Trip Report-15 days in Spain
Sep 25th, 2004, 03:52 PM
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Trip Report-15 days in Spain
Just got back and wanted to thank all the people who participate on this board. Ill try to give some info to help future travelers.Thanks to Maribel for her files. They were a great help. Our Itinery:
Madrid 2 nights,Hotel Plaza Mayor
Toledo 2 nights,Parador
Seville, 3 nights, Hotel Amadeus
Ronda,2 nights,Parador
Nerja,2 nights, Hotel Paraiso del Mar
Granada,1 night,Hotel Casa Morisca
Barcelona,3 nights,Hotel Neri
We took the bus from the airport to Plaza Colon(2.50 E)and taxi to the hotel. The bus stop at the airport is not clearly marked but airport workers showed us where it was. Got to our hotel at 10:00(which has a great location, a cute young couple running it and a good cafe on the first floor) and the room wasnt ready so we walked around the Plaza Mayor, the San Miguel Market, and then started Maribels walking tour of old Madrid. Highlight was the Basilica de San Francisco.We got there about noon and we were almost the only ones in there. Later several tours came in. It closed at 12:45 and were were getting hungry and got our first lessson in Spanish dinning hours. We went to Casa Ciriaco, on Calle Mayor, close to the Palace. At 12:50 the bartender said the restauratnt would open at 1:00. All of the waiters were in the bar reading newpapers and smoking. We sat at the bar and had a beer. Finally at 1:15 still no activity and we asked again and they let us in the dinning room(and turned on the lights)We were the only ones until about 2:00. At about 2:30 the place started filling up with business types in suits.The food was OK, I suspect we ordered the wrong thing. Our waiter spoke no English, but was very friendly and overall it was a good introduction. We went back and took a four hour nap and walked to Plaza Santa Ana for a drink. We went to La Trucha around the cornerfor dinner. Got there at 9:30 and got the last table.Had the trout special with roasted galic and ham and it was great. People were being turned away in a steady stream the entire time we ate.Went back to Plaza Mayor and listened to street musicians. The next morning went to Prado and Reina Sofia. Went to La Vaca Verononica for luch which is fairly close to both museums. Got there at 2:00 and still the first ones there.Had a great fixed price lunch(13.5 E)We had sardines with fried peppers and pasta with salmon and caviar. Desserts were prunes stewed in balckberry liquor and whipped cream and a cheese tort. The price included a decent bottle of house wine. Did tapas that night. Our favorite was Cien Vinos(100 wines). They let us have a table which was normally reserved for full dinners since it was still early(9:00). Had two differnt wines and four differnt tapas and loved them all. Went to Maestro Churros for chocolate and Churros and back to Plaza Mayor for mor music and people watching. Street performers did the fisrt of several Tango Acts which we enjoyed.Next morning went to the Palacio Real and the Armory. It was definitly worth seeing. Checked out at 11:00 and took taxi to bus station,got an 11:30 bus to Toledo and got there before 12:30. We didnt know that buses have numbered seats. We just sat in some open seats in the front and were shown where to sit when the real tickets showed up. Our Taxi to the Parador (8 E) cost more than two bus tickets from Madrid.This Parador was very nice. We had a room with a view(cost a little more but worth it). Also, It is not within walking distance to the town so it is kind of a destination in itself. It has a great terrace where we had lunch. Then we spent the afternoon by the pool which also has the view. Then we had a drink on the terrace and watched the sunset.We had dinner in the Parador Restaurnt and it was excellent.There was a string trio that played from 9:00 to 10:00. We had roast lamb,duck backed with a berry sauce,As apetizers we had ravioli and salad with pidgeon.Went back to the room and sat on the balcony and looked at the view.Did the town the next day and came back for late swim,drinks on terrace and dinner againat the Parador. Everything was just as good the second time.Had the full breakfast on the Terrace the next morning(Did I menion we liked the view)Did a reverse bus trip back to Madrid,taxi to the train staion. Caught a 1:30 high speed train to Seville, but only First class available(tickets were $87 E)Price included big seats,free drinks,newpapers, lunch and a movie. We didnt realize the trains were that full and also wanted some flexibility, but in retrospect it would have been better to get advance reservations.Hotel Amadeus was very cute. We had a piano in our room, which was kind of strange. We tried to walk to Casa de Pilates and got totally