Hostal in Granada: Hostal Landazuri Cuesta Gomerez 24, phone: 95 82 21 406 Rooms are a little worn, but clean and safe. Very close to bus stop for buses to Albayzín and Alhambra.
Definitely reserve entry to Alhambra early if you know when you will be in Granada. You can reserve online
here or, I just found out, you can go to any BBVA bank branch in Spain and reserve a ticket. The fee is the same for both.
They are experimenting a little with crowd control. The entry time on your ticket is an entry time to the Palacios Nazaries. You must enter the Palacios Nazaries within this half hour window. Once you are inside, you can linger as long as you like. Similarly, if you have a morning entry time (before 14:00), you may enter the site at any time in the morning and stay as long as you like. The ticket may say you need to leave by 14:00, but the reality is that, other than Palacios Nazaries, no one is checking ticket times once you are in. If your entry time is after 14:00, you can´t enter the site before 14:00.
Hope that helps!