Hi, we plan to spend 5 days in Girona in NOvember and would like a nice hotel in the old part of town or at walking distance.<BR>I haven´t been able to find anything really tempting in the internet or in the Spanish guides I have.<BR>Any advise, ? Thank you. As all of us posting about Spain , I hope Maribel reads 'my request. Thank you.<BR><BR>

Saludos, Graziella,<BR>I've gone through all my own guides for you, the Turismo de silencio, Hoteles con encanto, Nidos de amor, Pequenos Hoteles con Estilo, Inns of Spain, Rusticae, Gourmetour, Sawday's, Karen Brown, Hunter's Rivage, Duncan Peterson's Charming Hotel Guide, plus my Girona file with clippings from El Pais, El Mundo, etc. <BR>I've come up empty except for the Bellmiral, which has received mixed reviews here. <BR>Perhaps someone can give us both a good recent report on it. Anyone???<BR>I'm hoping that Carolyn will see this and share with us where she stayed recently. <BR><BR>I've searched and searched for an alternative myself. We've only stayed in the Sercotel Costabella (with a Bancotel coupon-serviceable/functional but only that) and have seen the rest of the chain lot, the Carlemany , Melia, etc., which didn't look too exciting.<BR><BR>There are lovely properties in the Baix Emporda countryside, not too far away (35 km), if you want to go with a Plan B.<BR>I've heard nice things about the stylish Arcs de Monells in medieval Monells, near La Bisbal <BR>(http://hotelarcsmonells.com/),<BR>and the owner of Mas Ferrer, where we very happily stayed this summer in Sant Celoni said the new Castell d'Emporda, housed in a 14th c gothic castle outside of La Bisbal is gorgeous. You can take a peek at www.castelldemporda.com<BR>It's also a member of Rusticae<BR>(www.rusticae.com).<BR><BR>Sorry I can't help more. <BR>Hasta luego, Graziella<BR><BR>Maribel<BR> <BR><BR><BR>

Hi Graziella:<BR>We have stayed in Girona only twice and find the hotels in the town to be pretty basic. The two were, the Melia which is a bit far from the town centre and pretty modern with little in the way of "charm" and the Hotel Ultonia which looks dreadful from the outside but which had comfortable rooms for a good price and it's just 2 minutes walk from the old quarter. <BR>Certainly I wouldn't describe either as tempting but the latter may fit your bill for location.<BR><BR>Lynn

Thank you Maribel and Lynn, ...Girona doesn´t seem to have a lot of choices , in the mean time I checked with some friends from Catalu&ntilde;a and they told me that the Hotel Peninsular, was ok.<BR>Not great but ok. Location is very good. probably will go there , let you know when I come back. Tks again

Hope this info. is in time for you, Graziella! I've been out of town yet again. At the end of September, my husband and I stayed 2 nights at the Hotel Ultonia in Girona. As another poster said, it doesn't look like much on the outside, but the location was quite good. We parked our car in the public garage(Jutjats), close to the Correos(Post Office) and just a couple blocks from the hotel. (The hotel suggested a diff. parking garage, but we checked that one out and were MUCH happier with ours!) The hotel is only a couple blocks from the garage, as well as some great restaurants. Another 3-4 short blocks will take you to a bridge to cross over into the old part of the city. We walked all over that area and were charmed, very medieval. I again recommend L'Argada rest. to you(Av. Ram&oacute;n Folch,7[across the plaza from the Correos). The "Magret d'anec"(duck breast)was one of the most memorable meals of 3 weeks in Spain. (Try the Marqu&eacute;s de C&aacute;ceres with it.) We drove up to Figueres on the "N" road one morning and enjoyed the Museo-Teatro Dal&iacute;. The tourist info. offices in Girona were especially helpful with maps and suggestions on less congested routes into Barcelona. N.B. For breakfast, avoid the Ultonia's buffet and stop in the small caf&eacute; two doors down--much cheaper and less tourist-filled. We could easily have spent more time in Girona and will the next time we are in the area.

Hi Carlyn, thank you too. Great information. In the mean time I have contacted a local friend, from Rippol that is, and they recommended the Hotel Peninsular right in the heart of it all. Have a look at hotelsearch.com, it is there with only one star, but looks very nice.<BR>thank you for the inf. We visited Girona once only of the day and loved it.

