World Walker

Hotel Reyes Católicos

Madrid is an energetic and exciting city, full of the hot blooded, passionate Spanish spirit. There are plenty of things to see and do in Madrid, from visiting the beautiful old churches to experiencing the wild nightlife in the evenings, and visitors return here year after year to sample the unique atmosphere, which is at once laid back and upbeat. Madrid is famous for its exciting festivals, many of which happen in late spring, when the weather is just starting to get hot (the mid summer can be sweltering and many people prefer to visit the cooler Spanish coastline or mountains). One of the most popular festivals is that of the city’s patron saint, San Isidro, which happens every mid May. At this time you will find live music, banquets and various performances all over the city, as well as many religious ceremonies to mark this special occasion.

Here are the top 10 best cheap hotels in Madrid:

1.Hotel Zenit Abeba is situated in the heart of the exclusive Salamanca district, just a few steps from one of the best shopping and dining areas in Madrid, Serrano Street. Standard rooms are reasonably priced and all have air conditioning, satellite TV, free Internet WiFi, deposit box and mini-bar and hairdryer.

2. Hotel Reyes Católicos is situated in the heart of the city centre, just in front of the San Francisco El Grande Basílica, and a short walk from the stunning Almudena’s Cathedral. Rooms are good value and very comfortable, and the service is polite and friendly.

3. Hotel Zenit Conde de Orgaz is next to the wonderful Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre, and is situated deep in the heat of Madrid’s busiest business area, making it a very convenient hotel for business travelers. Rooms are cheap and comfortable, with air conditioning, satellite TV and Internet access.

4. Hotel Osuna is also near to the Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre and offers bungalow style accommodation with lovely terrace and garden areas. The hotel provides free transfers to and from the airport, and the bungalows are good value for money for families or friends sharing accommodation, and come with satellite TV, telephones, private bathrooms, and free ADLS Internet access.

5. Hotel Asturias is located just a short walk from the Puerta del Sol, and is surrounded by lively shops, cafes, restaurants and bars. Standard rooms are a low price and come with private bathrooms, satellite TV and telephones,

6. Hotel Kris Alcalá is situated conveniently next to the Madrid-Barcelona Motorway, ‘La Garena’ train station, and several large shopping areas. Rooms are modern and comfortable and available at discount prices in the off peak seasons.

7. Hotel Caballero Errante is a modern and well equipped hotel, situated near to the Plaza de Castilla and various shops and cafes. The hotel has an excellent dining area, which serves and includes morning breakfast buffet, and also lunchtime and evening meals.

8. Hotel Husa Chamartin is near to the Chamartin Railway Station, and has good value, modern and comfortable rooms with air conditioning, satellite TV and internet access.

9. Hotel Partner Ciudad de Parla is situated in the heart of Madrid’s Southern District and is near to the excellent leisure facilities of Xanadu and Warner Bros Park. Standard rooms are comfortable and good value for money.

10. Hotel Anaco is a small hotel with clean, basic rooms, and is worth a mention for is cheap rates and quiet, central location just off ‘Plaza del Carmen’.

Most of the leading rental car companies operating throughout Spain are represented at Alicante Airport and this makes it quick and easy for arriving visitors to rent a hire car to suit their budget and travel needs. The following hire companies have desks at the airport: Atesa, Auriga, Avis, Centauro, Europcar, Europa, Hertz, Record and Sol-Mar, and these are located just by the exit to the arrival area, and the rental vehicle car park where you can pick up and drop off your hire car is just across the main parking area, a quick three minute walk from the arrivals hall.

Renting a Car at Alicante Airport

It is a good idea to have your rental car pre-booked before you arrive and this will save you a lot of time as all you will have to do when you land is go to the relevant rental booth and pick up the keys. You can book easily online or through your travel company, and remember when booking any hire car service in Europe you will need to be able to provide a valid credit card number. Here are a few tips for booking and picking up your hire car at Alicante Airport:

• Check the terms and conditions of the hire agreement carefully when you book your hire car, as in some cases there may be additional fees to pay when you pick up the car. For example if you intend to use the car to visit another country during your stay such as Portugal, then you will most likely need to pay an additional charge.
• Review the fuel policy in your hire car agreement before you pick up the car, as in some cases the vehicle must be returned with a full tank of fuel, or you will be charged for the refill amount (at a higher rate than if you did it yourself).
• Each hire contract should contain an accurate description of the condition of the car on pick up, so take the time to check around the car before you leave the lot and look out for any damage such as scratches or dents and make sure these are mentioned on the contract. If not go back to the hire car desk and ask for these to be included before you leave, else you could be charged for them when you return the car.
• Make sure you have your booking reference number, passport, credit card (that you booked your car with) and drivers license with you when you go to pick up your hire car when you arrive.
• Check that the car contains all of the safety equipment that is required by law for travelling on the roads in Spain, and if not go back to the hire car desk and request that this equipment is provided. This is important as if you are stopped by traffic police it will be the driver and not the hire car company that will be at fault if any of the required equipment is missing.

