Flame123

Here is the last installment of our trip report :


Today we decided to try and do something around Granada and so after looking in our guidebooks, decided on an interesting place called GAUDIX.

It's about a 60 kilometer ride and since I get out straight onto the highway and am allowed 120 km/h, it took no time and we were there a bit after 11 AM after having a very small and much better breakfast today than the extra-cost huge buffet breakfast here which really did nothing good for any of us.

Gaudix is a very unique little town where many of its inhabitants choose to live underground because of the insulating properties of the clay into which they are dug. 3000 out of 20,000 choose to live this way and we saw the Barrio de las Cuevas where they are actually bored into the hill and they live like this. Amazing. Very unusual. They have an amazing and also unique cathedral in the middle of town where we visited and the young sweet man at the entrance first of all explained to us what there is to see. Then we went inside and after going through a small museum got to the actual cathedral which rivaled the one we loved so much in Ubeda.

After a break at a lovely little bakery where we bought an ENTIRE apple pie for the price of one slice anywhere else and had a drink and a bathroom break, we continued to another place about 2 minutes from there called Purullena which was billed as another of these trogolyte cities and a center of ceramics. So we did some shopping there and found very unusual things for peanuts, i.e. THREE EUROS!!. As usual, I wished I had bought more. But there is only so much we can shlep and so much weight we can take......

Got back to hotel around 3 PM just in time for siesta. I went out again though because we are next door to THE department store here in Spain and I needed to see what there was. But I managed to still have time to get back, take a shower and have a rest before our nighttime activities.

We met up at 6:30 and walked over to where we had spent the evening before Calle Navas, a lovely plaza and area and we ended up getting to a small hole-in-the-wall Italian place where we all had so-called fresh handmade pasta. I am not sure they really were but they were decent and OK.

We then took the no. 30 minibus again up to the Alhambra because we had nighttime tickets tonight to see the place. Again we got there early so walked around and saw the city below all lit up before it was time for our 10 PM slot to see the Nazries Palacio. It was nice, it was beautiful, it did not end up being my highlight, as I thought it would. After doing both the day tour and the night tour, I personally think there was nothing advantageous to it. I thought that the nighttime visit would be very will lit and we would see the buildings and gardens but there was very little light at all, actually at some points we were almost in pitch black darkness so it really did not meet my expectations.

If I had to do it over again, I would skip the nighttime visit and just do a several-hours visit during the day, as we did.

We took a taxi back to the hotel from the Alhambra instead of first taking the minibus back to the center of town and THEN getting a taxi from there to the hotel. It was just a bit more in price and worth it, we were tired. And went to bed. Tomorrow we leave for Madrid airport.

LAST DAY
We left our Granada hotel, very satisfied with our visit. Had a small breakfast, paid our bill and started off towards the Madrid airport, only about a 4 hour drive, stopping once along the way for something to eat, a rest and gas fill-up.

As I expected it was a bit tricky and crazy to get to the airport and not clearly marked. I ended up, quite by chance I must say, at the Terminal 4 and once there it was VERY EASY to return to car to Avis. It was quick, efficient and very friendly and we were on our way out towards the shuttle busses in no time.

We stayed at the AXOR Barajas airport hotel and it was super great for our purposes. It was only 59 Euros for the night which is highly unusual for airport hotels which in my experience gauge prices tremendously so this was a lovely surprise (which of course I knew when I booked).

The hotel is about a 5 minute walk from a very large indoor mall which we intended to visit that evening for some dinner, last minute shopping, etc. But it was raining for the first time in our entire 2 week trip and we just were feeling too tired to bother. So we had a surprisingly good and light dinner at the hotel restaurant after a cocktail hour in the lobby.

In the morning the hotel shuttle bus returned us to the airport and we flew back home, on time and without any lines to wait in.

Thanks to all who have been reading and commenting.

I am happy to answer any and all specific questions anyone has and help in their planning of their trips.

Flame123

topping for last 2 days of trip. Important info about our hotel near Madrid airport for those that are interested.

Dee_Dee

Flame, again, thank you for your report. You've given me such useful information for my trip next year. I had even given thought to staying my last night at a Madrid airport hotel. Thanks for verifying it as a good idea and also the hotel recommendation. I, like you, run out of energy toward the end of a trip. A hotel near the airport with a nice pool may be just the thing!

Leely2

Thank you, flame, for your report. How early was your flight out of Madrid? Was staying your final night in the city not an option?

Flame123

Our flight out in the morning left around 11 AM I think. Yes we surely could have spent the final night in Madrid. We did not do this for several reasons :

1) we spent an entire week in Madrid several years ago and
2) we could not beat the price for the airport hotel and knew that we would not be "up" for any more "partying" the night before our flight back home after an entire 2 week period of sightseeing and running around.

