Family trip to Spain - Part 2 - Sevilla
Apr 5th, 2005, 03:18 PM
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Family trip to Spain - Part 2 - Sevilla
Saturday – Arrival in Sevilla with no difficulty. Got a taxi to our hotel, Alfonso XIII.
This hotel was built in the early 1900’s for the exposition and is gorgeous. Our rooms were close by – T1 and T2 had a standard room – but beautiful by any standard. Silk wall coverings, heavenly beds, two TV’s and an incredible shower. Ours was similar but on a corner so we had two large windows. Tile floors, wonderful tile work that is so typical of southern Spain. Our first stop was at the outdoor café/patio for a pitcher of Sangria and cokes. The concierge made a recommendation for dinner at 8 at a small neighborhood place across the River called Plaemar. The timing enabled us to see the first half of the final Semana Santa procession, walk over for dinner and then get back in time to see the end of the procession. Dinner was excellent but a bit higher priced than we anticipated. The owner selected the tapas for us (great but tres cher). We all had the house specialty – fish baked in salt. T1 was asked to help the waiter chip the salt away and we were able to watch as he deboned the fish and served it. Awesome. Back to the centro and cathedral area and then to the hotel. Walking is easy in Sevilla – just keep the cathedral in your sights and you’ll have the best reference point. We found the evening to be a bit cool but just a light sweater was needed. Lots of folks out walking, having coffee or ice cream, tons of people watching which was fun.
Sunday – Easter in Sevilla! We got up early planning to attend the 9am Mass at the cathedral. However, we learned that the hourly services that concierge told us about were really hourly processions. Breakfast was again at the corner Starbucks as we thought we were pressed for time for Mass. Since the day was gorgeous, we just stood and watched the processions. Floats were much lighter in mood as was the music. Rows of people holding huge (like 3’ high) candles lined the routes. The afternoon was spent at the Alcazar. It’s a beautiful palace with lovely gardens. About an hour into the visit, we spied…..our son’s scoutmaster and his family!! They had lived in Sevilla 16 years ago and were back on a family trip. Small world. T1 and T2 went back to the hotel to rest, take a nap and just chill while mom and dad went on a carriage ride. For 36euros, we had almost an hour through the city and Maria Luisa park. The price is per carriage so if you have another couple, it can be very reasonable. We walked down to the river, along by the bull ring and up to another bridge where a final procession was taking place. If you combine those crowds with the 14,000 people on their way to the bullfight, it was very crowded on the bridge. We just strolled along and found a place for tapas – Rio Grande patio. This time we had calamari, scramble eggs with shrimp and ham, seafood salad and the ever available jamon. The bullfight was over by 9:30 so we headed back to the centro, grabbed some coffee and ice cream, then to the hotel.
Monday – Today was our ‘walking tour day’. We started out grabbing some coffee and pastries at a small place near the bull ring. Tours are given every 20 minutes so we took one about 10 minutes after arriving. The tour is quick but thorough. We saw the actual ring – were able to walk out in it; the chapel where the matadors pray before the fight, the infirmary where they are taken if hurt (as good as any hospital emergency room we were told) and the museum. When that was finished, we strolled over to Plaza Nueva where we met our guide, Concepcion Delgado who is mentioned in the Rick Steeve’s book. She is marvelous…speaks wonderful English, has a sense of humor and really knows her stuff. We spent a little over two hours with her in the city seeing the Jewish quarter, old town shopping area, etc. I love this kind of tour since we were able to learn the little bits that are never mentioned in guide books and the price is/was very reasonable. We were the only ones on the morning tour so it was also fun to do some ‘freelancing’ on the sites. When the morning tour finished, we stopped at a little tapas place for lunch. We had breaded ham rolls stuffed with cheese and mushrooms, some shrimp, jamon y queso, etc. along with a pitcher of Sangria (you may see a pattern evolving here on the sangrias!). We met back up with Concepcion (now “Connie” to us) along with about 8 other people for a tour of the Cathedral. Again, her knowledge was excellent and we’d already ‘toured’ the place on our own. By the time we finished, it was nearly 5 and we were exhausted. We decided to rest up at the hotel and then head out for dinner at a place called “Buzo’s”. Its written up in the Steeve’s book as a good neighborhood place. All in all, it was a little bit of a let down. While my steak and T2’s steak were good, the DH and T1 had langostinos…what was not explained well is that the price was per 100grams and they didn’t let us know that the actual dishes were much much heavier than 100grams. The bill was a surprise but given the late hour, we just shrugged and paid. The plan for the next day was to pick up a rental car and head for the coast via the Pueblos Blancos. More to come (we’re still in Spain and the days are looong!!)
