Going Back to the Beach? But Where oh Where...

So we're thinking of taking another beach trip later in the year and, to save some money, I'd like to use miles. Given our last experience with hurricane season, we're going to stay away from the Caribbean, Mexico and the like. Places in the South Pacific are probably off, too. So, that has us thinking about going back to Europe. The question is, where? There are so many options...

How does one choose? When your options are pretty much wide open, it's a lot harder than you might think.

Would a return trip to Greece make sense? Quite possibly...

Maybe Greece is the way to go. We were so impressed by Milos that a similar island would be right up our alley. Folegandros just keeps jumping out. Conde' Nast called it Greece's best kept secret back in 2004. Honestly, Folegandros is awfully high on my list right now.

BUT... what about beaches in Italy. Puglia has so much to offer... I haven't seen the land of the trulli since I was 5 or 6 years old. Yes, I can still remember them. Then there's Ponza. My cousin clued us in to Ponza and it apparently is a fantastic little island. Of course, the Emerald Coast of Sardegna is high on our list. As is Calabria. Ugh!?

We've pretty much ruled out the French Riviera - yes, Monaco, Cannes and St. Tropez are all glitz and glamour but, the beaches? Well... not what we have in mind. Grand Canary was great last year and we've thought about checking out other islands in the Canaries like Fuerteventura but we think we want to try another spot. Spain does offer other islands worth visiting like Menorca and Formentera. Besides, we could add a trip to Madrid to visit my cousins. Just can't pick...

Stunning mountaintop scenery high above Maspalomas, Gran Canaria

So... that's a lot to choose from (haven't even brought up Malta or the Dalmatian Islands). Stay tuned... when we pick, you'll know. I'm thinking Folegandros may win but it's too early to pick favorites.

Tragedy in Madrid

The more I read about the Spanair crash in Madrid, the more it bothers me. As you know, a Spanair flight was leaving Madrid for Las Palmas on Grand Canary. Last year, my wife and I flew Spanair from Madrid to Las Palmas. It just strikes close to home, particularly when you read about how the passengers died burned alive. Terrible, just terrible. Tragedies like this can't stop one from flying but they do give you pause.

May 2007 in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria

Calle Campomanes - So Much in Central Madrid

One of the best ways to get to know a city like Madrid is to stay in the center of town, smack dab in the middle of the best restaurants, shops and historic sites. Typically, doing so comes with a cost as quality hotels in central business districts are often quite pricey. On the other hand, Calle Campomanes, a curvy little street located right by the Madrid opera house, offers a reasonable and hip alternative.

Click the photo for a larger view

The alternative is the Hotel Mario, run by Room Mate Hoteles. In fact, Campomanes offers more than just a hip hotel. Along this tiny street is a great restaurant, a quirky bookshop and a couple of other lodging options.

Hotel Mario - Cozy, quirky and a relative steal in central Madrid

To begin with, we loved our stay at the Mario. The size is totally manageable with a labyrinth of rooms spread across three floors. The design of the hotel is clean and modern with a few surreal touches thrown in for good measure. This is eminently noticeable in the hotel's common areas as well as in each guest rooms. Service at the front desk is friendly and attentive and the included buffet breakfast is more than satisfying. The breakfast room is a bright granny smith green with Starck-like chairs and bright windows overlooking the street. Rooms are "cozy" but comfortable and have nice modern bathrooms. Our room had a tiny balcony that opened to Campomanes. Rates are reasonable and can at times be secured for under 100 Euro... a true bargain.

The building at Campomanes 5 - just across the street - is the home of a hip restaurant, Chic Restaurant and Bar, and a bookshop, Libros Madrid.

Chic Restaurant Offers Style and Substance

The first thing you'll notice at Chic is the restaurant's uniform pink, white and gray color scheme. Stylish but comfortable. What will keep you there is the restaurant's excellent food - be it the restaurant's 11,50 EUR prix fixe lunch menu or their dinner fare. The prix fixe includes a primo, a segundo, a postre (dessert) or a coffee and bread. I had the bean and shrimp potage and calamari in squid ink with rice. My wife had the ensalada Mediterranea and the sauteed chicken breast with grilled vegetables. Tasty and well-priced.

Libros Madrid, Next Door to Chic

Libros Madrid is just next door and offers rare books, first editions and other antique titles. You have to ring a buzzer to enter the store. Once there, don't be surprised if the owner watches you like a hawk while milling at his writing desk with a cigarette in hand. The books are stacked from floor-to-ceiling with countless volumes, mostly in Spanish. Also available are antique Ottoman prints, vintage photographs, postcards and other paper ephemera.