lost. Eventually wandered back to the hotel. Ate dinner at Casa Robles and it was very good.the next morning we did a 2 hour walking tour with Conception(sevilliawalkingtour.com). we only had five people in the group and she was great(10 E) each. We likjed her so much we di her Cathederal tour that afternoon.Went to Hosteria del Laurel for dinner. The food was OK but the atmosphere was great. Went to the 11:30 Los Gallos flamenco show after dinner and it was great fun. Before we went inside Los Gallos we noticed La Albahaca next door and reserved an outside table for the next night.The next day we did the Alcazar, walked across to Triana. Had one of our best lunches in a non descript bar on San Jacinto about four blocks from the river on the left. Had two hot ham and cheese sandwiches with some type of pate spread on the bread, a thin slice of toast with a fried egg covered with a cheese sauce and bits of ham, garlic potatoe salad, ;00olives, 1 beer and 1 pepsi for 8.8E. Ordered by pointing and a young woman in the back cooked it all.Did a tour of the bull ring, and finally found Casa Pilatos. The map given out by the Tourist office(which was actually given to us by Conception)was excellent.Did the Carriage ride that night before dinner. We had resevations at 9:00 at La Albahaca. The setting and food were great,service OK, but the best part was one of the dancers and one of the guitar players from Los Gallos from the night before were doing a little impromptu jam session right next to us for almost the entire meal.When we checked out the next morning we asked the young woman to call us a taxi. While talking she got a pained expression on her face and told us the taxis were on strike until 2:00. She showed us where to catch a bus and where to walk to get to the train station where we were to pick up our rental car. It took us about an hour, but when we got the the station there were hundreds of taxis blocking several streets in front of the station(including the Hertz and Avis rental car gates)No problem I thought, we have reservation with Europcar. When we got inside the station there was no one at Avis or Hertz but about ten people waiting at Europcar. It took over an hour to get the car,but they upgraded us for free because the smaller cars had all been rented out.Went strait to Ronda and checked into the Parador because of warnings of break ins.Had lunch in the old town and then walked around that afternoon. The next day went to Zahara and Grazelema. Had dinner at the Parador that night and it was very good.Our room had a view of the countryside and not the bridge so I was a little disappointed. The next morning we drove to Nerja. Loved the Paraiso del Mar. Great view on the hill overlooking sea and beach with terraces and steps leading down to the beach. Had Paella for lunch on the beach both days where there are about four big restaurants that cook it in huge pans over wooden fires. Dinner the last night at Restuarant de Miguel. Didnt have reservations and got the last table. Both had tournedos with goat cheese suace and it was wonderful. Nerja was much bigger than I expected but it was still a fun break to go to the beach for a few days.Drove to Granada and went to the Alhambra all afternoon. Stayed at Casa Morisca in the Mirador room which had a great view of the Alhhambra. Also went to the Moroccan area behind Plaza Nueva did a little shopping and had tea in one of the tea rooms(opted out of smoking a water pipe). Flew Iberia to Barcelona the next day.Made reservations on line and got one way tickets for 35 E each. Took the bus to Placa de Catalunya and walked through Barri Gotic to Hotel Neri. We loved the Hotel Neri. It is located on a side street next to the Cathederal. We never stayed out really late and there were lots of people out and aout until 11:00 when we came back. The first day after lunch in La Boqueria we just bought a two day Bus Turistic ticket,got a good seat on the top of the bus and did a two hour round trip on the blue circuit. The next day we used the bus tickets to do all the Gaudi stops on the north end red circuit(except for Palau Guell which was close to our hotel.The Palau Guell is free but tickets are all gone early in the day. Our last day we did the Picasso musuem,the Mirimar funicular,and walked to the beach. We had all of our dinners in the La Ribera area on Montcada, mainly tapas were so good . El Xampanyet was our favorite.We thought about Cal Pep, but while having a drink in the Plaza before it opened at 8:00 a mob gathered in front and stormed in when the security door was pulled up. It was three deep in people by 8:15. I should also mention we were there 15 days and had one cloudy day and it never rained.All in all a great trip. If anyone has a question Id be glad to take a shot at it.
