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I booked a holiday apartment in the center of Barcelona, just off Las Ramblas with this company. They picked us up at the airport and took us straight to our beautiful apartment, which was a great base for exploring Barcelona and really made our holiday.
Our family had a lovely time at their luxury apartment near the beach in Barcelona. Highly recommended.
Above water, Tenerife’s shoreline is less than pretty in places, but beneath the sea there’s some fantastic views on offer. And, thanks to a small marine conservation project put in motion by diving operators Ocean Dreams Factory, even novice divers or those on beginners’ courses can get a share of the action.
At just eight to ten metres’ depth, we swam with the resident turtles and hovered over rays, cuttlefish and octopus, in sheltered bay El Puertito, where the team has been working to restore the ecosystem. Close to the south’s plush resorts, but a million miles away in every other sense, this is a really special experience, thanks to the firm’s enthusiastic boss and his team.
www.oceandreamsfactory.com
Puerto Colon, southern Tenerife. Tel. 922 716 116
Birgitta from Sweden has a really cute house in central Soller, where she rents out simple but very tasteful rooms. I was recommended by a friend (it's not an official B&B, they just rent out to friends). Beds are brand new, linen freshly white and the view is quite breathtaking. And there's wireless internet. AND she's the cutest lady you can imagine.
It's on the main shopping street in Soller, c/ Luna 119. Write a nice email to Birgitta at mamasoller@hotmail.com and I'm sure you'll be welcome.
Harbourside restaurant with own fishing boat - great location, great food, great service.
Pla de Sant Joan, 15
Ciutadella
www.cafe-balear.com/
971 38 00 05
gastroplod.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/cafe-balear-ciutadella/
In order to avoid becoming a victim of crime on the streets of this wonderful city, here are a few tips:
- Do not carry large amounts of money when you leaving your apartment or hotel.
- Don’t let anyone invade your personal space while walking down the streets (whether they seem suspicious or not).
- Wear your bag diagonally across your chest and avoid wearing it on your shoulder. If possible, keep a hand on it at all times. If you must have a backpack, wear it on the front and not on the back as it should normally be worn.
- Even though it is important that you have a valid ID such as a passport with you, in case you decide to go shopping and you need to pay with your credit card, it is not recommend that you carry your passport with you. Take a photocopy of it and keep it somewhere safe in your bag.
- If you still want to take your passport or other ID documents with you, remember to photocopy them and leave the photocopy in your apartment or hotel.
- Carry your wallets and purses in your front pockets and never the back pockets. You will be surprised at just how easy it is to take a wallet or purse from a back pocket and before you realise, then perpetrator will be long gone.
- Whenever you leave a bus, metro or taxi cab, please remember to take all your belongings with you. If you are carrying a laptop, always keep it close to you and never leave your luggage or any other valuables unattended.
- It cannot be stressed enough that even in the busiest, safest looking places (bars and restaurants included), you are a potential target, so be aware at all times.
A state-run arthouse cinema showing a range of different films. All films are shown in original version, with Spanish subtitles if required. Screenings are eclectic - I've seen some gems I'd never have watched otherwise, some bona fide classics and some "I'll go because it's in English and cheap" bilge. Listings can be found in Guia del Ocio, or with film notes at the cinema itself.
Tickets on my last visit cost just under 3€.
The main screen is a fabulous old salon, complete with balcony and boxes. The whole cinema is housed in a fin de siecle building which has starred in at least one Almodovar film.
As with any Spanish museum, morgue or meeting place there is a cafeteria serving coffee and snacks on site.
C/Magdalena.
M.Anton Martin.
A very cool district of Barcelona, El Raval, stretches away just to the west of the Ramblas.
Not quite Barcelona's seamy underbelly, but in a decidedly chi-chi town, the next best thing.
In keeping with its working-class roots, there are still plenty of scruffy neighbourhood bars amidst the proliferating clothes shops, hip bars and restaurants.
From Placa Catalunya (north) to La Rambla (east); Ronda Sant Antoni (west) to Ronda Sant Pau (south)
Centric Point has got to have the poshest address of, not just any hostel in Barcelona, but any hostel in the world! Slap-bang on the Paseo de Gracia alongside all the flash shops, but still a stone's throw from the Ramblas, it's amazing.
Inside things are no less grand, either. A beautiful spiral staircase leads up to a large and very lively bar, nice, clean rooms and a good time for all.
Passeig de Gracia 33,
Barcelona
www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/spain/barcelona/8144/
Not exactly in Barcelona, but nevertheless a fantastic day trip, the monastery of Montserrat is absolutely magnificent.
First and foremost: the landscape. You can see it coming from a mile off; weird bulbous rock formations bulging out.
On the way up, there's a fantastic Romanesque chapel with amazing frescoes, and the whole area is riddled with hermits' caves.
The church itself is vast, 1000m above sea-level, and (oddly) reassuringly hideous in scale and detail.
Still, it's a mighty impressive spectacle and the surrounding countryside is simply breathtaking.
