I stayed 3 nights in Las Casas de la Juderia in October 2001 and it was fabulous! The room was huge. We had an entire sitting room and a separate bedroom. The bathrooms was all marble and had both a tub and shower. There was a beautiful patio that looked onto the courtyard with a fountain. It smelled of jasmine every morning. It was in the Santa Cruz quarter but not in the direct "heart" of it - just a 5 minute walk to Plaza de Venerables.

As for the Hotel Simon, I've read good things about it. However, an acquaintance of mine who booked a room there were so disappointed in the hotel they cancelled their reservation and left Seville 2 days early (they had spend the first 3 days in las casas de la Juderia). I don't know if they were just being super "picky" or if it truly was horrible.

If you want to stay in the Santa Cruz area La Hosteria de Dona Lida looked like a great budget option. I had lunch and dinner there and it was absolutely fabulous (menu de la casa 3000 ptas). They have only 8 rooms (doubles for 8000 ptas) and a lady I met that was staying there said they were very comfortable and clean but nothing fancy.

Hosteria de Dona Lina

I can't help you much with Madrid. We stayed at the Reina Victoria and I wouldn't stay there again (great location but not worth the price). Personally, I'd want to be somewhere between Puerta del Sol and Plaza Santa Ana. I'd also reconsider the number of days in Madrid and perhaps spend a night or 2 in Toledo and or Segovia - just my personal opinion.

Hope this helps.

[ 02-11-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]