Graziella,<BR>(if you're the same Graziella who recommended the Posada Regia in Leon I owe you big time - what an incredible place!)<BR><BR>I just returned from a trip and spent 2 nights in Girona (what a breathtaking city)! I stayed in 2 different hotels so hopefully I can help you out:<BR><BR>The first night I stayed at Hotel Peninsular. I had a double room for abt. 50 euros. It was nothing special but clean and well located just across the river from the old section. However, there was construction going on and many of the windows are covered from the outside with tarp and the work during the day can be noisy. This wasn't a problem for me since it was only for 1 night but for 5 nights it may be an issue.<BR><BR>As soon as I saw the Hotel Bellmiral I knew I had to stay there. It is located a stones throw from the cathdral in the historic jewish quarter of Girona. I had a double room that was small with a sink in the room and a shower in the bathroom (inside my room). The shower was hot and had plenty of pressure - the plumbing was fine here. This place was not as nice as the Posada Regia in Leon but similar - the building was very old and stocked with antiques. The people working there were all part of the same family and they were very welcoming. Breakfast was included the next day and it was an assorted of breads, jams and meat along with cafe con leche of course. The cost was the same as the Hotel Peninsular but this place had alot more character. One note however: Girona doesn't have alot of nightlife and walking back to the hotel Bellmiral at night after dinner by myself was just a little spooky since there's not alot of hotels/bars in this particular section of the city open at night. I'd still stay at the Hotel Bellmiral as my personal first choice.<BR><BR>Also, when I stopped at the tourist office they gave me a list of hostals in Girona. One place was just across the street from the Bellmiral and has recently opened. They said it was even nicer than the Hotel Bellmiral but didn't have any openings. It looked very nice from the outside. I'll go through my pile of trip stuff this weekend and get the name and numbers of this place also for you.<BR><BR>

Carolyn and Cathy M,<BR>Thanks for the feedback on both the Ultonia and the Bellmiral. While I remembered you both had been in Girona recently, I didn't know what hotels you had chosen, and I wondered how the Bellmiral compared to Leon's Posada Regia.<BR><BR>Graziella,<BR>I just checked my Bancotel catalogue, and it appears that the Ultonia accepts their coupons every day during Nov. and requires 1 per night. If you plan to stay for 5 nights, it would only be 50 euros per night, a great deal. <BR><BR>Or even better, if you only need 4 nights, the Ultonia accepts Halcon Viajes "Weekend Plan" coupons every night during Nov. These are sold individually (no need to buy a 5 coupon booklet), so there's no "use it or loose it" problem. I buy these all the time from any Halcon Viajes agency in Spain-they're all over. I don't purchase them on the internet, as their web site isn't user friendly like Bancotel's.<BR>But you can check www.halconviajes.com, on left hand side under Weekend Plan, click on Hoteles 2002 to see their list. <BR><BR>Halcon Viajes sells their coupons in several prices: 36, 42, 50, 60, 75 and 90 euros. We use the 90 euro (grey) ones for the 4 star Melia Galgos in Madrid. The Ultonia accepts the 50 euro (green) coupons, requiring only 1 of them per night. <BR>As is the case with Bancotel, when you make your reservation, you need to tell the hotel you'll be paying with a H.V. "Weekend Plan" coupon, and see if there's availability for your particular Nov. dates. It may be that the hotel's "cupo" is already filled, but it's worth a call, I think.<BR>Just thought I'd pass this on... <BR><BR>Hasta luego,<BR>Maribel

Hi Maribel, Cathy M, Lynn and Carolyn, thank you all for great inf.!!<BR>I am so pleased that CathyM enjoyed the Posada Regia in Leon! I guess that by now we all have been there!<BR>I am saving this posting, as it goes we are not going now, had to cancel but hopefully will be there next March.<BR><BR>Thank you Maribel for the Halcon travel agencies inf.,I didn´t know about them. I agree that sometimes new hostals can turn out to be very nice, and better than older hotels....<BR>If you can Cathy M. please e mail me the name of the one that was recommeded to you.<BR>Again thank you all very much.<BR>Hasta la proxima. Graziella

¡Pobre Graziella! Hope you can make connections back to Spain soon. The only place in Spain to stay as nice as the Posada Regia in Le&oacute;n(for the price, etc.) was the del Oso in Cosgaya. If anyone can compare other spots to either one of those, I'm all ears. Those two were so stellar! Tiran cohetes, I think is the current term.<BR>Anyway, I appreciated Maribel's info on the "abonos" for hotels too. The regular Spain posters here never fail to provide pertinent and enlightening info. Thanks to all!