90 minutes from Barcelona (near Lleida)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_(mountain)
A huge area of forested parkland riddled with pathways, the Parc de Collserola is a great place to escape the crowds in Barcelona.
(To the northwest of the city)
Tourist information centre:
Carretera Església 92
08017 Barcelona, Spain
932 803 552
www.parccollserola.net
As someone who has lived a long time in Valencia I think I can give a decent review on all bike rental places in Valencia to enjoy the wonderful Turia park.
At first, there was only one choice to rent bikes in Valencia and that was Orange bikes but nothing ever stays the same for long. Of the four main rental services Valencia Bikes is the most expensive but great for very large groups over 20 but be prepared to pay a lot.
Next, we move on to Do You Bike, who have decent bikes but do be choosy as some of them are lousy plus they are five euros more at the weekend. Orange's bikes have a wide range of bikes at a decent price but charge a whopping €250 deposit so make sure you check the bike over before you go or get bit where it hurts.
The newest is Soul Cycles run by a Dutch girl. Their bikes are different all together with an emphasis on fun and comfort such as City & Beach cruisers or the choppers for the easy riders out there - the same prices as pretty much everyone and cheaper at the weekends than some others. To say bikes are dangerous in the Turia is ludicrous as it is 11 kms of flat block-paved path suitable for all types of transport from roller bladers and skaters to MTBs and little folding bikes.
To sum it up, if you want a good MTB for long-distance jaunts into the interior go to Orange Bikes, if you want fun and comfort and some extra information or a chat go to Soul Cycle and then Do You Bike for availability as they have a large amount of bikes but they are pretty much a get them in and out kind of affair. All in all, there is something out there for all tastes.
On a friendliness scale: 1. Soul Cycles 2. Do You Bike 3. Orange Bikes 4. Valencia Bikes. Just my two cents' worth!
Made in Italy is an Italian bar, pub and pizzeria open from 12:00 to 17:00 and 19:00 to 01:00 and closed on Tuesdays.
This place is fantastic with nice and original decorations but what is best is the particular taste they give to food, typical of south Italy. Tapas are free and you get the best Italian food with every drink.
it's in calle Alhamar 22 Granada madeinitaly.jimdo.com/index.php
What a find! Large bar/restaurant, beautifully decorated with real imagination and character. There is a very New York feel to this bar. Cool, relaxed and totally beautiful. Cocktails to die for with a varied menu to suit all tastes and very nicely priced. Staff are friendly, this is a great place for a party. Got talking with one customer who will be holding her wedding here. Not to be missed.
Riera Alta 4-6, 08001 Barcelona
5 minutes from Las Ramblas
Vetas is a very small wine producer located in the town of Arriate, close to Ronda in Malaga, Spain. The visit to the winery is a personal and really good experience. The wines are good, but the best thing is how you can approach the activity of the wine producer being here.
www.turismodevino.com/malaga/ruta_del_vino_malaga_2.php
or in English
www.winetourismspain.com/malaga/wine-route-malaga-2.php
Dirección: Finca El Baco. Camino Nador, s/n. Arriate
Tel: +34 647 177 620 - You need to ask for María Elena Rodríguez
This is a new five-star hotel just in front of the cathedral and the Giralda. It's super-modern and it has some great stuff inside it, such as a Japanese restaurant, Spanish modern food, a cocktail bar, rooftop terrace with insane views, spa massage facilities, and great service.
If you want to have a rare sheltered yet sunny spot by the beach for tanning or just chilling out, try Tangana as it had everything we needed: food, drinks, kite hire and lessons. You can also rent a bungalow for the week (but I have no idea what they are like).
A short walk up the beach westward, there is also a huge sand dune you can walk up for views.
Its a couple of miles west of Tarifa at Casas de Porro, www.tarifaweb.com/tangana/eng/index.htm . We got a taxi from the Port at Tarifa, it cost about €12 one way.
Two floors of really interesting contemporary Catalan sculpture and art, housed in a beautifully restored old cork factory.
Fantastic value at €2 entry, and sadly, almost completely empty when I went. Open weekends only out of season. Please go, to ensure it remains open - it's really worth it.
In the centre of Palafrugell, forming one side of a newly restored square, Can Mario. Opposite the covered market. Bus station 500 metres.
My family and I stayed in an apartment last month with a company called BCN Rentals, and I wanted to recommend them. They were very easy to deal with over the phone (English staff) and email, the apartments were clean and central, and they also organised a minivan to collect us as we had a fair bit of luggage.
I rented an apartment with Pillowapartments on Paseo Joan De Borbón for four weeks in March 2008. The apartment was wonderful, everything first rate. Many things were within walking distance and the metro is the best for access to all other areas. I spent most of my time in the museums and wandering the beautiful neighborhoods around the museums.
A typical market is steps away from the apartment as are numerous fine cafes. The city’s best shopping areas are just blocks away. I found an Asian market within blocks for great vegetarian food. The internet place on the street was great since I left my laptop at home, even though the apartment is wired for access. I can't say enough about management, everyone was so nice to me and so helpful. I will not hesitate to stay again when I come to Barcelona and highly recommend pillowapartments to everyone.
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