SashieZ

First of all, a big thank you to all who helped me plan this trip. Your advice and recommendations were indispensable and the trips reports I read helped shape my trip.

I wanted to go somewhere special for my 50th birthday. The original plan was Barcelona and Morocco but that got complicated and decided Barcelona and Andalucia which some friends raved about. And they were right. My husband is my travelling partner and we travel well together except for the fact that he is not a fan of museums. He loves architecture, music, food, history, but not museums. I, on the other hand like museums. Actually love. I love museums.

OUR ITINERARY:
Seville – three nights
Ronda – two nights
Granada – two nights
Barcelona – three nights

I was able to get business class tickets outbound on Continental. The only problem is we would have to fly out of Newark which is a long drive from the east end of Long Island (NY). We ended up driving to the airport (uneventful) and parking in long term parking ($190). Our flight to Barcelona was delayed three hours due to technical problems (rivets) and thought for sure we would miss our connecting flight. However we made up some time in the air and made the connecting flight to Seville with no problem.

SEVILLE
We stayed at Hotel Las Casas de la Juderia. I heard so many great things about this hotel but when checking their rates online, it was more than I wanted to spend. I decided to email and see if there were any deals to be found. Well, there was…..if I pay in full upfront, the rate would be 160 euros plus breakfast. Since breakfast is usually 19 Euros, I thought this was a good deal… and it was, breakfast was yummy. A huge buffet, eggs to yogurt and good coffee. The room (#2) was very comfortable, nice size and clean. The Hotel is in a great location, is quiet and clean. But the best part was walking to the room – what a beautiful hotel and pretty patios and courtyard

By the time we arrived at the hotel it was after 3 and we were exhausted. We did head out for a walk and had an early dinner. Actually we “tapas hopped” to a few tapas places – that was fun and the tapas yummy. I wish we had done more of that. We went to bed pretty early.

We both had trouble sleeping and it took us a few days before we were feeling like ourselves again. This was never a problem a few years ago….ahhh the aging process. Anyway, the following day we headed to Plaza del Duc where there is a flea market every Saturday. However we were disappointed since it was very small and didn’t have much to offer – scarves, bags, belts. Didn’t mind since it was a beautiful day and a nice walk. So on to the bull ring where we took the guided tour. Interesting although the guide was hard to understand at times. Walked along the river and over the bridge to the Triana area, stopped in at the food market . It was about lunch time so we had lunch at an outdoor café El Faro de Triana. The weather was so nice, you had to eat outside. No English menu but we like what the man was eating at the table next to ours …Frito misto – boy was that good. A nice selection of fish lightly fried. A sprinkle of lemon is all you need. And beer . The rest of the afternoon was spent walking, walking, walking. Seville is a great walking city, incredible architecture, pretty squares, lots of shoppig (ohhhh the boots!) We passed the Alacazar and walked through the gardens and then back to the hotel to rest for an hour before dinner.
We decided to do a bit more walking before dinner in the Santa Cruz area and ended up at Modesto for dinner, recommended by Maribelle and Fodors guidebooks. Outdoor seating. Good choice. Tuna with marinated peppers, sliced octopus with potatoes – I was never an octopus fan but it was delicious. Octopus was very tender and the potatoes were cooked perfectly – a great combination. And that was just the appetizers. For entrees I had grilled prawns and DH had sea bream. And a nice bottle of cava. I recommend this place and get the octopus!!!!

