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Granada October al fresco dinning- too cold?

Granada October al fresco dinning- too cold?

Old Mar 7th, 2016, 05:04 PM
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Granada October al fresco dinning- too cold?

Hello All!

I know each year is different, but this question is sort of related to "in general"....

We'll be in Granada first week of October. For our welcome to Andalusia/Spain dinner, I decided to go with one of the carmen (old mansions turned restaurants) overlooking the Alhambra. Initially I narrowed it down to these following (listed according to preference), but then an unpleasant surprise. Many of them are closed on Mondays (our only possible night) :

Carmen de Aben Humeya (like the look/sound of it. open on Mondays)
Carmen Mirador de Aixa (closed on Monday)
Restaurante Las Tomasas (closed on Monday)
El Huerto de Juan Ranas
Restaurante Estrellas de San Nicolas (sounds quite touristy)
Mirador de Morayma

Even though on TA Carmen Aben Humeya is lower than others, it keeps drawing me in. I like the look of the terrace/gardens and the food. Now with more research, it seem that this particular carmen is pretty much all "outdoor" seating...one review mentioned "a table with a great view through a clear plastic tent" (correct me if I'm wrong). It looks idealic for a nice warm summer month. I'm sure someone might even eat outside in January and February. but what i mean I would not want to wear a thick jacket and use blankets. I am traveling with older people and it might not be wise to ask them to sit for 2 hours in the cold air. As long as it's long sleeves and a cardigan/ shawl, then I think it still should be ok. My worry ...for Granada, is it warm enough to eat seating outside in October? Has anyone dined at Aben Humeya (particularly in the fall)?

Thank you!
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Old Mar 7th, 2016, 08:44 PM
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Early October shouldn't be a problem. All restaurants in Granada are 'touristy', Estrellas de San Nicolas is no exception, but not bad.

We stopped by El Balcón De San Nicolás in January. It has an excellent location overlooking the Alhambra. Prices are decent and they have a small terrace if you want to seat outside.
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Old Mar 7th, 2016, 11:01 PM
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Well, for one thing, it would (of course) depend on the weather. Try this site for climate info:
http://www.accuweather.com/en/es/gra...nyr=10/01/2015

More to the point, and I'm very sorry to say so, but after considering the many questions you have posted about this trip, I'm beginning to wonder just what, if any, research you have done to ensure that your plans for a large group of somewhat older women make sense. Many of the questions you are asking are good -- but they could be read to suggest that you know very little about what you are doing, or about how to get information without asking people about whom you know nothing (namely, Fodorites). Maybe you are just "fine-tuning," but honestly, if I were one of your group, I would be getting a bit nervous to see so many rather basic questions so late in the game. JMO. So, assuming that you really DO know what you're doing, I suggest that you might want to consider framing your questions in a way that indicates a bit more awareness of your options and the constraints within which you are working. Again, JMO. And wishing you and your group only the best!
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 06:12 AM
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Early October in Granada would "in general" be highs about 80F, but it can get chilly at night, you can easily expect lows arond 50F. So I think it depends on how late in the evening.

Listen to Robert when it comes to restaurants, he knows Granada much better than me. But it could be of interest to know that, at least according to legend, the Mirador de Morayma was where Princess Morayma stayed during the captivity of her husband Boabdil, the last emir of Granada.
http://miradordemorayma.com/en/quien-fue-morayma/
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 07:44 AM
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Lunch is the big meal of the day in Spain and is not until early in the afternoon. You can find snacks, sandwiches, etc. but plan on lunch around 1:00 pm or later.

Weather will probably be warm during the day in Granada in early October, so you could sit out for lunch.

Dinner can be more problematic. It can be cold enough to need jackets and if it is, sitting outside long enough for dinner might be uncomfortable, so I would not count on dinner sitting outside, especially considering how much it cools down in the evening as the sun sets in the mountains.

Dinner is very, very late in Spain, never before 8:00 pm or later and is a leisurely event. Plan on a couple of hours. If you make a reservation, be certain when they will start serving. You really do not want the ladies sitting there having drinks for an hour before even ordering.
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 08:50 AM
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Lunch is normally taken after 1:30 pm (2:30 to 3:00 pm is the most popular time on weekends and holidays) and dinner after 8:30 pm is quite normal (not considered late in Spain), but some places do start serving dinner at 8:00.

Restaurants will not open their doors until they are ready to serve a meal, but some of those with a bar will allow you in to wait at the bar until they are ready to start serving lunch or dinner. And don't be in a rush to eat. Things take time in Spain, and food should be enjoyed.

The restaurants facing the Alhambra from the Albayzín are looking southwest, so, in early October, the sun will be in your eyes until nearly 8:00 pm, with twilight lingering a little longer.
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 09:13 AM
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I fear you have a very confused idea of the weather in southern Spain. You should google the weather averages. I have ot done Spain then but I can't imagine that the weather is too cold for dinner outdoors. (Here, where it is much cooler, we still have outdoor dining in Oct - in places all up and down the avenues).

