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Jerez | Hotel Bellas Artes
Given its 4-star rating, some nice photos on the website, and a few good reviews/recommendations, the Hotel Bellas Artes turned out to be something of a disappointment. There was nothing wrong with the location in a little square near the Cathedral in the old city, and I’m generally a fan of small hotels (19 rooms…
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Sherry Tasting in Jerez de la Frontera
Although I’ve long been a fan of fino and manzanilla, and dabbled a bit in olorosos and amontillados, some of you may remember that just over a year ago I kind of underwent a sherry conversion, which ended up being the inspiration for starting my own Introduction to Sherry tours. I wanted to give others…
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Madrid | Room Mate Hotel Mario
Third time totally lucky! This was my third stay at a Room Mate Hotel, and this time it was Mario, the original Room Mate hotel, in the heart of Madrid just off Plaza Ópera. An easy metro ride from Atocha station, I was there within half an hour of arriving in town. Check in was…
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StreetXO in Madrid
After seemingly coming out of nowhere and garnering 3 Michelin stars for his playful take on Spanish fusion at DiverXO, chef David Muñoz decided to also bring Michelin quality food to the street. Or in this case to the Corte Inglés Gourmet Experience food court in plaza Callao. An unlikely place to find such stunning…
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Archidona | Almohalla 51
I feel a bit late to the party here as so many people I know have stayed at – and totally loved! – Almohalla 51, which this year was voted Best B&B in Spain by Trip Advisor. So I was thrilled to be invited to spend a night there during my recent Andalucía getaway. I…
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Antequera | Parador Hotel
Back in February I won a free night for two including breakfast at the Parador of my choice and had decided to stay at the fabulous castle one in Carmona, but then found out that this wasn’t included in the list of available choices for Andalucía. So I ended up going to Antequera, which…
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A Rare Glimpse…
Photos of yours truly are few and far between online but this was such a lovely “feel good” moment that my friend Peter @SVQconcierge happened to capture at the end of a Sevilla Tapas Tour that I decided not to worry about all my chins showing (that’s me in the middle). I really do have…