Campomanes also offers food worth visiting at La Viuda Blanca and the four-star Hotel Meninas. Nearby are small Greek and Chinese restaurants, a paella restaurant by the opera, a metro stop (two minutes away - so convenient!) and Calle de Arenal. Budget-minded travelers can stay at the Los Amigos Backpackers' Hostel. So much, so close by. If you can get a room at the Mario or at the Meninas, you'll be glad you did.

Conquitos

Things are getting a little calmer so here's something I wanted to share with you. I don't know about you but I love to visit grocery stores in other countries. You come across all kinds of random products, funny names and then those items that you had to see to believe. Well, here's one of those items, found in Spain.

Behold Conguitos...

So, what we're looking at here is the white chocolate version of the product (picture taken on my backpack while sitting in the airport in Madrid). These are white chocolate covered peanuts. You can just imagine what the character for the milk chocolate covered peanuts looks like. Am I the only one who finds the packaging for Conguitos unbelievable? Check out their web page to see more.

And now, to erase possible doubt, Conguitos will have their own signature: each and every Conguito will have a Conguito face so you will know that you have not made a mistake!

Well, they are indeed unmistakable.

Spanish Rundown - Our May Trip to Spain

The Always Buzzing Plaza Mayor

It's Saturday night... we're still jetlagged and tired from our trip so rather than doing something this evening, we're chilling out, watching shows on our DVR and pining for some evening Starbucks. Now is as good a time as any to catch you up on our trip to Spain.

We arrived in Spain on the 23rd... save for a few bumps in our travel from Houston to Madrid, everything went smoothly. While in Madrid, we hooked up with family and also just spent some time enjoying the city. Since our Madrid stop was spread out over two different stays, we stayed in the Room Mate Mario hotel for two nights and the Hotel De Las Letras for one night. Even though the De Las Letras is a higher end hotel with great reviews on TripAdvisor (both are listed in the top 10 on TripAdvisor), I enjoyed the Mario better. The service was much better and we just dug the lower-key atmosphere. I liked the neighborhood near the Opera better than being on the Gran Via.

A Rainy Stop in Plaza Del Oriente

From a tourist standpoint, we didn't have a ton of time in Madrid. The first two days were surprisingly rainy so we were somewhat limited in what we could do. We did enjoy some time at the Plaza Mayor (a must-do in Madrid), tapas with family, plenty of shopping and a great tour of the Palacio Real. While my cousin's Spanish husband tried to discourage us from visiting the Palacio Real, it was well worth it. Not only is the palace itself an astounding building, the armory had to be the most impressive I have yet to visit.

On Friday, we took a flight on Spanair from Madrid to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Our fare was only 107 EUR per person - much cheaper than competing flights on Iberia. The 2 1/2 hour flight seemed to drag but we were rewarded with a great vacation once we got to Grand Canary. Now, if you're not familiar with the Canary Islands, that's not surprising. While the islands are packed with Brits, Scandinavians and Germans (lots of Germans), we only heard one other American during our stay. In fact, a waitress at a restaurant in Puerto de Mogan told us that we were the second Americans she had met in two years (!). The Canaries are big with Europeans but virtually unknown to Americans.

From Friday until the following Wednesday, we came to find that the Canaries have amazing weather. For an island like Grand Canary (and this applies to Tenerife, Fuerteventura, etc.), the southern end is typically dry and sunny while the northern end tends to be cooler but damper and lusher. Grand Canary's southern end, particularly our location at the Sheraton Salobre, was very reminiscent of the landscape in Palm Springs. Still, each and every day, there might be a few clouds here in there but we were typically blessed with plenty of sunshine, temperatures in the 70s and a comfortable ocean breeze. Evenings were relatively cool and dry - overall, really really nice.

Stylish Sun Loungers at the
Sheraton Salobre Offered Stunning Views

At the Sheraton Salobre, we found a very tranquil environment in a hotel that, frankly, we really enjoyed. I'll provide a more extensive write-up on the Sheraton later but suffice it to say that it really had so much to offer - great design, tons of amenities, several food options, excellent service... the list goes on. The views from the hotel were stunning - each room had a balcony and the pools (especially the sunset pool on the 11th floor) all faced gorgeous scenery. The hotel offered a daily shuttle down to their own beach house on Maspalomas. The bus ran from 10:00 - 7:00 each day - very convenient.

