Spain Travel

The Las Arenas Balneario Resort is the only 5-star seafront hotel in Valencia. Even with a lack of competition, the Las Arenas Balneario Resort strives to make sure their guests get their 5-stars worth. The rooms are clean, well stocked (nice TV, comfy king-sized bed, slippers, bathrobes, quality linens, a minibar that gets topped off twice daily, a CD player, turndown service with chocolates, and a daily weather report delivered to your room), and ours opened onto a lovely balcony with an ocean view.

The Las Arenas Balneario Resort is right on the beach and has a fantastic pool area with comfortable lounge chairs for reclining, sunning and reading. We took our lunch here as well during our “beach day.”

There is a decent selection of seaside restaurants and bars near the hotel for a nearby meal and the tram (just across the road from the hotel) gets you into central Valencia is a matter of minutes. We took the tram in every morning and usually came back in time for sunset, so the tram system was more than adequate both ways. Taxis from the city center would also be reasonable if you are out late.
The area around the Las Arenas Balneario Resort is currently being redone for the America’s Cup races and promises to provide even more high-end eating and shopping selections in the near future.

While visiting Barcelona, do yourself a favor and take the roughly two hour train trip from Barcelona to Figueres. The highlight of this daytrip is most definitely the Teatre-Museu Dalí (a well-marked fifteen minute walk from the station); the small town is most famous for being Salvador Dalí's birthplace and home to the museum he built. The museum is a worthy monument to a great artist and his longtime wife, companion and muse, Gala.

The Museum sits on the site of the former municipal theatre (destroyed during the Spanish Civil War) and was designed by Dalí himself. It is also where Dalí is entombed (though you need to have a keen eye to find his actual gravesite). The Gala-Dalí Foundation manages more than 4,000 of Dalí's works- including paintings, sculptures, jewelry, engravings, photos and holograms. Much of the work is on permanent display at the museum while other parts of the collection appear in temporary exhibitions in the museum and abroad. The architecture of the museum is made specifically by Dalí for his life work and, in fact, the design could be considered his crowning achievement.

Every visitor has their own "must see" list, varying from the car that you can water, the room that, when viewed from above, looks like Mae West, and the multitude of recognizable famous pieces. No one leaves the museum unimpressed. The cost of admission is 10 € (which includes admission to the Jewelry Exhibit) and the museum is open Oct.-June, Tues.-Sun. 10:30-5:15; July-Sept., daily 9-7:15.

If you want to explore the area further and you are a huge fan of Dalí, you should also consider checking out the House-Museum Gala Dalí Castle in Pubol (where Gala is buried) and the House-Museum Salvador Dalí in Portlligat.

Once you stay in the Hotel Eurostars Gran Valencia, you’ll understand why the hotel is a popular choice for tourists and businesspeople alike. The hotel is a little over a year old so you can enjoy up-to-the-date hotel amenities without having to pay for upgrades and extras. The rooms are truly a wonderful place to relax and regroup after a meeting or a day of sightseeing.

There are a variety of little touches that make the rooms of the Hotel Eurostars Gran Valencia so lovely: an internal door that closed off the room door from the outside hall and virtually eliminated all external noise, extremely comfortable beds, a pleasant seating area with chairs and a coffee table, a separate toilet and bathing area, a Jacuzzi bath, and simple, crisp modern décor (our room was accented in pleasing blue tones).

There is also a good bar in the restaurant (with piano music nightly) for a relaxing drink as well as a sauna and rooftop pool perfect for soaking tired feet while indulging in an expansive view of Valencia. There is also an amble buffet in the morning. To top it all off, the train and tram run just past the hotel and take you to either the central station or the old town center for when you want to get out of the hotel and into the city.

The Hotel Spa Senator España lives up to its name by being both an excellent hotel and one of the premiere spas in Madrid. The Hotel Spa Senator España is located on Gran Via a short distance from the major sites and about 30 yards from the metro. It is a perfect place to base yourself for a Madrid holiday. Inside, the hotel rooms seem to fall into two categories: slightly smaller rooms with the only window in the room leading into a hallway or perfectly sized rooms with balconies that open up onto Gran Via. While the rooms with a hallway window are perfectly adequate in size and amenities, do yourself a favor and try to request a room with a balcony; the rooms are well-insulated so nighttime noises are minimal and the balcony views of Madrid from the upper floors are great. All of the rooms are all clean with large comfortable beds, a minibar that is restocked daily, and the bathrooms are well appointed.

The spa portion of the hotel is really something to write home about. There are multiple heated pools, a pool with fruit in it, a Turkish and Finnish Sauna, an Indo-Roman bath, a bubble “hydromassage”, an outdoor rooftop Jacuzzi with great nighttime views (Does it get any better than that?), and a frosted ice and water station for a refreshing splash. Beyond the variety of ways to indulge in warm water and steam, you can also get beauty treatments, invigorating massages or relaxation massages. The bottom line here is to make sure you bring your bathing suit and enjoy yourself at the Hotel Spa Senator España.

Stay in one of the coolest little hotels in Spain, the Casa Camper. Its hip, it's happening, and it has nice rooms. You'll enjoy all the little comforts and facilities, which include complimentary food and some of the best views in the city at the roof terrace.

The rooms are a little unique, as the bedroom and living area are distinctly separate. The living area features a comfortable sofa, and a "state if the art" television. But, the beds are incredible and each bathroom is exquisite. Need some slippers and a bathrobe? No problem, they can accommodate you. There's also a very welcoming hammock for relaxation. The buffet breakfast and lunches are very good.

Casa Camper is very close to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA), the Centre of Contemporary Culture (CCCB), the Ramblas and El Raval's trendiest bars and restaurants. They even have a free 24-hour serve-yourself cafeteria in the lobby and the private 'mini-lounge' across a corridor from each room. The bedrooms are great - every amenity has been accounted for. Be sure to get a standard room. They are better than the suites, offering two separate spaces for the price of one.

Looking for a good time to go? June for the annual Sónar International Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art.

Casa Camper Barcelona, Carrer Elisabets 11, Barcelona, Spain (00 34 93 342 62 80; fax: 342 75 63; or visit the web Casa Camper web site.