DeborahAnn

Flame,, you stated you were underwhelmed by Jerez; in what way?

I'm planning to base our 6 day stay there so that we can daytrip to the Costa de la Luz, Cadiz and Medina Sidonia as well as visit a bodega or two for Sherry tastings. I've found an attractive apartment to rent in the historical center of Jerez with reasonable parking cost for our rental car.

Thanks for your comments, Deborah

Flame123

Well, I have to say first that it was a Sunday when we were there and so most places were closed and that was certainly a defining aspect of our day trip there. We stopped there on our way from Ronda to Granada.

About the only place open was the Tio Pepe bodega and so we took the tour there. It was too expensive, too long, and while interesting, could have been 30-45 minutes instead of 90 minutes(!!!) and in the end we only had tastings of two wines of all the many they produce, and they were not even very good.

From what we saw of the city, and the pedestrian mall, it was nicely put together and probably could have been more interesting and maybe more fun if it were a different day.

If you are basing there, you will surely find it lovely I am sure. Enjoy.

DeborahAnn

flame, thanks for your comments. I'm pleased you consider it a good base for touring the area. I've noted your impressions of the Tio Pepe bodega; I'm sure there will be many choices for us to sample sherry during our stay. Thanks again, Deborah

Flame123

The bodega that we actually were interested in visiting and was closed is called Sandeman. We had heard that it was one of the very best there. So maybe if you are interested, check it out.

kimhe

DeborahAnn,

Jerez would most probably be an excellent base to get a feel for Andalucía outside the most beaten tourist tracks.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...-of-Spain.html

This long 1981 New York Times article about Jerez is a very interesting read: http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/23/tr...l?pagewanted=1

Nine restaurants in Jerez mentioned in the Michelin guide:
http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Resta...l1TVRNM01UYz0=

Go to famous Bar Juanito in the Old town for tapas: http://www.bar-juanito.com/#

Excellent and traditional food at Tendido 6: http://www.tendido6.com/ingles.htm

Casa Tia Juana la del Pipa is a must for the atmosphere. Juana herself is a major flamenco star, a fabulous cantaora (singer): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rUeNZImQeA

Great flamenco artists every now and then in small and genuine Bar Gitanería. Friday nights should be a sure bet for live and not touristy at all performances: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bar-G...47746635237714

Peña la Bulería is the flamenco temple of Jerez: http://www.labuleriajerez.com/es

Needless to say, Jerez is one of the major cradles of flamenco culture. The city still very much breathes flamenco. Here's a fabulous documentary about flamenco culture in Jerez today, El cante bueno duele/Good singing hurts (much of it goes on in Bar Gitanería mentioned above): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4UnQvNipRM

And when in Jerez, perhaps visit the Arab bath-house Hammam Andalusí: http://www.hammamandalusi.com/

DeborahAnn

kimhe, thank you for the links and so much helpful information. I do hope to find some off the beaten path sights during our six days based in Jerez. I'll start a new thread since I don't want to divert the focus from flame's excellent trip report. Thanks again, Deborah

OReilly

Flame:

Many thanks for this. I have been to Andalusia several times on weekend trips. Its interesting that many of the supposed 'must-see' places that I have not visited (like Jaen) get the 'thumbs down' from you. This, I appreciate, because too often trip reports declare every site 'wonderful', when they may be not. Good to get an alternative opinion.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...d-of-town.html

Is this the same Alhama de Granada? If you have not given the name of the hotel, can you please share, as I would like to visit, but obviously not stay at the same hotel.

Generally, I try my best in Spain to stay at the 4-5 Star Paradors, which are well located and fairly nice.

Best regards Geer

TDudette

Good advice about the minibus to Alhambra and the airport hotel, Flame123. Sorry to read about that inn problem in Alhama de Granada. People can make or break one's good feelings about a trip, eh?

kimhe

Never been to Alhama de Granada, but some friends living in Nerja and very well known in inland Andalucía speaks of this old SPA town (al-Hamma means hot springs in Arabic) as one of the most attractive small towns in all of the South.

kimhe

... and Hotel La Seguiriya in Alhama de Granada was recently voted the no.1 casa rural/small town hotel in all of Andalucía on Trivago. http://laseguiriya.com/es/

Over the top reviews on tripadvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.es/Hotel_Revi...Andalucia.html

And 8.9 on booking.com: http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/la-seguiriya.en.html

Flame123

DeborahAnn - I appreciate your words and thoughts.

TDudette - thanks for the sympathy. And while it was definifely a harrowing experience and one that I have never experienced anywhere else before, it thankfully did NOT put a downer at all on our trip, just for those hours.......