We have just spent several delightful days at the hotel Casa de Carmona. In fact we eventually decided that the magic of the Hotel is created as much by the charm of the owner, Felipe, as by the house itself.
Casa de Carmona is wonderful, history come alive - grand and yet homely, elegant but comfortable It is, also, and importantly, ideally placed for easy access Carmona town itself and Seville. We walked ourselves silly knowing that at the end of the day we could return to the comfort and charm of the hotel .
For us it was a ‘taste’ of real Spain – no reproduction antiques here... just the real article. Yes, in places, the grandeur is fading but this just adds to the charm and authenticity of the experience. We booked for one night and stayed for several being cared and catered for by Felipe, who cooked us one of the largest, rare steaks we have had, in a restaurant, in a very long while. The restaurant was fabulous, as was our room and we enjoyed breakfast in the Loggia every day. The only disappointment we had, was that we could not use the pool, which we are advised is being fixed.
There is a charm about this hotel that is difficult to define but it was an experience we loved. Indeed we are already advising friends to visit and will hopefully be going back soon ourselves...

Wow...what a SHOCK!!! We decided to stay at Casa Carmona because of its 5-star rating, and the fact that my parents-in-law used to spend romantic weekends there years ago (key word being YEARS ago!). My mother was visiting from the States over Easter and my wine and I wanted to take our mothers to a special and enchanting hotel for a few days over the holiday.

Well we weren't prepared for what awaited us. Our first room that was given to us on the second floor had such a horrible smell of mold and mildew in the bathroom that it was impossible to stay there. They then changed us to a different room, which had the same problem of mold and mildew in the bathroom The 3rd bedroom they gave us was on the main floor, adjacent to one of the libraries. It had a huge hole in the floor in the bathroom. The towel had holes, were tattered and stains of rust or blood? The next night they changed us to yet another room! This room, although a ¨superior room¨ had a refrigerator that did not open. So we had to put our food, water and babies food, etc in the refrigerator in the bar downstairs (and of course, get out of bed in the middle of the night, and go downstairs to bar to fetch whatever we needed for us or our 2 year old son). There were 3 lightbulbs burned out in the room ,which took 2 days to replace. And to top it off, we found our bathroom flooded at 12am when we returned from dinner that night, only to have Phillipe, the manage, muster a meager "im sorry" under his breath as he cleaned the bathroom with a mop.

The pool area was so dirty, walls falling apart with electrical wires exposed...the amount of maintenance that needed on this place is ridiculous.!!!

There was only one person working the entire hotel at all times,,,reception, restaurant, cleaning, etc. In other words, NO SERVICE!!! We had to carry our luggage to and from the 4 rooms we changed into, as well as our sons CRIB!!

When we checked out, we had a hidden charge of almost 100Euro for the crib and parking none of whcih was mentioned to us in our confirmation (which we refused to pay)

Im sure I am leaving things out, but I just wanted to get the basic idea out. This place is NOT a 5-star hotel!!!! Id give it a 2-star, and thats maybe being generous. Its a shame and a pity, because the hotel itself has the potential to be something extraordinarily beautiful and charming. I think the owners have had good intentions of buying the hotel, but it needs a tremendous amount of money and investment for maintenance and staff. It is obvious that they are in way over their heads at this moment undertaking this project.

I hope one day to go back, but as it looks now, its going to be a long, long time before that happens.

On Friday, April 8, 2011, we had the misfortune to stay at the Casa de Carmona.

A few words about our travelling experience. We have visited Europe twice a year for at least 12 years and stay primarily at 3 star establishments, both in cities and rural environments. We understand that things in Europe are different than in the US and enjoy that difference. We rarely stay at chains, preferring locally owned and operated lodgings.

We wound up at the Casa de Carmona because two 4 star hotels in Carmona, including the Parador, were full.

I have never been as disappointed as I was with the Casa de Carmona, a supposedly 5 star hotel.