Madrid 2 nights,Hotel Plaza Mayor
Toledo 2 nights,Parador
Seville, 3 nights, Hotel Amadeus
Ronda,2 nights,Parador
Nerja,2 nights, Hotel Paraiso del Mar
Granada,1 night,Hotel Casa Morisca
Barcelona,3 nights,Hotel Neri
We took the bus from the airport to Plaza Colon(2.50 E)and taxi to the hotel. The bus stop at the airport is not clearly marked but airport workers showed us where it was. Got to our hotel at 10:00(which has a great location, a cute young couple running it and a good cafe on the first floor) and the room wasnt ready so we walked around the Plaza Mayor, the San Miguel Market, and then started Maribels walking tour of old Madrid. Highlight was the Basilica de San Francisco.We got there about noon and we were almost the only ones in there. Later several tours came in. It closed at 12:45 and were were getting hungry and got our first lessson in Spanish dinning hours. We went to Casa Ciriaco, on Calle Mayor, close to the Palace. At 12:50 the bartender said the restauratnt would open at 1:00. All of the waiters were in the bar reading newpapers and smoking. We sat at the bar and had a beer. Finally at 1:15 still no activity and we asked again and they let us in the dinning room(and turned on the lights)We were the only ones until about 2:00. At about 2:30 the place started filling up with business types in suits.The food was OK, I suspect we ordered the wrong thing. Our waiter spoke no English, but was very friendly and overall it was a good introduction. We went back and took a four hour nap and walked to Plaza Santa Ana for a drink. We went to La Trucha around the cornerfor dinner. Got there at 9:30 and got the last table.Had the trout special with roasted galic and ham and it was great. People were being turned away in a steady stream the entire time we ate.Went back to Plaza Mayor and listened to street musicians. The next morning went to Prado and Reina Sofia. Went to La Vaca Verononica for luch which is fairly close to both museums. Got there at 2:00 and still the first ones there.Had a great fixed price lunch(13.5 E)We had sardines with fried peppers and pasta with salmon and caviar. Desserts were prunes stewed in balckberry liquor and whipped cream and a cheese tort. The price included a decent bottle of house wine. Did tapas that night. Our favorite was Cien Vinos(100 wines). They let us have a table which was normally reserved for full dinners since it was still early(9:00). Had two differnt wines and four differnt tapas and loved them all. Went to Maestro Churros for chocolate and Churros and back to Plaza Mayor for mor music and people watching. Street performers did the fisrt of several Tango Acts which we enjoyed.Next morning went to the Palacio Real and the Armory. It was definitly worth seeing. Checked out at 11:00 and took taxi to bus station,got an 11:30 bus to Toledo and got there before 12:30. We didnt know that buses have numbered seats. We just sat in some open seats in the front and were shown where to sit when the real tickets showed up. Our Taxi to the Parador (8 E) cost more than two bus tickets from Madrid.This Parador was very nice. We had a room with a view(cost a little more but worth it). Also, It is not within walking distance to the town so it is kind of a destination in itself. It has a great terrace where we had lunch. Then we spent the afternoon by the pool which also has the view. Then we had a drink on the terrace and watched the sunset.We had dinner in the Parador Restaurnt and it was excellent.There was a string trio that played from 9:00 to 10:00. We had roast lamb,duck backed with a berry sauce,As apetizers we had ravioli and salad with pidgeon.Went back to the room and sat on the balcony and looked at the view.Did the town the next day and came back for late swim,drinks on terrace and dinner againat the Parador. Everything was just as good the second time.Had the full breakfast on the Terrace the next morning(Did I menion we liked the view)Did a reverse bus trip back to Madrid,taxi to the train staion. Caught a 1:30 high speed train to Seville, but only First class available(tickets were $87 E)Price included big seats,free drinks,newpapers, lunch and a movie. We didnt realize the trains were that full and also wanted some flexibility, but in retrospect it would have been better to get advance reservations.Hotel Amadeus was very cute. We had a piano in our room, which was kind of strange. We tried to walk to Casa de Pilates and got totally lost. Eventually wandered back to the hotel. Ate dinner at Casa Robles and it was very good.the next morning we did a 2 hour walking tour with Conception(sevilliawalkingtour.com). we only had five people in the group and she was great(10 E) each. We likjed her so much we di her Cathederal tour that afternoon.Went to Hosteria del Laurel for dinner. The food was OK but the atmosphere was great. Went to the 11:30 Los Gallos flamenco show after dinner and it was great fun. Before we went inside Los Gallos we noticed La Albahaca next door and reserved an outside table for the next night.The next day we did the Alcazar, walked across to Triana. Had one of our best lunches in a non descript bar on San Jacinto about four blocks from the river on the left. Had two hot ham and cheese sandwiches with some type of pate spread