Loungers Along Maspalomas Beach

Maspalomas offers a nice long golden sand beach with plenty of room, be it on rented chairs (2 chairs and an umbrella are 7.50 EUR for the day) or with your own towel and umbrellas. The beach stretches from the lighthouse, runs in front of the massive Maspalomas dunes and eventually connects with Playa Del Ingles. Starting at the lighthouse is Meloneras beach, a rocky coastline that is more conducive for surfing in the summer months. The beach closest to the lighthouse is more family-oriented beach but you will come across topless women. Don't get too excited, guys... you're more likely to see a topless Bea Arthur than a topless Heidi Klum. You'll also hear a lot of German and a humorous roaming fruit salesman (wassermelon...)

When it comes to eating, you can take a taxi from pretty much anywhere to the "faro de Maspalomas" (faro is Spanish for lighthouse). From the plaza in front of the lighthouse, you can go one of two ways... Heading to the left of the lighthouse will take you to a cheesier grouping of restaurants and tacky tourist shops. You're more likely to find cheesy T-shirts, knock-off VW hats, Grand Canary towels and the like.

The Promenade to the Left of the Faro by Meloneras Beach

Heading to the right of the lighthouse will lead to higher end restaurants, bars and shops. The shops tend to lean towards more expensive items and, in many ways, are more reminiscent of airport duty-free shops (think plenty of high end clothing lines combined with shoes, accessories, etc.) There are also individual boutiques like Izod and Hugo Boss. The restaurants are of a better quality with nicer outdoor seatings. Two of the more popular ones are Grand'Italia (recommended to us by a taxi driver) and Faro (great paella!). Grand'Italia is extremely popular so you might feel somewhat rushed. Faro (next door) was not like that at all. Both had very friendly staff. One staff member at Faro is obsessed with Area 51 and Roswell so if he finds out you're American, you'll hear him talk about it all night. It was quite funny.

Just past the restaurants to the right of the lighthouse is the Centro Comercial (mall) Varadero with a mixed bag of stores. Heading through the centro comercial, you'll pop out at the other end to where there are other stores, restaurants, etc. Ultimately, if you're hitting the beach, you'll spend more time to the left of the lighthouse. If you're going out in the evening, you'll spend more time to the right.

The Quaint Streets of Vegueta in Las Palmas

Now, from Maspalomas, you can catch buses to several spots on the island. One worthwhile trip is to Las Palmas, the capital of the island and the 7th largest city in Spain. I'll talk about that in another post. Your best bet is to take the number 50 or the number 30 bus. The number 50 runs less often (5 past the hour) but makes fewer stops. The number 30 runs more often but also makes more stops. Buses are a great value, especially since taxis in the Canaries are not cheap. A one-way ride from the faro to Las Palmas was a little over 5 EUR per person. With a taxi, you would probably be looking at 70 EUR. We took the bus to Las Palmas and it made for a great day trip.

Sunny Times at Puerto De Mogan

Another excellent day trip is Puerto de Mogan - a picturesque little fishing village that has grown with tourism. You can dedicate half a day to visiting Puerto de Mogan or make it an evening visit. You can take a taxi there or catch a boat that runs there from Puerto Rico and Arguinequin.

If you rent a car, you open your options up and can get to scores of smaller towns or deep into the mountains to go hiking. Really, there is so much to do in Grand Canary. This applies to the other islands, too. While we enjoyed Grand Canary, I think our next visit to the Canaries would be to Fuerteventura, Lanzarote or one of the smaller islands like La Palma. All have plenty to offer and, if you like to surf, you'll find great breaks on all the islands.

On Wednesday, we headed back to Madrid for our stay at the Hotel De Las Letras. That night, we met up with my cousins for tapas in Plaza Santa Ana. It was a great way to cap off our visit and get ready to head back to the States. As you know, our experience flying home left much to be desired but, overall, we had a great trip.

More details to follow. Next up, Canada...

Hotels to Check out in Spain

Inside the Room Mate Mario

I'm slowly digging myself out of this post-vacation hole. Being a planner by nature, I left myself in a situation where I wouldn't be too overwhelmed upon our return. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's only noon on the day after we returned. I did have 360 e-mails waiting for me but I was able to nuke most of them - you get to realize how much crap you get via e-mail each and every day.