SashieZ

Our last day in Seville. Woke up and headed for breakfast at 9am and we were the only ones there! It was a Sunday so we figured everyone must be sleeping late. We find out however, that it was time to reset your clocks so it was only 8am! Too bad because I would have loved to have slept another hour. Headed for Alacazar which is not to be missed, it is magnificient. I highly recommend the tour of the private rooms, - Banquet hall, billiards room, childrens room. There was an additional fee for this. Love to see how people lived in various times – whether rich or poor- (the Tenement Museum in NYC is a good example of how the poor lived) . Although I was feeling tired, again didn’t sleep well, DH was even worse and he was ready to leave after 1 hour so we didn’t spend much time there. We strolled through Maria Lusia Park (I believe it is called) – perfect on a Sunday afternoon. Here is where I noticed how well dressed the woman of Seville are. I saw many woman strolling in the park beautifully dressed in high heels and pretty dresses. No jeans, sneakers, hair in ponytail. And the men looked great as well. Everyone seemed to be out walking..why not…another sunny day and the park with its statues, fountains and tile work was the perfect place to spend the day (in our case a few hours.) Oh, look at the time! Lunch time! At home, I eat a sandwich standing up so I was determined not to miss any meals. Lunch at an outdoor (of course!) café in the Santa Cruz area that was filled with locals. It certainly looked that way to me anyway. It felt great to sit down and that beer sure tasted good. Tapas and a salad. Salad not great…tapas great. Afterwards headed to the Cathedral and Giraldo Tower. Incredible. Beautiful. Walked up the tower…fun and great views. Although you are walking up ramps, instead of stairs, it is still a strenuous climb but you are rewarded with the views. By this time it was 4pm we were dead tired so back to the hotel for a rest. Before dinner a walk around the Alcazar and the park. Dinner at a restaurant near our hotel better forgotten about. Sat in the piano bar at the hotel for a nightcap – a nice way to end the evening.
I think two nights in Seville would have been better for us than three. Seville is a small town and it seemed like we walked down every street at least three times. Having said that, I think if we went to the museums and spent more time at the Alacazar and Cathedral , three nights would have been fine. I loved the shopping here and thought the prices were reasonable and wished I bought those boots. Seville is a beautiful city to walk in and you can walk everywhere, which I love.

danon

looking forward for the next installment..

SashieZ

RONDA

This was our travelling day to Ronda where we spent two nights at Hotel En Frente Arte. Our plan is to spend the first day exploring Ronda and the following full day exploring the white villages.

We rented a car with AVIS through Autoeurope. Picked up our car at the Seville train station about 11 am and headed for Ronda. DH wanted a VW Golf and that what we got so he was happy. I was anxious about the fact I didn’t know how to get out of the city towards Ronda, but the woman at AVIS was helpful and gave me a small map with directions out. I had a Michelin Andalucía map and knew the route I wanted to take to Ronda but not how to get out of Seville. The drive was great – no traffic, great signs, beautiful scenery. This was not stressful at all….it got stressful driving IN Ronda. Trying to find street signs (not all streets signs are posted), plus watching traffic, plus watching out for pedestrians, that is stressful. Anyway, things were going okay. I printed out detailed directions that I received from the Hotel and everything was going sooooo smoothly (we didn’t hit anyone) until we had to make a right turn. Construction was going on and we couldn’t make the turn. And I didn’t have a map. Uh oh. Actually, I did have a map of Ronda from one of my guidebooks but it certainly wasn’t detailed We knew what direction the hotel was in, but we just couldn’t get there. Either we’d hit a dead end or it was a one way street. I guess this is where tomtom would have come in handy. Anyway we drove round and round and round and decided to park in a lot in the town center and walk to the hotel with our luggage. The good thing is we pack light, the bad is that the streets are cobbled and it’s hard to wheel your luggage on it. I had to carry it. Since we knew the general direction of the hotel, it wasn’t a problem finding it – about a 7 minute walk.

My mistake was not to get detailed maps of the towns we were visiting before leaving. Town maps from the guidebooks don’t cut it. I also should have been more prepared with directions out of the Seville train station. My next mistake was not to tell the front desk about the construction and the correct way to drive there from the lot where we parked. It would be a problem later.

Although I loved En Frente Arte, I can understand why some people don’t. If you prefer elegant spaces with antique furniture or clean modern spaces, this is not the hotel for you. It is definitely quirky with some funky looking furniture and crazy room designs. We stayed in the Bamboo room which got some negative reviews on Trip Advisor due to the bathroom being downstairs. Since we were only staying two nights, it wasn’t an issue but if you need to use the bathroom a lot during the night, I would opt for another room. The flight down is steep and the steps are tiled, not making for a soft landing. Another issue is the fact that to get to the center of town, you need to walk up a steep hill. Not a problem for us I thought, but it turned into a problem later on. That being said, I felt very comfortable here and wished we had more time in Ronda. I would have loved to have bought some food at a market, grabbed a free bottle of wine and had dinner on their nice terrace overlooking the hillside. Or maybe in the room with the pond. I believe the rate was 100 euros with breakfast and free wine, beer, soft drinks or water.

NanBug

Thanks and keep it comin' Sashie, we'll be there in 2 months.

