valencia spain hotel
 

spending 5 days in Valencia in April. trying to decide between downtown ie westin or a hotel on beach, neptuno or las arenas balneario. all seem like good choices. is the beach too far from the center to be practical? if i stay in town are there good options for access to nice public beaches. will mid april be beach weather? if anyone has any info to share would appreciate it. thanks.

Mid April will not be beach weather. Better to stay in the center.

I agree, even in mid May the beach wasn't fit for more than walking and enjoying the sand sculptures, though the restaurants overlooking it are nice.

we stayed at the Hotel Melia Central - well positioned on the edge of the old town but near the station and the buses for day trips and exploring e.g. going to the aforementioned beach. The room was large as was the bathroom and it was very quiet. lots of bars nearby and a very good restaurant about 100 yards away [you need to book but it's well worth making the effort].

http://www.restauranteelencuentro.es

The water temperature in Valencia will be nearly the same as the typical daytime average in April, in the upper 50's. That's still a little chilly for me for swimming without a wetsuit.

For restaurants, I would look at Seuxerea (www.seuxerea.com) and Ricard Camarena Restaurante or his Canal Bistro (www.ricardcamarena.com).

Getting to the beach is easy by public transit ( about 10euros by taxi)
do visit Las Arenas hotel and take a walk by the
bars and restaurant on the waterfront.
Valencia is lovely.

thanks! the center it is.

Don't miss the Centre of Arts and Sciences - lots to look at plus an IMAX cinema and science museum, galleries, a concert hall etc. also the Museum of Fine Arts is worth a look and has what looks like a nice restaurant popular with locals [it was full of a local family finishing what looked like a birthday party meal when we were there]

for something different, the museum of ceramics is much more interesting than you would think but popular with coach parties so get there early or late. and the central market is not to be missed.

For food, at lunchtime you should be able to get a Menu del dia for about €10 [3 courses] and almost all the food we had was very good. Really, it's hard to go wrong in Valencia - like Barcelona before it was ruined by tourists like us!