Hi , regarding Cathy M´s remark about Hotel el Oso in Cosgaya , I agree again !!!!! It is superb, their cuisine is excellent, we stayed in the charming annex a room that might be in any 4 to 5 stars hotel, for so little money. But the charm is in the fire places, in the setting , the mountains, the garden, the river, even the dogs...right?<BR>It is a wonderful thing to share and to agree ...

Hi Graziella, lynn, Carolyn and CathyM,<BR>Count me in as another great fan of del Oso! I actually prefer it to the Parador for its warmth/coziness. Has anyone had that gargantuan 2.2 lb "chuleton" there? One member of our party did but couldn't finish even a third of it. We took pictures.<BR><BR>For a lovely, inexp., relaxing, secluded place on the way to Girona to rest after or before a transatlantic flight, if you don't want to dive into Bcn,<BR>I highly recommend the Mas Ferrer, in tiny Gualba, which we "discovered" in June. It's a stunning, all stone, late 13th c. catalan noble home, a "masia", filled with antiques but not "museum-like", just 45 min north of Bcn in the foothills of the Montseny National Forest. Like the Hostal del Oso it has nooks and crannies where one can curl up and soak in the atmosphere, also a very cute dog. And a pool, but since it's so new, the landscaping around the house is a work in progress. The library was converted from the former granary, and the chapel made into a small d. room. The couple, Manel and Montse, who own the Mas couldn't be nicer or more welcoming, and they'll prepare wonderful meals for you of simple but creative catalan cuisine. While we were there, the room next door was occupied by the chef/owner of the Inn at Little Washington, Patrick O'Connell, who had brought his sous chef up to the nearby Raco de Can Fabes in Sant Celoni to apprentice with its 3 star Michelin chef. (We splurged at the Raco, best meal of my life, but one can go just for one course at dinner and be treated like royalty). Our large room with beautiful wood floors and beamed ceiling also had that "cutting edge catalan disseny" type bath with jacuzzi and cost only 80 euros in high season. We could have stayed for several days. Only 9 rooms.<BR>It's represented by <BR>www.rusticae.com<BR>www.innsofspain.com<BR><BR >Carolyn,<BR>If you'd like to know about the little inexp., fantastic value paradise we found just 35 km south of Bilbao, in the "Switzerland of the Basque Country", just email me! Another equal to the del Oso!

Graziella:<BR>The hostal/pension location across the street from the Hotel Bellmirall:<BR><BR>Apartaments istoric Barri Vell<BR>17004 Bellmirall, 4a<BR>972-223-583<BR>www.historic.go.to<BR><BR>Their website looks fantistic and says that they have 1,2 and 3 bedroom apartments with bathroom and full kitchen! The site says the cost is 3900 pts/day (per person) which coincides with the tourist information paper that says it is 25 euros/pp. <BR><BR>I wish I had known about this place before my trip as it looks incredible.

Hi, thank you, muchas gracias, Cathy for the inf.<BR>Hopefully we shall go in March next year, I shall let you know how it turned out<BR>it i seems perfect for us, again Muchas, muchas gracias. Graziella.

CathyM,<BR>Those apartamentos are the find of the week! And the architecture is so in keeping with the Call. Will you be my official &quot;hotel scout&quot; on your next Spain trip? <BR><BR>Graziella,<BR>I was just reading this review of the Mas Ferrer in this week's &quot;El Viajero&quot; travel section of El Pais. Thought you might enjoy it:<BR><BR>http://www.elpais.es/suple/viajero/articulo.html?d_date=20021026&amp;xref=20021026elp vialbv_7&amp;type=Tes&amp;anchor=elpviabue<BR><BR> Of just go to www.elpais.es/suple/viajero<BR>then click on &quot;La Buena Vida&quot;, then<BR>&quot;dormir&quot; and you'll find it. I read El Viajero every week and have found several great little inns there, long before they ever appear in the guide books.<BR><BR>