Hello all! We got back recently from our trip to Spain and I wanted to thank madridman and everyone here for the great advice. We stayed in Hostal Adriano in Madrid for four nights and had a wonderful time. Enrique and his staff were very friendly and helpful, the rooms were immaculate, and the price is very reasonable. The four/five flights of stairs were no problem for us, just good exercise! We even canceled another reservation we had on the way back through Madrid to stay in the Adriano another night! Also, we happened to be in Madrid for the Boda Real (royal wedding) of Crown Prince Felipe and his now-princess Letizia, which was very interesting.
Anyway, then we went to Sevilla and stayed in Hostal Atenas for two nights, which was also nice, although not quite as nice as Adriano. But everything was clean and the entrance is beautiful with all the plants and azulejos. The room we stayed in didn't have air conditioning but it wasn't very hot outside, and they responded quickly to our request for a fan. We got a little lost in the Barrio de Santa Cruz but that's part of the experience!
We also stayed one night in Carmona, outside of Sevilla, in the parador there. It was our splurge night, and it was a VERY nice place, with great atmosphere, and a wonderful view. It's an alcázar (palace/castle) from the 14th century, I believe. It was fairly easy to take a bus to the town but a little challenging to find transportation up the hill to the parador. So we walked.
We had a wonderful trip and thanks again to everyone for your advice.
--Mandy