Cuevas Los Tarantos — Local services in Granada

This is a lengthy review, so those that don’t wish to read all of it, the conclusion is that the Flamenco performances are good, but the ownership doesn’t treat their customers respectfully. Therefore, with many other options in Granada, I would recommend a different establishment for Flamenco.

For those that are interested in why I view the establishment as not ethical and deserving a 1 star review, here was our experience.

We had a party of 4 reservation for a show and dinner at 8:15 pm. Arriving 15 minutes prior to our booking, we were sat down in a cave and served a drink that came with our booking. We weren’t sure when or where dinner was being served and we remained seated. We waited for an hour in the cave as the only guests. After this long waiting period, we felt they forgot about the pre-paid dinner and wondered if it was served after the show. We stayed put as more guests started to arrive. At the intermission of the show, a waiter said that a mistake was made and that he didn’t realise that dinner came with our booking. Since normally dinner is served before the show, he said we could go into a separate room to eat dinner. I told him we didn’t want to eat dinner in a separate room and miss the show we waited over an hour to watch. I told him we could eat after the show. He then said we couldn’t eat after the show as the table is booked for another guest. Knowing that we were ignorant on arrival by not knowing how their business operated, and they made an error by not seating us in the right room, I politely asked for a refund for the dinner portion of our booking. After this, the waiter brought in a manager and I persisted with the same request as we never ordered anything and no dinner was specifically prepared for us. They said we could order a plate for inside the cave, but it seemed strange, rushed, and didn’t interest us mid-show with no other guests eating in the cave. They made an honest mistake, which is ok with me since the show is on par in comparison to others I have seen in Granada. After refusing a plate inside the cave, I persisted with the request for a refund for dinner. Frustrated, the manager said I could send an email to then process a refund for the dinner portion later. I emailed the company the next day requesting a refund for dinner as directed. At this point, I was told that we refused dinner and therefore were not to be issued a refund. In stating that I would leave a bad review if no refund was issued, they stated we could eat there a different night. Having already left Granada, I explained that we were no longer in Granada and would be unable to eat there again. I again requested a refund. They then stopped replying. Disgruntled by their stinginess and keeping money for a dinner we never received, the least I can do is recommend another place for you to watch Flamenco. There are many other options who would have management that doesn’t...

we were surprised that our upscale hotel recommended this as the best flamenco show in Granada. It was awful. First, it is not a 'cave' but a musty, moldy room with a curved ceiling. It has absolutely no atmosphere and is stifling and stuffy even on a cold night in November. There was no intro, no words from the performers, they just began (and a bit late). It's a small rectangular room and they didn't make a point to dance facing both sides of the audience. We couldn't see their feet and much of flamenco is the stomping of their feet. After about 20 mins of dancing, everything stopped without explanation. Apparently, they take an intermission during a 1 hour show even though 2 dancers were sitting while another danced during the first part. We took the opportunity to leave as it was clear that we got the idea and there was nothing beautiful or fun or interesting to see there. Wow - so bad. I saw a flamenco show once in a small speakeasy type of theatre in NYC and it blew this away. Too bad that there was nothing pleasant about this...

We made our reservation through their website in a simple and trouble-free manner. When we arrived at the show, the reception was excellent: a very friendly girl attended to us, as did the waiters, who were attentive at all times.

The show started in spectacular fashion, managing to excite us to the point of giving us goosebumps. However, the experience was marred when a spontaneous member of the audience, visibly intoxicated, burst onto the stage and spent 20 minutes wandering around pointlessly, taking away from the seriousness and professionalism of the show. The reaction of the real artists said it all: discomfort and frustration in the face of a situation that bordered on the absurd.

It is a shame that a place as special as Cuevas Los Tarantos is affected by this type of incident. Therefore, we urge the organization to prevent this from happening again, since it tarnishes the efforts of true professionals. I am not leaving my five stars only because of this...