on the bread, a thin slice of toast with a fried egg covered with a cheese sauce and bits of ham, garlic potatoe salad, ;00olives, 1 beer and 1 pepsi for 8.8E. Ordered by pointing and a young woman in the back cooked it all.Did a tour of the bull ring, and finally found Casa Pilatos. The map given out by the Tourist office(which was actually given to us by Conception)was excellent.Did the Carriage ride that night before dinner. We had resevations at 9:00 at La Albahaca. The setting and food were great,service OK, but the best part was one of the dancers and one of the guitar players from Los Gallos from the night before were doing a little impromptu jam session right next to us for almost the entire meal.When we checked out the next morning we asked the young woman to call us a taxi. While talking she got a pained expression on her face and told us the taxis were on strike until 2:00. She showed us where to catch a bus and where to walk to get to the train station where we were to pick up our rental car. It took us about an hour, but when we got the the station there were hundreds of taxis blocking several streets in front of the station(including the Hertz and Avis rental car gates)No problem I thought, we have reservation with Europcar. When we got inside the station there was no one at Avis or Hertz but about ten people waiting at Europcar. It took over an hour to get the car,but they upgraded us for free because the smaller cars had all been rented out.Went strait to Ronda and checked into the Parador because of warnings of break ins.Had lunch in the old town and then walked around that afternoon. The next day went to Zahara and Grazelema. Had dinner at the Parador that night and it was very good.Our room had a view of the countryside and not the bridge so I was a little disappointed. The next morning we drove to Nerja. Loved the Paraiso del Mar. Great view on the hill overlooking sea and beach with terraces and steps leading down to the beach. Had Paella for lunch on the beach both days where there are about four big restaurants that cook it in huge pans over wooden fires. Dinner the last night at Restuarant de Miguel. Didnt have reservations and got the last table. Both had tournedos with goat cheese suace and it was wonderful. Nerja was much bigger than I expected but it was still a fun break to go to the beach for a few days.Drove to Granada and went to the Alhambra all afternoon. Stayed at Casa Morisca in the Mirador room which had a great view of the Alhhambra. Also went to the Moroccan area behind Plaza Nueva did a little shopping and had tea in one of the tea rooms(opted out of smoking a water pipe). Flew Iberia to Barcelona the next day.Made reservations on line and got one way tickets for 35 E each. Took the bus to Placa de Catalunya and walked through Barri Gotic to Hotel Neri. We loved the Hotel Neri. It is located on a side street next to the Cathederal. We never stayed out really late and there were lots of people out and aout until 11:00 when we came back. The first day after lunch in La Boqueria we just bought a two day Bus Turistic ticket,got a good seat on the top of the bus and did a two hour round trip on the blue circuit. The next day we used the bus tickets to do all the Gaudi stops on the north end red circuit(except for Palau Guell which was close to our hotel.The Palau Guell is free but tickets are all gone early in the day. Our last day we did the Picasso musuem,the Mirimar funicular,and walked to the beach. We had all of our dinners in the La Ribera area on Montcada, mainly tapas were so good . El Xampanyet was our favorite.We thought about Cal Pep, but while having a drink in the Plaza before it opened at 8:00 a mob gathered in front and stormed in when the security door was pulled up. It was three deep in people by 8:15. I should also mention we were there 15 days and had one cloudy day and it never rained.All in all a great trip. If anyone has a question Id be glad to take a shot at it.
Sep 25th, 2004, 05:01 PM
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CPI - thanks for the info. We're doing 12 days in spain over Easter break. Starting in madrid as you did, then to Seville for 3 nights, Malaga for 4 nights and back to Madrid. I'll print your report and probably have more questions. I've been unable to connect to the Maribel files. Wonder if its just my PC.
Sep 25th, 2004, 05:46 PM
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cmeyer54, I had a problem too because at the time I only had wordperfect and the file was microsoft word(or visa versa)so I e mailed it as an attachment to someone else who was able to open and print it .Also for any future reviewers, please accept my apologies, I cant type or spell very well.There are many typos in my report.
Sep 25th, 2004, 07:14 PM
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When I try to download the files (and they say in Adobe), I get a blank screen with 'done' at the bottom. Will keep trying. The info on inexpensive airfare within Spain was good - we can probably fly from Malaga to Madrid for less than four of us on the train - not to mention the time differential. I don't know if the train would be so scenic anyway. Iberia has tickets for 55e per person - the train costs out a bit more.
