Cadiz
Instead of Cadiz proper, my husband and I headed towards the coast, staying in an all-inclusive resort. We took advantage of the all-inclusive nature of the services on offer and did not venture into the city.
Hotel: Iberostar Andalucia Playa
I have very mixed reviews of this hotel. The property is absolutely stunning with beautiful views, open air seating and terraces, and an immaculate pool. The rooms are clean and efficiently designed with all of the modern amenities you would expect with amazing balconies (I highly recommend a partial or full sea view). The spa and fitness center were great as well, with lovely treatment rooms and a fully-equipped gym- everything you could possible need or want here. Not a rinky-dink “fitness room” that you see in smaller hotels.
The negative aspects of the hotel, for us, involved areas of service. Firstly, this is a resort which offers all-inclusive, full and half board options. I think having a clear understanding of what is and is not included in these options is imperative to your enjoyment at this hotel. You might expect the personnel at check in to fully explain these options to you, but you would be wrong.
So here is the rundown:
All-Inclusive Includes:
All drinks- except those specifically starred in the drinks menu.
Food: Food at the Pool Bar (which is EXCELLENT by the way) and the buffet restaurant is included. Food at the a la carte restaurant is NOT INCLUDED in this package. The buffet restaurant is where you will find breakfast, lunch and dinner. They actually list two different restaurants which cover these three meals, but they are both in the same location?
Minibar is included.
Spa: The Aqua Circuit and all fitness classes are included.
For clarity, what is specifically EXCLUDED??
The beach: You still must pay extra to rent a beach chair and umbrella (per person).
Food: The a la carte restaurant is also extra.
Spa Services and Treatments: Extra
So what if I just book a room?
If you just book a room, you will have access to the resort, its pool, and its fitness center. All means and extras will be charged. Be careful if you book a room with bed and breakfast and then “upgrade” to half, full or all-inclusive. You will be charged the upgrade fee, when your room rate already included one of your meals. This fee is 80€ per day per person (ouch)!
Eat: If you are looking for a meal “off resort”, I highly suggest a walk down the beach to Atenas Playa. The sangria and food are lovely and you can eat in bare feet.
Seville
Official Tourism Site: https://www.visitasevilla.es/en
The older part of Seville offers travelers the quintessential, historic, Spanish city-center experience. Beautifully compact, the medieval streets beg to be wandered. You will find happen upon cafes and shops as you leisurely make your way to Seville’s destinations such as the Real Alcazar, Seville Cathedral, and Plaza de Espana.
Hotel: Hotel El Rey Moro
Other than having the MOST BEAUTIFUL interior garden I have ever seen, this hotel just really ticked all of the boxes. The only negative I can share about it is in relation to the parking. Let’s go ahead and get that out of the way, and then I can rave about it. Clearly, on the hotel’s website it discusses the fact that the hotel is in the medieval historic center of Seville and, therefore, has no parking. However, we followed the directions given on the web to a tee in an effort to locate the hotel set down- for unloading and loading- and then the recommended parking garages. We were unable to locate any “safe” place in for set down and ended up “accidently” locating a garage near the hotel, which happened to be the one which was recommended. I say all of that to suggest that you leave yourself some extra time when trying to locate the hotel, and remember that the experience will be well worth the hassle.
Eat: La Parihuela
Just a stone’s throw from the El Rey, this place has wonderful tapas at a super great price. It is located amongst a row of tapas joints all serving roughly the same fare. This one seemed to be most cost-effective and we were satisfied.
Eat/See: Restaurante Antigua Taberna de Las Escobas
Boasting itself as the oldest establishment in Spain, dating back to 1386, it should be somewhere that you go and have a drink. In fact, the El Rey will give you a voucher for a free drink at check in. I recommend taking advantage of that. Beyond that, the food is mediocre for a very touristy price.
Granada
Official Tourism Site: http://en.granadatur.com/
Granada, like Seville, has key historical places that must be seen, of most importance being The Alhambra. This fortress site, built atop the hillside, looks down on the rest of Granada.
It is a magnificent structure and can be reached on foot if you are looking for a morning workout. It was approx. 3 km uphill, with a steep incline, from our hotel. There is a portion of the site that is open to everyone, without a ticket, and another in which you must have a ticketed and assigned entrance time. I highly suggest planning ahead and getting tickets prior to your trip as it is likely to be sold out if you just turn up on the day. In addition to seeing what the site has to offer- allow around 2 hours- you will see amazing views of the city. Artisans have unique stalls all around this historic part of the city. As this is a “touristy area”, I suggest price shopping as many of the stalls carry similar items.