Also you should already be familiar with dining hours in Spain - nothing like many areas of the US, esp in rural or suburban areas - although I admit that here dinner is usually at 8:30 or 9 pm and in my experience in Spain we would go out at 9:30 or 10 pm.
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 09:34 AM
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Why not choose a restaurant that offers both indoor and outdoor seating, so that you can opt for one or the other depending on the weather on the day?
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 10:40 AM
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We're talking Granada here, where skiing typically begins in late October in the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains.
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 11:42 AM
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We were in Granada for 3 night second week in Oct. , dining outside was comfortable.
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 11:51 AM
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We started outside but moved inside when it got too cold and windy, in the middle of October. I don't remember the name of the restaurant but it was a Carmen and overlooked the Alhambra.
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 01:12 PM
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Do not forget that smokers will be outside if that sort of thing worries you.
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Old Mar 8th, 2016, 06:18 PM
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Of course, it varies year to year, but the one experience we had in
Granada in October, it was warm during the day, so fine for sitting out, but it cooled quickly after sunset. Twice we started out sitting outside and asked to move inside. That was easy enough for two people to do.

The OP, however, is traveling with 15 Senior ladies and is concerned that they will be cold. The ladies may be warm when they start, but with dinner not starting until 8:00 or so, by 9:00 or 10:00, it could be quite uncomfortable. It would not then be easy to just move 15 people inside.

With 15 people, it is probably not a good idea to play it by ear. Some will want to do one thing, some another. Things will go a lot smoother if plans are more pinned down and they have a reservation.

As to dinner time, the OP is planning an early dinner before a 9:00 pm show in Seville. The restaurant said if they are in the bar by 7:30, they could get a table. That may not mean food is being served just because the bar area is open and they can be seated. Again, with 15 people, getting them all served and transported to the show in 90 minutes seems very tight, unless the restaurant is extremely accommodating because of the group size.
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Old Mar 9th, 2016, 12:13 AM
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Thank you all! Greatly appreciate all your invaluable input!

Perhaps it came across as if I don't research before asking questions, but that's not exactly so I've been over various weather sites (bookmarked quite a lot!). For example, I've used wunderground.com to check the weather in Granada (Cordoba, etc) for the last 5-7 years just to see what the weather was like during the dates we intend to be there. Also, compared it to the dates we were in Madrid and Barcelona 2 years ago....tried to remember my own wardrobe during those days to get a clearer idea Looking at the sites can get you only so far. I find it also helpful to hear about personal experiences.

Also, as in the case with Aben Humeya, even with research sometimes it's not east to find information. For example, I am still not clear about the layout of the restaurant--whether it actually has inside dining space per se. I've emailed the restaurant, but haven't received an answer yet. So I thought I'd try my luck asking here as well. Who knows, maybe someone actually dined there and could answer with certainty. But as this restaurnt is not my only option, I am also looking at others in the area. So it's always good to hear suggestions.

I undertand regarding the usual time Spanish restaurants open. I think I might have mentioned in another post, that we only go to restaurants with a confirmed reservation and most of the time pre-selected short menu (easier for the restaurants and for us). So things go much smoother than one might expect. Sometimes restaurants (LUA in Madrid for one) even opened half an hour earlier to help the poor jet-legged group
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Old Mar 9th, 2016, 12:22 AM
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Forgot to mention. My little obsession with al fresco dinning It's not set in stone that we must have dinner on the terrace, but that would be a nice thing to experience, especially with the view of Alhambra. There are hardly any places in Tokyo where you'd be able to eat outside (at least as far as I know). It sounds so quintessential European )

We've had bad luck with al fresco dinning in the past-- tried in both Salzburg and Vienna and both evenings had terrible rain! So we were moved inside and still had a terrific time. In Andalusia, my high hopes are for a lunch in the garden of a winery we'll be visiting (of course weather permitting).

Since evenings in October might indeed be to cool to really enjoy outdoor dinning, I'll make sure to select a place that would provide an indoor option as well.
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Old Mar 9th, 2016, 12:28 AM
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Sounds as if you do have everything taken care of and are now planning derails.
Yout trip will be exciting for your group.
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Old Mar 9th, 2016, 04:30 AM
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If you plan to have dinner with 15 people in Sevilla before a 9pm performance in Casa de la Memoria, I would chose close by and open all day Meson Serranito (kitchen also open all day, and they take reservations). In /Alfonso XII, 9, four minutes walking from Casa de la Memoria: http://www.mesonserranito.es/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Have had delicious tapas here more than once, and they've also got a la carta and menus as well as their famously huge and meaty serranito sandwiches. http://www.eltenedor.es/restaurante/...onso-xii/10817
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Old Mar 9th, 2016, 04:32 PM
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What I did not say -- and should have said -- is that you are obviously asking questions with the best interests of your ladies in mind. I'm sure they will each end up with a treasure trove of wonderful memories of their time in Spain.
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Old Mar 11th, 2016, 05:41 PM
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Kimhe, thank you for the restaurant suggestion. Will keep that one in mind.

Kja, thank you. once everything is planned and done, it'll be great!
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