When we drove up to the hotel we were thrilled. It was beautiful, set on a very small, quiet square in Carmona, a delightful town east of Sevilla. The entry was lovely; the girl at the desk helped with our baggage, and told us where to park the car in their convenient lot.

We were shown to our room. It was on the first floor (that’s the second floor to Americans). The elevator was not working, but thankfully the receptionist and the manager (?) carried our suitcases up the over 30 steps. Our room (number 9) was down a dark corridor with several turns and no lights. Our room looked like what you would expect a room in an old manor to look like. Being in a renovated building, I am willing to overlook clumsy layouts, such as lack of closets and steps to the bath.

Upon returning from dinner (at a restaurant that was recommended by the hotel staff and was located on a street that carried a great deal of traffic on cobbles), we discovered that the boards supporting the mattress on the frame were broken. How is this possible in a 5 star hotel? Why didn’t housekeeping discover it? We had removed our clothes, but called the front desk, and fortunately, another room was available. We were switched to a junior suite (number 17) with a squeaky door and extremely odd arrangement, even by old manor standards. The desk clerk said, “Of course, we will not charge the difference in room rates.” Why would you even say that? We left our bags in the old room and slept in the new room.

In the morning, I went to the old room to shower and dress. The plumbing in this place is obsolete. While the separate cold/hot handles are cutesy, the hot just turned without providing water. I had to hold the base with one hand and turn the handle with the other.

I have taken hundreds of showers in European tubs, and am used to the challenges due to the lack of shower curtains, but this room’s shower shield was most ineffective. The entire bath floor was covered with water. I had to use a second towel to mop it up. I advised my wife and encouraged her to shower in the new room. She tried, but was unsuccessful in getting hot water, so she had the same experience I did.

I went down to use the Internet. In a 5 star property like this I expect Internet everywhere. There was an LAN outlet in the room with cable, but I never got it to work, and I am tech savvy. Wi-Fi is limited to the reception and adjacent courtyard, not throughout the common areas.

My wife joined me, and we had to hunt for the breakfast room. No signs and an unmanned front desk. Breakfast was Euro 20 per person. It was not a buffet, but “served” by a single waitron who was overworked, resulting in us being underserved. A prepackaged wafer awaited us at the table. We were presented with unimaginative toast, cold, of course. The OJ was freshly squeezed – YEA! Cereal selection was poor, and one could order an egg. No meat was offered. Jam was prepackaged, and not in those nice, individual glass containers, but in foil! At Euro 20 per person! Over priced and unimaginative!

We packed and took our suitcases down the stairs. No help was available. The front desk remained unmanned, even after repeated rings of the buzzer. We left a note and went sightseeing. We returned in about an hour and were met, not with an apology for not being there, but with a bill overcharging us for the room, which was corrected after I complained.

Don’t come here expecting great service or a great breakfast or a great room. In fact, my recommendation is don’t go to the Casa de Carmona.

We stayed at Casa de Carmona on our last night in Spain with our two daughters ages 8 and 12. We all absolutely loved it. The rooms were enormous and beautifully appointed with sitting areas and huge, beautiful bathrooms. Because the rooms are all different, the owner allowed us to peek at a couple of others; each was unique and had something wonderful to recommend it. Breakfast was a lovely assortment of fruits, pastries, yogurt, cheese, eggs and toast. Carmona itself is a beautiful town, very close to Sevilla and Cordoba, but with its own visit-worthy churches, a Roman era fortress, lovely views and more.

I can't imagine a better place to have ended our trip to Andalucia. We highly recommend this hotel for families, couples looking for a romantic get-away, or anyone who wants to experience the charm of a bygone era.

A footnote: If you are looking for a Four Seasons experience, then Casa de Carmona may not be the hotel for you. If, on the other hand, you would enjoy the authentic experience of staying in a 600 year old Spanish palace, with a supremely gracious and accommodating host, then I can't imagine a more perfect place than Casa de Carmona.