This most historic part of the town is distinctly apart from “city center” which is the more modern rendition of everyday Spanish life. For many luxury shopping options, you should visit city center.
Hotel: Palacio de Santa Ines
The location of the Palacio de Santa Ines is by far its bestselling feature. Located just down the hill from The Alhambra, it is perfectly situated in the historic part of the city amongst many cafes, restaurants, shops and tourist stalls. Not as nice as the El Rey in Seville, the Palacio offered a similar style accommodation in a historic Spanish setting. Outfitted with a similar open-air, interior courtyard, we did not have a place to sit and wile away the day. Our room did have a “patio”; however, it didn’t seem as if we were supposed to be able to access it (we did anyway). Also, the wifi was VERY sketchy, so the patio offered the best chance at a signal. The room was gorgeous, with period furniture and décor, but missed the wow factor due to the cleanliness of the room. We had crumbs on our table and spider webs in many places. I certainly don’t mean to suggest that it was dirty. There was just attention to detail missing in the cleaning process. The breakfast was very good, offering typical Spanish and continental fare.
Busot
Official Tourism Site: https://turismobusot.com/
One option for a stop between the southern coast and Barcelona is somewhere around Alicante. We began this leg of our journey inland, in Granada. We then headed north, stopping slightly west of Alicante in the quaint town of Busot. This is a “budding” up-and-comer and boasts a few tourist attractions, including a few small hikes,
Hotel: Boutique Hotel Sierra de Alicante
This is hotel that we have frequented multiple times that gets is all right, all the time. Run by the kind, accommodating Stephan, every detail has been arranged and organized with impeccable precision. The hotel’s design and flow reflect this well. I highly recommend that you give this place a try and bend Stephen’s ear on what the area has to offer. Also, the café in the hotel serves excellent coffee drinks, breakfast (which is UTTERLY AMAZING) and light snacks.
Eat: Ca Tono
Of the two restaurants in town, not including the Café at Sierra, Ca Tono is the traditional Spanish option. The other restaurant serves international fare, but we had the pleasure of dining at Ca Tono the first evening of our very first stay and have eaten each and every evening meal here. The tapas and traditional dishes are exquisite, and if you desire steak, this is a fabulous option as well.
My favorite dish here is the aubergine and goat cheese with balsamic and honey. It is what vegetarian dreams are made of. They are also open for lunch.
To pass the time in this quiet town, venture on some short hikes to Calvary Mount (where the photo above was taken) or Castillo de Busot. If you have a car, you can tour the Canelobre Caves which are located in a magnificent hillside. Another option is to tour the Museo del Turron which is housed in the factory making the almond candy for which the region is known.
Barcelona
Official Tourism Site: https://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/
What is not to like in Barcelona- especially in the summertime? This is one of my favorite cities, what with its laid-back Spanish vibe commingling with the eclectic diversity of international business and culture. The food is amazing, the weather is wonderful, there is vibrant nightlife and it is an international shopping destination. Add to this all of the sites worth exploring and I highly suggest a trip of around 3-5 days; at the very least a long weekend.
My favorite thing to do in Barcelona is to roam the streets from the Passeig de Gracia down towards the Barri Gotic,
ending at the Mediterranean Sea. There are beautiful medieval scenes, fantastic shopping, and wonderful food. Anything you desire can be found on this journey, including cereal bars– as in bars serving up breakfast cereal, cocktails and cartoons. A trip to Barcelona is not complete without seeing the works of Antoni Gaudi which include the Basilica de la Sagrada mi Familia, Casa Batllo, and Park Guell, just to name a few.
When in search of food, the sky is the limit. For fantastic seafood and ceviche, I recommend Crudo Bar. My husband had the octopus and I had a prawn ceviche which was lovely. Stellar Indian street food can be found at Surya. It’s small location looks unassuming but the empanadas, and anything else on offer in a crust at aQistoi will warm your heart. For breakfast, lunch or brunch, you MUST eat at Hole. I have never had a more vibrant, delicious and colourful breakfast.
Acai Bowl and Pancakes at HOLE, Barcelona
Two hotel options in Barcelona are Hotel Europark and Catalonia Hotel Passeig de Gracia. The Hotel Europark is an exceptional value in the middle of Barcelona with pricing in the low 100’s. Slightly more expensive are hotels in the Catalonia brand, many of which I have patronized and been impressed. With so many amazing choices, these are not by any means the best. These are reasonable options with all the modcons that you would expect