patio courtyard and your eye is drawn upward to the sky. The patio is open to the elements, although has an awning to ward off the heat of the sun in the summer months. It is a lovely place to sit with a local sherry – Jerez is, after all, the home of sherry – and spend time relaxing with a book. There is also a comfy salon (with fireplace for the very short winter), CD player and reading and reference books thoughtfully provided by Monica for the use of her guests. Yet more attention to detail! There is a small bar, served by the duty receptionist and for use of Hotel clients only, although Monica says some of the Spanish neighbours pop in to use it from time to time.

To bring us into the computer age the old palace now has a computer room with internet connection for your use. A lift takes you up three floors to the roof terrace with lovely views over the roof tops – there is a little tower (just being reformed - July 2006) which will soon be open and take you just that little bit higher for even better views.

There are 15 bedrooms in all, Doubles and Junior Suites. They are simply furnished (that is not a negative) and have satellite TV, heating, air-con and safes. The bathrooms are rather more Hi-tech – I wanted to pack my see-through glass sink in my suitcase! Toiletries and towels are provided as is a hairdryer. If you are a light sleeper I would request an interior room as there is noise from traffic in the square, although, that said I had a room overlooking the square and it did not worry me. There is a room on the ground floor especially adapted for wheelchair users.

Buffet breakfasts (not included in the room rate) are served in the breakfast room off the patio or in the patio itself. There is a good choice and a cooked breakfast is also available. Although no other meals are served, Monica and Lola are experts on where to eat in Jerez. Lola made a reservation for me at a nearby restaurant “El Patio” where the foie-gras with caramelized raisins in manzanilla sherry was historic!! The Hotel is also very happy to arrange sherry tasting in all those famous bodegas, flamenco evenings and tickets to the royal School of Andalucian Horses – a magnificent two hour spectacle.

An ideal Hotel for those who want a really friendly hotel and an exceptional level of service – the Hotel’s visitors book is full of comments that bear witness to this. A good budget option for a city break in this most inviting of cities.