Spain and Beyond - Part Three

Old May 5th, 2015, 05:18 AM
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Spain and Beyond - Part Three

Hello again. Now that our itinerary is finalised I would like to get some help with accommodation suggestions/recommendations for Spain and Portugal (we are all set with regards to Switzerland and Italy).

To give you a better understanding of the types of accommodation we try to find, I will bullet-point some of our preferences:

• Prefer self-contained accommodation with kitchen facilities if possible - or B&B as a 2nd choice
• If B&B, then gluten-free options at breakfast is a basic requirement
• Try to pay around €100 per night - less is better, up to €150 if highly recommended
• We enjoy walking if possible, so location near main sightseeing/train station an advantage
• Needs to have air-conditioning given the likelihood of hot Spanish weather

We will be staying in the following cities/towns:

Barcelona (5 nights)
San Sebastian (3 nights)
Madrid (4 nights)
Valencia (3 nights)
Granada (3 nights)
Cordoba (2 nights)
Seville (5 nights)
Lisbon (4 nights)
Porto (3 nights)

Any help gratefully accepted.

Thank you in advance, I look forward to your recommendations or suggestions.

Regards,

Steve
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Old May 5th, 2015, 05:54 AM
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Airbnb gives you a map so you can check the locations of accommodations.

If B&B, then gluten-free options at breakfast is a basic requirement

Best to contact the B&B directly to let them know that someone in your party has Celiac and get direct verification that they can be accomodated.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 06:49 PM
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I can recommend this apartment in Barcelona: http://www.vrbo.com/445397
We stayed their last summer and really liked it. We liked the location, about 15 min walk to La Sagrada Familia, and felt like we were living like the locals. It had air conditioning. The owner was fabulous.

We also really enjoyed this apartment in Porto: https://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/ext...n=1&aid=400000
I can't remember if it had air conditioning or not. I don't think we needed it when we were there. Walkable to everything.

Both were fine with shorter rental periods.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 11:01 PM
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Hi Sparkchaser, thanks for your reply.
Yes, I always email prospective landlords regarding gluten-free options among other things. I just mentioned it in case there are any coeliac posters out there who have stayed somewhere in Spain and know for sure that there were food options for them.

Thanks McCarder, these are just the sort of suggestions we were hoping for. I will contact them and see how we go.

Keep 'em coming and thanks again.
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Old May 6th, 2015, 11:45 PM
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In Lisboa you can buy your own gluten free foods at the supermarket - I've found the better selections to be at Continente and Celeiro. Products without gluten are marked "sem gluten," and you should know that "trigo" in the ingredients is wheat.
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Old May 7th, 2015, 12:21 AM
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Wow, thank you luz_de_lisboa. That is valuable information. We have had to learn "sans gluten", "senza glutine" and "ohne Gluten" but must confess didn't know the equivalent in Spanish or Portuguese. Now we have only one to go. Also the supermarkets that have gluten-free sections are a Godsend when travelling. My wife has had many a day where she has lived on an apple and salad.

Thanks again.
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Old May 7th, 2015, 01:21 AM
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In the heart of Madrid: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/dfla...-sl.en-gb.html

The area: http://www.barrioletras.com/

In San Sebastian these would be great options:

Close to the La Concha beach: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/mira...tes.en-gb.html

Close to Zurriola Beach: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/zaba...tes.en-gb.html

San Sebastian is small, and the two apartments are about 10-15 minutes walking apart. Both are 5-10 minutes walk to the vibrant Parte vieja/Old town (a bit noisy to live here). Miraconcha is right on the famous La Concha Beach and two minutes from the commercial center, while Zurriola is in the local neighbourhood Gros area. I've lived in this part of town and loved it.
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Old May 7th, 2015, 04:46 AM
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Hi Kimhe, thanks very much for the great info. With your suggestions I have already booked both Madrid and SS. Great properties and reasonably priced - especially Madrid!

Also, McCarder, thanks to you I have also booked Porto and I'm awaiting a response from the VRBO in Barcelona.

Thanks to those who have responded and please keep the suggestions coming.

Regards, Steve.
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Old May 7th, 2015, 06:07 AM
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Good to hear. Your apartment in Madrid is next door to Casa Alberto from 1827. Great traditional food, and an excellent tapas bar in front. Popular with both locals and tourists alike: http://www.casaalberto.es/
http://11870.com/pro/casa-alberto
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...to-Madrid.html

And you are 100 meters from Cafe Central, the best jazz venue in town. Live Music every night from 10pm, only top Spanish and international artists here, changing every week: http://www.cafecentralmadrid.com/

And 150 meters from Casa patas, the best tablao in the country in recent years: http://www.casapatas.com/
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Old May 7th, 2015, 07:09 AM
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If you decided for the Miraconcha apt in San Sebastian, you are 150 meters from the Miramar Palace. Built as a royal summer residence in the 1880's. From June through most of September, the Palace is the base for the summer courses of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Then you can get bargain lunch deals in the busy cafe down in the basement.
http://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/cultur...aa30-12375/en/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...e_Country.html

If you decided for the Zabaleta apt, you are 100 meters from San Sebastian classic Bar Bergara. Until recently it was run by Patxi Bergara who were one of the patrons of the Basque food revolution back in the 80's. Two of his nephews has been working here for a long time, and today they run the place. The Txalupa pintxo is my favourite:
http://www.pinchosbergara.es/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...e_Country.html
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Old May 7th, 2015, 06:35 PM
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Glad to hear! You will love the welcome that you get in Porto!
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Old May 8th, 2015, 02:57 AM
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Hi Kimhe - thanks for all the links. I'm looking forward to visiting all of the places. In the end we went for Miraconcha in SS - the price for Zabaleta was quite a bit more. We are certainly not disappointed tho, the location and apartment in Miraconcha looks superb.

Hi McCarder - sounds exciting! I'm already impressed for two reasons.

1. The price for the 3 nights was amazingly cheap
2. I received a phone call from the proprietor within a few hours of the booking just to reassure us that they were aware of our impending trip and were looking forward to meeting us. A was a lovely gesture (albeit the call came at 01:30am, ha ha).

We have also finalized our Barcelona booking at the VRBO - looking forward to that stay as well.

Thanks very much for the helpful suggestions. As you can see, they were very welcome.
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Old May 11th, 2015, 05:45 AM
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Thanks again to everyone for their help so far. With your help and my own research we now only need accommodation in three more places - Valencia, Granada and Córdoba. Any recommendations please?
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Old May 12th, 2015, 07:37 PM
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> Now we have only one to go.
https://translate.google.com/?hl=en#en/es/gluten%20free
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