Pizzeria Guerrin, La Giralda and it's Spanish Cousin

One can't help but find great Italian food and pizza in Buenos Aires. Given that something like 2/3 of Argentines can trace their lineage back to Italy, it's no surprise.

The very first meal we ever had in Buenos Aires came about two hours after landing at Ezeiza. We sat down after 10:00 PM at Pizzeria Guerrin at 1368 Corrientes, a fifteen minute walk from our hotel in the microcentro. What we found was a spacious pizzeria brimming with people, all enjoying their Argentine-style pizza with a bottle of Quilmes or Cristal. It's the kind of place that leaves a lasting impression of Buenos Aires and one that I would recommend as a "must" when visiting BsAs. Head to the top floor and the large dining room for the best spots. It's noisy and crowded but that's part of the experience. The menu is massive so you'll have plenty of traditional options like quattro stagioni or typical Argentine pizzas like fugazzetta.

Just down the road on Corrientes is another "must" - La Giralda. Named after the famed tower in Seville, La Giralda is known partially for its historic pedigree but mostly for its chocolate and churros. While not as breathtaking as the churros found at Madrid's famed San Ginés, the larger version (on the left) found at La Giralda are delicious and sought out by locals and tourists alike. Our waiter got a real kick out of hearing that we had visited La Giralda in Spain, gradually telling all his coworkers and the owner. Anyway, La Giralda is one of those classic places like Cafe Tortoni where visiting will not only provide great food but a glimpse of old world Buenos Aires.

As mentioned, if you're in Madrid, you should definitely check out San Ginés. The famous chocolate and churros shop is located at Pasadizo de San Ginés 5, a side street off of Arenal, not far from Plaza Mayor. It's smack dab in the middle of everything but not always the easiest to find. Once you do make it, you'll find an international and local clientele scrambling for the few small tables to savor the deliciously rich chocolate with their thin churros. I don't think we've ever made it to Madrid without stopping by San Ginés. Here is my wife (below) enjoying a tasty late night meal with my cousins. These delectable delights make a great addition to a night of tapeando.

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.

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.

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.