When you read about Ibiza trendy nightclubs are the first thing that springs to mind. However there must be more to this Spanish Island than this? I did a little research into Ibiza’s other attractions and heritage and hiking appear to be two appealing alternatives (or additions to) all night clubbing.

Heritage

Large portions of Ibiza are registered as UN World Heritage sites. Ibiza Old Town or Dalt Vila is a fine example of Renaissance military architecture. There are Phoenician ruins at Sa Calate and Puig Cemetery.

Ibiza Town, view from the headland by photoaf

Ibiza’s UN World Heritage status is not only related to history but to it’s ecosystem which has developed through the interaction of the marine and coastal environment. Posidonia, a type of seagrass found only in the Mediterranean coast, thrives in Ibiza.

Hiking

Ibiza has many hiking trails. There’s a coastal Hiking Trail from Es Cavellet to Platja d’en Bossa.

Es Cavallet Beach, Ibiza by GanMed64

The St Agnes Hike takes you through a beautiful valley of almond trees.

I stayed for one night at El Montanya Resort and Spa in Seva, north of Barcelona during the #catexp BlogTrip09 hosted by Turisme de Catalayna in December 2009.

The style of the hotel was quite Scandinavian with lots of wooden panelling. I liked my bedroom, it was cosy with a relaxed atmosphere and a balcony a wonderful view over the mountains.

The view from my balcony at sunrise

There was an excellent wired internet connection in the bedroom and very good wifi at the hot spots in public areas. The only downside was the lack of sound insulation as I could hear voices and every movement from the adjoining rooms.  This is an issue if you are looking for quiet retreat.

The restaurant, bar and games room are on the ground floor.There was a roaring log fire in the bar area, very welcoming on a cold night. (more…)

I had the 8 euro lunch at the baubar in Placa Catedral in Girona to fortify myself before my walk around the city walls in December 2009. It’s a very interesting location on the ground floor of the Girona School of Architecture with a display panel about local buildings.

Architectural information board at baubar, Girona

The vaulted ceiling interior is very attractive and informal. The staff were really friendly and one member could speak a enough English to help me decipher to menu.

baubar interior

My three course meal consisted of a salad starter, Catalan sausage with chips and red pepper followed by chocolate cake and included bread and a drink. The local sausage was very meaty and lean.

My meal at baubar

I’d recommend the baubar for its unusual setting and tasty food at very reasonable prices.

If you love fresh fish and seafood you’ll love the vast array of species on sale at the Fish Market in La Boqueria in Barcelona. I was at there in December 2009 during the Catalanya Experience BlogTrip09 as we shopped for the ingredients for our Cook & Taste traditional cooking workshop. We needed shrimp, monkfish and clams for our main course of Fideua (Noodle Paella).

Have you visited Boqueria market, which section did you find most interesting?

I stayed at the Hotel B in Barcelona for two nights on the #catexp BlogTrip09 in December 2009 as a guest of Turisme de Catalunya. The hotel prides itself on its fusion of avant garde style and cutting edge technology.

I stayed there on the first and the third night of my trip, so had two different rooms one which faced an inner courtyard and the other facing Plaza Espanya. Although it’s a great view over the square, I preferred the quieter room at the back of the hotel, as there is a lot of traffic noise.

Now whilst I agree that it’s a stylish hotel, I’d assert that it’s a triumph of style over functionality and user friendliness. The fist issue I had on entering my room was how on earth do you turn on the lights? The room was rather cold so next it was an unsatisfactory encounter with the temperature controls as I’d no idea what the symbols meant. After a lot of random button pushing it seemed to be getting warmer in the room. Well I thought what about a relaxing bath, but no the third challenge was how do I turn on the bath tap? I had to stand astride the bath (as I couldn’t reach the taps because of the fixed shower screen) and fiddle for a few minutes with the taps before I could get any water and then water at the correct temperature. In my first room I noticed that there had been some water leakage from the corner of the bath onto the wallpaper in the bedroom.

The electrical socket at the desk area was on the ground, so I had to kneel down to plug in the netbook, surely it should be at desk level? In both rooms the safe was displaying low battery on the multi lingual display panel. I didn’t want to risk putting my netbook inside and then the battery konking out so I couldn’t retrieve the netbook. When I checked in for my second night the keycard system was down, so guests were given physical keys. The wardrobe area doesn’t have a door to hide away all your clutter, it’s a flimsy silvery net curtain.

Is it not possible to balance trendy design with usability? I stay in a lot of hotels and I’ve never been left feeling such a numptie (Scottish slang for stupid person) grappling with basic hotel room functions.

On the positive side there was very good, free wifi in rooms. The B Hotel has a roof top pool which would be ideal for a cooling tip in the Summer. The sun deck has loungers and seats.

The breakfast buffet is good.

Until 31 January 2010 the B389 offer includes a room, buffet breakfast and a welcome cocktail for two guests for 89 euro.

In summary the B Hotel has potential if it could refrain from making guests feel like knuckle heads. Perhaps presentation of a copy of “The Dummies Guide to staying at the B Hotel” at check in?