Lodging Description: The Hotel Alhambra is located in the heart of the historical center of Granada, the oldest colonial city in the mainland of the Western Hemisphere. The city was founded in 1524 by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba. It is located on the shores of Lake Nicaragua and next to Volcano Mombacho. Lake Nicaragua is the second largest lake in Latin America and is the only in the world that has sharks and other sea-water fishes. The lake is connected to the Caribbean Sea thru the Rio San Juan. During the 1600´s and 1700´s, the city of Granada was sacked and burned many times by Dutch and Brittish pirates who entered thru the Rio San Juan. Last destruction was in 1856 by U.S. invader William Walker, who became President of Nicaragua for two years before being defeated and left leaving the city in flames.