brendankelly73

My wife and I plan to be in Toledo for one night in late February...just passing through, but plan to sleep over. I have read Toledo is a splendor for sure….but also nicer and more atmospheric at night after the tour groups have gone home (this is US Travel writer Rick Steves saying this, who is a little hit or miss)…..but as I am going in Winter…maybe that’s not really an issue?

My wife and I are interested in seeing some sights, strolling the tangled streets (assuming its not snowing of course) and just hitting a few bars or tapas joints, all within a confined area….

So that leads to my two major questions:

1) Is Toledo worth a night’s stay? I am traveling between Seville and Madrid, where I have two days/nights in each City. I would probably be getting into Toledo about 2 or 3PM….I thought a night in central Toledo would be good….but is it better to just try to get to Toledo a little earlier in the day…see the sights…and continue onto Madrid? I know Toledo isn’t a nightlife spot or college town…which is fine, but is it going to be a ghost town at night in February? Are there any tapas, bar, café areas of town? BTW, it will be a Sunday too, which I am thinking could be an issue for restaurants and stores being open? Or is it Monday that’s more of an issue?

2) If we do opt to stay over, can anyone recommend a nice, quaint area (or actual property) to stay. Central to good food and drink, historic/older, but ideally not too touristy; although again, I am guessing that time of year it’ll be fairly quiet. I guess what I mean is, I want to be in old/center city, but don’t want to be in areas (cafes, bars) frequented by only tourists.

Any neighborhoods we should consider? Juderia? Zocodover? Our main focus will be walking (weather permitting), drinking and eating to excess. Hey….we don’t get away from the kids often.

Cheers.

Brendan
Charlotte NC

Londonres

A boyfriend and I had an overnight stop in Toledo and we thought it was stunning. It's compact, so you can get a good feel for it in a day. We stayed at the Hostal del Cardenal, an 18th century mansion built by an Archbishop of Toledo, but quite Moorish in style. It was easy to find and had car parking. I would definately stay there again.

www.hostaldelcardenal.com

The Hostal has the best restaurant in Toledo, but an alternative is La Abadía, Plaza de San Nicolás 3
Tel: 92-525-0746. You can have a traditional meal or just some tapas in the bar.

http://www.abadiatoledo.com/

kja

Hi, Brendan -

Toledo is definitely worth at least one night's stay! It is a wonderful place, and is even more magical in the evening.

There are a number of interesting things to see there - I spent 2 very full days and did not see everything I would have liked to see. Figure out what you want to see and experience and time your arrival and departure accordingly.

I second Londonres's recommendation for the Hostal del Cardenal for both accomodation and dinner.

Hope that helps!

jrjcolllins

Another vote for Hostal del Cardenal. It's wonderful!

floydvic

I have twice stayed at the
Hostal Maravilla which is only a few yards off of Plaza Zocodover on a small street. Basic and quite acceptable to my tatse. It has a good restaurant. On the second occasion I was in a rent car which had to be parked in one of Toledo's underground parking lots and what luggage was needed for the stay carried a few blocks to the Maravilla.

brendankelly73

thanks all!

CathyM

How long is your trip in total?
With only 2 nights in Madrid and 2 nights in Sevilla, I'd ditch the car and take the AVE from Madrid to Sevilla. Toledo is incredible but with only 2 nights ini Madrid & Sevilla I wouldn't bother with a car.

Fredisimo

My hat is off to you. Spain in the off-season is a most unique and authentic experience. I’ve always traveled in Spain (as a tour manager) in the off-season. There will be some tourists in Toledo in February but no crowds. Even fewer tourists at night. I applaud you having the rare opportunity to experience one of Spain’s most beautiful and unspoiled medieval towns in its most authentic season.

I wholeheartedly agree with the others: Hostal del Cardenal is very nice. But you might find its location a little disappointing. Cardenal is on the far north side of Toledo and at the bottom of a steep hill, unfortunately removed from the most interesting part of town.

As a tour manager I’ve done quite a bit of research for my tours. I’m always looking for the best bang for the buck. I can recommend some hostals from my research and experience that are a great value and much more central and convenient to the most charming part of Toledo and less than half the price of El Cardenal.