Anyway, our itinerary was as follows:

May 22 - Leave Houston to Madrid (via Newark)
May 23 - Arrive in Madrid (mid-morning arrival so 1/2 day in Madrid)
May 24 - Madrid
May 25 - Madrid to Gran Canaria (morning flight so 1/2 day in GC)
May 26-29 - Gran Canaria
May 30 - Gran Canaria to Madrid
May 31 - Madrid back to Houston (via Newark)

We stayed in three hotels during our trip. I would recommend all three as good options. I'll provide more detail later but here is a quick blurb on each one:

Room Mate Mario Hotel - As the taxi driver put it, we were in the "centro, centro, centro" of Madrid. Pleasant service, a cozy but comfortable room, hip modern design, an outstanding location and a good rate. Located a minute away from the Opera metro stop and just a few paces away from Calle Arenal. A short walk to the Palacio Real and the now pedestrianized Plaza Del Oriente.

Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort and Spa - A 10 minute taxi drive from the faro in Maspalomas but feels like a world away. The hotel offers a much more luxurious and tranquil alternative to the tourist-jammed resorts of Maspalomas and Playa Del Ingles. The hotel's design is stunning with great attention to detail in materials, amenities and pools... 7 pools. We really loved staying there. The rooms were well-designed and the bathrooms were cavernous by European standards. Service was excellent, an outstanding breakfast buffet and the hotel's beach house was terribly convenient. Highly recommended.

Hotel Del Las Letras - A prestigious address on Madrid's Gran Via. The hotel is focused on sleek, modern but comfortable design with an emphasis on the literary world. Service was not as warm as our other hotels but we really enjoyed our "plus" room with a private terrace. The hotel has 7 rooms with terraces - they're worth the extra expense. The breakfast buffet was reasonable but not included in the rate. The hotel is right by plenty of shopping, metro stops and a 10-15 minute walk to Puerta Del Sol or the Plaza Mayor.

If we were to pick our favorite, it would easily be the Sheraton Salobre - hands down.

Shopping Tip

Most first-time or repeat visitors to Madrid or other large Spanish cities typically stop by El Corte Ingles, Spain's largest and most well-known department store. With 70 locations in Spain and Portugal, it is the third largest-company in Spain. Visitors who stay in the center of Madrid are likely to stop by the complex of 3 El Corte Ingles buildings on Calle Preciados, adjacent to the Puerto Del Sol. The two locations closest to the plaza specialize in books and music/movies. The third and largest building is the actual department store.

Floors are divided by department - piso 0 has cosmetics, jewelry, accessories and the like, piso 1 has children's clothing and so on... There's plenty to see on each floor so take your time exploring - you're likely to come across many international brands as well as scores of local and European brands not found in the U.S. Whatever you do, make it a point to ride the elevator or the escalator all the way up to the 7th floor to the Oportunidades department. This is the sale department where reduced and clearance items from the different floors eventually end up. While we did our fair share of shopping in the store, we also found some good deals on the 7th floor. Some examples:

• A large canvas tote bag for 19 EUR
  
• Two infant onesies at 12 EUR each - discounted 33%
• An ITALIA t-shirt for 6 EUR

The department had rack after rack of reduced clothes, luggage, housewares, etc. While on the 7th floor, stop by the store's cafeteria for a cortado or a slice of tortilla.

Inside Tips on Gran Canaria

Small town life in Gran Canaria

I have to give credit to a college friend of mine for providing these tips on Grand Canary. His wife is from Las Palmas and they tend to visit often. Insider knowledge is priceless so here are some of the tips they provided us for our trip...

1.Roque Nublo, in the center of the island is a giant rock area, good for a 30-45 minutes hike, (SE of Tejeda). Be sure and go on a clear day, as this area is often quite cloudy. On a clear day, you can see a few of the other islands, including Tenerife. Also, this is a forested area that can be quite cool, bring a jacket. You have to park and hike to get to the top, but its worth it when its clear.

2. Puerto de Mogan . Southern part of the island on the water, make sure its the Puerto de Mogan, not Mogan. When i went there 10 years ago, it was a sleepy village with a nice relaxing port. Now, its a little more crowded, but still has a nice port. There is a market day, not sure when, but if you find out, we happened to go on that day, it was fun.

3. Hydrofoil/ferry to other islands are best , and they leave from Agaete (NW) and Las Palmas (NE) . I've never driven around the west side of the island from Mogan to Agaete, so i can't vouch for the roads. But, the rest of the island has nice modern new roads. The roads going to the middle of the island can get a bit hairy, but i'm sure you can handle it. Hopefully , its not that cloudy. Just ask your hotel about schedules.