This hotel was built in the early 1900’s for the exposition and is gorgeous. Our rooms were close by – T1 and T2 had a standard room – but beautiful by any standard. Silk wall coverings, heavenly beds, two TV’s and an incredible shower. Ours was similar but on a corner so we had two large windows. Tile floors, wonderful tile work that is so typical of southern Spain. Our first stop was at the outdoor café/patio for a pitcher of Sangria and cokes. The concierge made a recommendation for dinner at 8 at a small neighborhood place across the River called Plaemar. The timing enabled us to see the first half of the final Semana Santa procession, walk over for dinner and then get back in time to see the end of the procession. Dinner was excellent but a bit higher priced than we anticipated. The owner selected the tapas for us (great but tres cher). We all had the house specialty – fish baked in salt. T1 was asked to help the waiter chip the salt away and we were able to watch as he deboned the fish and served it. Awesome. Back to the centro and cathedral area and then to the hotel. Walking is easy in Sevilla – just keep the cathedral in your sights and you’ll have the best reference point. We found the evening to be a bit cool but just a light sweater was needed. Lots of folks out walking, having coffee or ice cream, tons of people watching which was fun.
Sunday – Easter in Sevilla! We got up early planning to attend the 9am Mass at the cathedral. However, we learned that the hourly services that concierge told us about were really hourly processions. Breakfast was again at the corner Starbucks as we thought we were pressed for time for Mass. Since the day was gorgeous, we just stood and watched the processions. Floats were much lighter in mood as was the music. Rows of people holding huge (like 3’ high) candles lined the routes. The afternoon was spent at the Alcazar. It’s a beautiful palace with lovely gardens. About an hour into the visit, we spied…..our son’s scoutmaster and his family!! They had lived in Sevilla 16 years ago and were back on a family trip. Small world. T1 and T2 went back to the hotel to rest, take a nap and just chill while mom and dad went on a carriage ride. For 36euros, we had almost an hour through the city and Maria Luisa park. The price is per carriage so if you have another couple, it can be very reasonable. We walked down to the river, along by the bull ring and up to another bridge where a final procession was taking place. If you combine those crowds with the 14,000 people on their way to the bullfight, it was very crowded on the bridge. We just strolled along and found a place for tapas – Rio Grande patio. This time we had calamari, scramble eggs with shrimp and ham, seafood salad and the ever available jamon. The bullfight was over by 9:30 so we headed back to the centro, grabbed some coffee and ice cream, then to the hotel.
Monday – Today was our ‘walking tour day’. We started out grabbing some coffee and pastries at a small place near the bull ring. Tours are given every 20 minutes so we took one about 10 minutes after arriving. The tour is quick but thorough. We saw the actual ring – were able to walk out in it; the chapel where the matadors pray before the fight, the infirmary where they are taken if hurt (as good as any hospital emergency room we were told) and the museum. When that was finished, we strolled over to Plaza Nueva where we met our guide, Concepcion Delgado who is mentioned in the Rick Steeve’s book. She is marvelous…speaks wonderful English, has a sense of humor and really knows her stuff. We spent a little over two hours with her in the city seeing the Jewish quarter, old town shopping area, etc. I love this kind of tour since we were able to learn the little bits that are never mentioned in guide books and the price is/was very reasonable. We were the only ones on the morning tour so it was also fun to do some ‘freelancing’ on the sites. When the morning tour finished, we stopped at a little tapas place for lunch. We had breaded ham rolls stuffed with cheese and mushrooms, some shrimp, jamon y queso, etc. along with a pitcher of Sangria (you may see a pattern evolving here on the sangrias!). We met back up with Concepcion (now “Connie” to us) along with about 8 other people for a tour of the Cathedral. Again, her knowledge was excellent and we’d already ‘toured’ the place on our own. By the time we finished, it was nearly 5 and we were exhausted. We decided to rest up at the hotel and then head out for dinner at a place called “Buzo’s”. Its written up in the Steeve’s book as a good neighborhood place. All in all, it was a little bit of a let down. While my steak and T2’s steak were good, the DH and T1 had langostinos…what was not explained well is that the price was per 100grams and they didn’t let us know that the actual dishes were much much heavier than 100grams. The bill was a surprise but given the late hour, we just shrugged and paid. The plan for the next day was to pick up a rental car and head for the coast via the Pueblos Blancos. More to come (we’re still in Spain and the days are looong!!)
Apr 5th, 2005, 04:10 PM
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Forgot to add - we went to a flamenco show at Los Gallos on Monday night between the cathedral tour and dinner. The show started at 8 and lasted 90 minutes. It was just 'ok' - DH had seen a very professional one at a business function and was a little disappointed. The venue is small, dark, cozy; most seats have good views but many are on the same level so if you have a tall person or someone who gets up often for drink refills, it can be tough. One drink is included with the price - we made ours Sangria!
Apr 5th, 2005, 11:51 PM
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It waried from 7e to 32e/pitcher. When anything over 12e was quoted, we deferred to ice water or a regular bottle of red wine. Only really high price we encountered was in Marbella but that figures.
Apr 6th, 2005, 03:15 AM
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Thanks for the report. re the Alphonso XIII: I suspect you've seen what I would call "mixed" reviews of this hotel on TripAdvisor.
Am I correct in assuming you felt it was worth the money? Any concerns at all about the hotel?
Thanks very much.
Am I correct in assuming you felt it was worth the money? Any concerns at all about the hotel?
Thanks very much.
Apr 6th, 2005, 05:58 AM
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No concerns at all about Alfonso XIII. Great location; large rooms, concierge was far more informed and helpful than the guy(s) in Madrid. Safe - plenty of security at the driveway entrance; carriage rides right at the corner. The outdoor pool was not open but looked nice. We'd go back again for sure