Hostal Centro
http://www.aplinet.com/toledoguia/cl...ador/index.htm

Hotel Imperio http://www.terra.es/personal/earroyop/inicio.htm

Hostal Maravilla http://www.holidaycityeurope.com/mar...ledo/index.htm

All of these hostals are among the cheapest, and the best bangs in Toledo. All are very comfortable and clean family-run hostals. And all are very centrally located where you will have no problem finding cafes, bars and tapas a few steps away.

For your dream of “eating to excess” there is one place I can highly recommend. The best meal at the best price I’ve ever had anywhere in the world was in Toledo. Restaurante El Catavinos (Avenida Reconquista 10). The 29 Euro "Tasting Menu" is much too large a meal for two. Plan on sharing this festive banquet among three or four hungry friends.

You might sample partridge salad, Valencia peppers stuffed with wild rabbit, venison and veal meatballs, suckling lamb, baked fruit toledana, stewed goat andalúz, grilled Mediterranean prawns in corvina sauce, sautéed vegetables, Manchego sheep cheese, Iberian ham, endless servings of home-baked Andalucian breads, Tiramisu ice cream fried in Cognac among the many dessert choices.

Plan on spending at least two hours savoring the many flavors of this culinary masterpiece. Your meal includes all the finest Spanish wine you can drink. Catavinos means wine-taster. They have the largest selection of wines in town.

I visit this forum very rarely. If you would like to contact me for any other recommendations for other locations I am [email protected]

Fred

NorCal

Consider staying at the Parador in Toledo. It is fabulous, and the views from there are fantastic. We have stayed there two times, and wouldn't stay at another place. Moreover, check out other paradors for your visit to Espana. They make the trip unforgettable, and not simply experiencing another European hotel.

If you haven't checked them out or been told, the paradors are a chain of excellently-run, Spanish government small hotels; food at the paradors is well-prepared, regional dishes. They are not cheap, but are a non-commercial and truly pleasing Spanish experience. Consider staying at a couple paradors before booking your trip.

To be honest, however, our favorite small city in the Madrid region is Segovia, way fewer tourists (and their buses) than Toledo and fabulous sites and vistas. Segovia is unforgettable.

Adios.

Continental_Drifter

Hi, Brendan,

We have stayed at the Hostal del Cardinal in Toledo twice, once without our children and once with them. If you haven't been to Spain, keep in mind that "Hostal" does NOT mean student hostel!

http://www.karenbrown.com/Accommodat...l/00001452.php

OR

http://www.karenbrown.com/external_l...ty_ID=00001452

The only hesitation is that it is officially outside the city walls, which means a walk down the hill. It is very safe, but if you are planning on staying out late, you'll want a cab to take you back down the hill.

Keep in mind that it's only a 3 star, but for under 100 Euros, we felt it was a good value. We did get the suite, and thought it was well worth a little extra for the balcony.

The gardens and fountains are beautiful and it was the former Archbishop's summer home in Toledo. It feels old and we loved that about it. The bath was all marble and very contemporary fixtures. Beds were comfy and we snuggled under an extra blanket on the balcony while we sipped and my hubby enjoyed a cigar. The evening view from the balcony was starlit and the valley below twinkled with lights.

There were lovely gardens across the way with a long trellised path completely full of wisteria. We were there in March and the wisteria was in full bloom.

For us, Karen Brown guides are, by far, our favorite source for hotel recommendations. She has simply never steered us wrong, whether for the most simple B&B or the most luxurious hotel.

Of course, I love Fodors or would not be on this site!

Have fun in Toledo. Buy your wife the best chefs knives you can afford with solid olivewood handles and the block and ship them home. I regretted not doing so on the first trip, so we had to go back! Not such a bad thing, I suppose!

Sassafrass

Bookmarking

Graziella5b

It is worth it providing you can get into the Cathedral, not to be missed in my opinion.
A lovely hostel, which is like a hotel really, with all the conveniences and much , much cheaper is Hostal
Santo TOme, right in the center. They have a garage for parking nearby.
I really recommend it, go to www.hostalsantotome.com
has very good reviews in Trip Advisor.
It is one of the fews places in the heart of the city with garage. You need detailed information to get there.
I thought the owners were very nice.
Excellent bathrooms .