Now you know why the Spanish called that town Ronda -- because you go ronda and ronda the streets, trying to find your hotel!

jonijam

I agree, great advice on printing out good street maps of the towns. we will be there in december, and will be based in Malaga, still trying to decide if Seville is worth the visit when we only have one day to explore. You may have changed our mind.

alihutch

Seville is very special and definitely worth the trip. Very beautiful....stay there for a few nights abut 6/7 years ago...

josele

The Ronda Enfrente Arte is a place that has had ups and downs and change of names, it was very good at first, not so now. The location is not the best as it is indeed down the hill from the main places, and mostly all streets in Ronda are cobbled. Driving there can be even scary, streets are steep. Nothing to do with works, one day you find them in a place, the next in other. Future travellers, do not hesitate to ask here directions to your hotel, I know the town pretty well.

SashieZ

Thanks for your interest!

We dropped our bags in our room and headed for town. Up the hill – not a problem since we have been eating a lot(!) and could use the exercise. So we did a bit of exploring, making the famous Puento Nuevo bridge our first stop with panoramic views of Ronda. Walked by Parador Ronda –I that’s a gorgeous place with views to match. Nearby was Don Miguel Restaurant with a huge terrace on various levels. It was mentioned in one of my guidebooks as having good food but we didn’t eat here. I wish we did since one of the meals we had in town wasn’t great and it certainly didn’t have that view. Maybe one of you readers will go! After that we strolled the streets, checked out restaurants and did some shopping. More artisan shopping here than Seville which we both enjoy. Art, ceramics, as opposed to only clothing type stores. We passed by Casa de Rey Moro and said we would visit this our last day here. Loved walking here, not overrun with tourists, some areas very quiet… it’s like stepping back in time. Back to the hotel for a rest.

Explored the hotel again, small pool –open but wow the water is cold! Decided to sit on the hotel terrace with a bottle of wine (hey we’re on vacation) and enjoy the scenery and the sounds – there’s a farm nearby with goats, horses and chickens and they were very vocal. Out again and had a late dinner. A lot of restaurants have menus in English but the descriptions are basic – Veal, Chicken, Beef…. So I would get chicken in a gravy (good) when I was hoping for roasted chicken. We usually got potatoes but no vegetables and if you do get a vegetable, it’s cooked to death. So we were surprised a lot, but that’s ok. As I learned in the past, if you want to ensure having a good meal, do some research. After dinner we strolled over to the bridge – all lit up, and back to hotel. We are not late night people…usually asleep at 10 and up at 6:30. I was worried that we wouldn’t have many dinner options with the locals usually having dinner at 10 but there were always loads of places to eat anytime we were hungry.

Breakfast at the hotel was very good and included breads, crepes, hard boiled eggs, muffins, various cold meats, juices, cereal. Make your own coffee – loved that, like being in your own home. You would think I would hate that being on vacation- getting my own coffee? But the machine was fun to use and even better – it was fast!

After breakfast the plan was to explore some of the White Villages. The towns I had in mind were Arcos, Grazalema and Zahara. Again, a nice drive, good signs, no traffic, beautiful countryside with olive trees galore. Arcos was bit of a drive, about an hour, but a friend had gone there and loved it. We enjoyed it as well. A very, very steep walk up and I was huffing and puffing (and I’m in good shape!) but worth it as it was very pretty with lovely churches, shops, restaurants and amazing views. Loved the shops here, especially one that had a beautiful selection of etchings and tile. The woman in the shop painted the tile herself (she was painting as I was shopping) and I’m still kicking myself about not buying one (or two) of her tiles. I did buy four etchings though of vineyard scenes (we have a small vineyard on Long Island so I was thrilled to find them) – done by a local artist. Drove to Grazalema next, again an easy drive and easy to park here. The car park was right before the town (you will see the tour buses!) Hungry now so we decided to find someplace to eat. We ended up at the first place we saw, which was close to the car park. A hotel /restaurant with nice views – just don’t look down, then you will see the dirty swimming pool! I actually didn’t want to eat here… I wanted to walk into the town and pick a place where we could eat outside. I’m one of those people who can walk from café to café to café looking at the menus and picking the one I think looks best. This is not my husband and since I’ve been picking all the restaurants, I agreed. It’s a big place and we walked in and we saw the looooooong table with the tourists from the bus. And another looooooong table set up for the next bus. But never judge a book by its cover because the food was really, really delicious. I had venison with mushrooms and onions in a thick sauce (brandy?) with potatoes on the side. DH had broiled fish, can’t remember what kind, but he was very happy. And beer of course. This was the only big meal we had at lunch but knew we would be walking it off. Grazalema is a pretty town to walk through – but there wasn’t much to do. I didn’t see many restaurants or shops and the shops that we did see were closed. But shopping is not why I travel….like I said the town is very pretty and the photos I took were incredible. On to Zahara.


