Hotel Dona Maria Seville

I was very unfortunate to stay at this "hotel" during my trip to Spain in July 2004. When we checked in at this "hotel" the lady at the desk told us that our rooms were not ready. So we waited for almost an hour until they finally assigned us to our rooms. I requested a safe deposit box and I noticed that the plastic keychain was broken and I almost cut myself with it. I also had trouble opening the safe deposit box (as mentioned in one of the reviews). I was so frustrated that I decided to return the safe deposit key. Also, the a/c unit was not working. I kept it on for half hour and it wouldn't cool the room. I did notify the front desk about the a/c issue I was having and all they would tell me is that they notified the technician, but that technician never showed up. This hotel is a total dump. I disagree that it's a "treasure." Either that person got paid to write a positive review about this hotel or is the hotel owner or an employee. The only positive quality about this hotel is the location. Other than that, there is nothing great to comment about this place, because it does not deserve to be called a hotel.

The reviews about this hotel are absolutely not accurate according to my recent stay (July 2004) at this really great hotel.

The location is perfect, the swimming pool is a haven from the heat (especially with a glass of wine admiring the view), and the room was a good size, clean, and quiet. The price was 100 Euros and included a big buffet breakfast.

This was the best place we stayed in Spain.

We stayed here for a long weekend in 2001 and thought that the hotel was ok. We too waited for over an hour for our room to be made ready - this was afternoon, although the lady at reception suddenly offered us another room whixh she said would be more suitable. It was very comfortable and clean. Breakfast was a buffet and pretty good. Best thing about the hotel is the location right next to La Giralda and near the Alcazar. Great little bars and tapas places all around. Not bad, but wouldn't choose to stay here again

I stayed at the Dona Maria for 4 nights in March 2004. Apparently, I had more luck than some others who wrote reviews, cause my single room was very spacious and clean. I found the hotel staff to be average, not too friendly, but definitely not unfriendly either. I liked the big information book about Sevilla that was put down in the room. The only minor point was that breakfast had to be eaten in the own room.The location is indeed the best asset of the hotel.

Stayed 3 nights and would overall recommend highly. Lobby and rooms have old world charm and are beautiful. Location is unbeatable. The rooftop terrace has a beautiful pool in the shadow of the giralda and is just a spectacular place to cool off with a pitcher of sangria! The place avoids being outstanding by somewhat reserved service (they laughed when my son asked if they had an adapter to charge his camera) and slightly below expectation maintenance. We discovered one (only one!) large beetle in our bathroom. Overall I would highly recommend.

This was our second visit to this hotel and we were extremely disappointed - we would not return here again! Our first visit was in 1998 and because of its excellent location and that it had parking, we decided to return. On this visit we entered the lobby, said we wished to checkin and had a car for the garage. We were told that the bellman would handle everything - we should wait and he would help. We waited for over 30 minutes with our car parked in a taxi zone as there is no place to park on the extremely narrow winding one-way streets around the hotel. During that 1/2 hour we repeatedly asked for directions as to whether to unload our luggage, what to do with the car, etc. Bellman is definitely in charge of everything!!! Finally the bellman appeared and announced there was no space in the garage. Also even though it was about 3:00PM one of our rooms was not ready. The concierge referred every question from every guest to the desk clerk, and the desk clerk was a very angry man who gave my daughter and her husband very curt, unprofessional answers. My daughter was then sent to two garages, both of which were full. On the final day my family including my husband who has a very serious health condition, had to carry our luggage over 4 blocks to the public garage where we were forced to park. On top of this the lovely view from the pool deck was not available as the door was locked to that deck. Also the A/C was not turned on in the hotel and despite opening the windows, the room stayed uncomfortably warm all night. Hotel personnel definitely need an attitude change, someone beside the bellman needs to be in charge, and the hotel should not advertise parking when it's not available. In a trip of over 15 days, this was the worst hotel we had booked --- all other hotels were ranked 3 and 4 stars too!

I stayed at the Doña Maria Hotel from 02/20/04 to 02/23/04. I have to say that I was very disappointed! I booked my reservation for a single room and it turned out that the room I was assigned to was very tiny. The room's corridor was so small that the width of my suitcase was larger than the corridor's width. The twin bed was also very tiny and very uncomfortable. It seemed I was laying on a concrete bench. Also, the keychain was extremely huge that it was impossible for me to put it in my pants' pocket. I was also disappointed with the housekeeping service. On my last night there, they did not put clean towels in the bathroom and that really upset me. I had to use the hair dryer (the old-fashioned ones that look like car vacuum cleaners) to dry myself up. I was pleased with the fact that the use of the safe deposit box was free of charge but I have to say that they need to add some WD-40 lubricant spray on the safe deposit box (or boxes) locks often. I had trouble opening it. I had to turn the key at least ten times to open it, that is if I was lucky. I agree with the other reviews that it is conveniently located near attractions like La Giralda, the Cathedral, Barrio de Santa Cruz, the Guadalquivir River, Parque de Maria Luisa, Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza, and others. And it's also true that it has a rooftop pool and it has a spectacular view but this hotel needs improvement. The staff is not that friendly at all. It seems like they force themselves to greet you everytime you walk into the hotel. Overall, I would not stay at this hotel ever again if I decide to visit Seville again. I hope my review was somewhat helpful.

The Dona Maria is very conveniently located. But I found the hotel itself stuffy. We were put in a room with twin beds, having asked for a double bed, and with such horrible plumbing that staying there was impossible. After much squabbling with less then helpful receptionists we were able to move to a better (but by no means good) room on our second day. Admittedly, they have a rooftop pool with a view of the Giralda, but when we were there it was full of English stockbroker types on a package tour getting drunk in the afternoon. Not exactly the company I prefer. EH Reykjavik Iceland.

We visited Seville in August 2003, and stayed at this fantastic hotel.

Amazing views of La Giralda from the rooftop pool - a perfect way to escape the midday heat. Rooms large and staff friendly. A great hotel - don't be put off by other reviews. Sean, 14

We spent one night at the Dona Maria during this hot September in Spain. When we checked in and discovered we were in a room with two twin beds, we asked if we might have a room with one bed and were told they were completely booked so this was all they had.

We awoke in the middle of the night because the air conditioning wasn't working and the room was stifling. We tried to go back to sleep but had difficulty. At around 7 we called to the desk and someone came up, climbed up on a ladder and then turned to us to say, "It is broken."

We were checking out, so went down to the desk at 8 and requested a reduction in the price. The woman at the desk became nasty and said, "You should have called in the middle of the night and we would have moved you." We pointed out they had told us there were no free rooms when we checked in. She then got nastier yet and said she would do nothing. I, therefore, would caution others to steer clear of this hotel despite its central location and rooftop pool.