4.City of Las Palmas. The Catedral and Museo de Colon are in the historic district and worth visiting. Ask some locals when in this area for directions to the Casino (social club) and Trianas close by. The social club is next to outside cafes and Trianas is a shopping street closed off to cars. There are taxis everywhere and parking stinks everywhere, so maybe take them if your spending a day here

There is a Hotel/Casino Santa Catalina that is a relaxing spot about 1/2-1miles from here. The outside bar area in front usually has a great atmosphere to drink a few. Its not very crowded, but its a good spot. I've been there often.

There is a board walk beach area called Playa de Las Canteras on the north west of the city. My favorite eating spot for seafood is there. Its next to the Alfredo Kraus opera house at the start of this boardwalk called Bosmedianos, gotta get the caracoles and calamari. Its a long walk around, so plan on spending some time if your going to walk it.

Roque Nublo

Puerto Mogan

Las Palmas and the Cathedral (c) Hector Vera

Las Canteras

Helpful Insight on Gran Canaria

Las Palmas - From CanaryForum.com

With our Canary Islands trip looming, I'm digging to find as much information I can for our trip. Given that very few Americans go to the Canaries, most of the information I'm finding is out on the web. CanaryForum.com seems to provide an unbelievable amount of information. For those going to Grand Canary, there is a topic-specific index that is very helpful. Lots of good reviews, inside tips, etc. I found the Towns of Gran Canaria to be particularly helpful.

Beach Time in Gran Canaria is Calling...

It feels like it's been forever since we've been on a vacation even though the reality is that we were in London just three months ago and in Costa Rica four months ago. Maybe I should stop whining. Nonetheless, we'll be heading to Spain and Gran Canaria before we know it.

Not having been to Gran Canaria, we can't provide any true insight... not yet anyway. We can point out where we'll be staying - The Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort & Spa just fifteen minutes outside of Maspalomas.



From everything we've seen, it looks like a great spot that provides a tranquil retreat from some of the more crowded places on the southern end of Gran Canaria. My cousin works for Starwood and got us the hook up with a great hotel rate. So far, the feedback on the resort sounds excellent - we'll see what we find out on our own.

Boutique Hotels in Madrid

It's been a good 7 years since we've been to Madrid but we'll be heading back in a couple of short months. We're 95% certain that we have a hotel room lined up but, just in case, I've been poking around at other hotel options in the city. Listed below are a few hotels you might want to consider the next time you book a trip. Most are boutique-style hotels with rates roughly between $130 - $200 night. As you'll see, we tend to favor more modern hotels although we're fine with traditional hotels, too.

Room Mate Hoteles - This Spanish chain has four hotels in Madrid, each one with its own style. All four hotels lean towards a modern and minimalist look. The Mario Hotel, located near the Teatro Real, have rooms with funky designs, some a bit dizzying. Rates at The Mario start at 90 Euros while the Laura, located not too far from Puerta del Sol, starts at 80 Euros. Online reviews seem to be quite favorable for the hotels.


Hoteles Quo is another Spanish chain with several hip hotels in Madrid. Hotels range from five-star to three-stars although even their five-star, Puerta Del Sol, is reasonably priced in its class. When booking online, be sure to scroll down and look at all rates. A recent search showed a 188 Euro rate at the top but, about 5 rates down, a "Promo Rate" of 138 Euros.

Hotel De las Letras was built in 1917 but the interior doles up a mix of modern and traditional styles. Online reviews suggest booking a superior room rather than a basic room although rates can vary quite a bit. The hotel is off the Gran Via and near Plaza Cibeles.

On a completely different note, if you're in town for business, one hotel I recommend is the Meliá Castilla, near Paseo de la Castellana. This is a business area and is not as central as the other hotels that I've recommended. The two times I stayed there, I found the hotel particularly comfortable. Having stayed in other Meliá hotels before, I can vouch for their quality. If you're looking for cozy, pass on the Castilla as the hotel has 915 rooms. Cheap? Not quite but not unreachable, particularly if your company is paying. Standard rooms start at 180 Euros although rates have been seen as low at 99 Euros.

Niiice waves in las Islas Canarias

I guess I never realized how many great surf spots there are in the Canary Islands. One beach after another has great waves... some of which are really sick! Turns out, we're going to find out in person :)

Here is a bodyboarding video from Gran Canaria. Despite the poor soundtrack choice, there are plenty of great rides on this 3:52 video. Plenty of nice barrels...