Not a problem driving to Zahara, but we weren’t sure where to park. We knew we wanted to see the 10th century Moorish ruins (tower) at the top of the hill but couldn’t find parking anywhere near so we parked all the way at the bottom and walked up. Now that was a steep and long walk but the views made it worthwhile. We were walking behind a couple with three kids (under the age of 9 I would say) and the kids didn’t whine or complain, seem to be having a fun time. And it was a STEEP climb! Again, not many shops, not many restaurants and not many tourists. The churches were not open. But again, a beautiful town.


Nice drive back as well but the big question is…….will we be able to find our hotel?

annhig

ttt

jonijam

Wonderful narrative. Awaiting the next installment. This is helping me plan our day trips from Calahonda. thanks much.

jonijam

josele - we 'll have one full day in Ronda - driving there. any must sees? where to park?

SashieZ

DH decided that since we did a bit of walking in town, it won’t be a problem finding our hotel this time. He had a plan and even knew what streets to go down. And we were doing really well until the last street had a “do not enter” sign. I told him to go through it, it was quiet, no police in the area!! of course he said no, and round and round and round we go and we park in the same parking lot. At least this time we didn’t have luggage. So we are a bit frustrated so we decide to have a drink at the hotel but there is no corkscrew. Aaarrrrgggghhhhh. So out for dinner at an Italian place in a large square (where we parked) and more wine afterwards at the hotel. The corkscrew was found ! We weren’t too crazy about the white wine so we mixed it with some red and created a very nice rose!

The following day we leave for Granada. Another beautiful day in Ronda- not in a rush and were able to get a late checkout. I wanted to spend a bit more time in Ronda, beore heading out to Granada. I left my map in the car so we decided to walk to the car with one piece of luggage, pick up the map (so we can check our route to Granada), drop off the luggage and then off to do more sight seeing. The only problem is that we couldn’t open the car. The clicker (car opener – whatever you call it) didn’t work or even worse, the car battery could be dead. My first thought – this is going to be a big problem.

SashieZ

nanbug

hahahhahahaha

Sally30

I am enjoying your report. Keep writing!

SashieZ

We couldn’t open the car manually because there was no keyhole. Looked and looked. No keyhole. I had my cell phone with me but I didn’t have the telephone number for Avis . I had added VISA, Amex, chase, etc, to my cell phone but didn’t think of AVIS. We decide that I would walk back to the hotel and DH would stay with the luggage in the square (luckily there were benches). Found the numbers and called AutoEurope instead of AVIS so I could speak to someone in English. A very nice man put me in touch with AVIS Granada and was told I needed to get them garage name and telephone #. OK. Back to car park. Up the steep hill. Down to the car park. Of course the man at the car park doesn’t speak English and doesn’t understand Auto Dead or Auto Morte. So I say auto and then slash my finger across my neck…I think he understands but then starts speaking to me in Spanish. Luckily someone was able to translate and I got the number. Back to bench with DH and I call Avis Granada but number I got is not working. Try again but nothing. So I call AutoEurope and speak to someone different, explain the whole story, and ask them to try and call. Busy. They suggest calling road assistance and connect me to them. They need license #, registration # and voucher # on my contract. The contract is at the hotel. Get this information and call back they say. So I decide to call autoeurope to get the contract number, they don’t have it and connect me to Avis Seville since I can’t get in touch with Avis Granada. I speak to a woman, tell her the whole story and she said that she will get in touch with AVIS Malaga, since it is the closest AVIS center to Ronda and they will call me on my cell. I give my cell number and wait. DH has to go to the bathroom, so he goes back to hotel and I sit and wait for my phone call with the luggage. Wait, wait, wait. No phone call. After 15 minutes I try and call but I realize I no longer have service. How can that be??? I had service 15 minutes ago! Now I have to wait for DH and that takes 40 minutes total because while at the hotel he does some packing. So once he comes back, we walk back to the hotel, down the steep street, with one piece of luggage.

It’s amazing I’m calm and not crying.

danon

what a story...

NanBug

I need a drink just reading this!

CathyM

Sometimes there are benefits to using public transportation
Great trip report. Hope the next installment finds you with a working car.

danon

"Sometimes there are benefits to using public transportation "

Every time we go to Spain we think about renting a car , and every time we end up not doing it. There are benefits to both!