Author Archives: Ryan

The Westin Palace – Madrid, Spain

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The Westin Palace offered a Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) “Cash & Points” rate during our weekend in Madrid.  SPG’s “Cash & Points”, which allows a combination of points and currency to be used to pay for a stay, often provides the best redemption rates on rewards.  They aren’t frequently offered, especially in Europe.  The availability of a low cost option for us to stay in Madrid at a luxurious hotel actually led us to extend our planned stay in Madrid by one night, and ultimately led to our selection of the Westin Palace.  In fact, we did not perform any of our usual hotel research for Madrid.  The Westin Palace clearly shined as a reputable hotel with a prime location adjacent to the Prado Museum.

Price. The cash rate offered during our stay was €245.  Accordingly, in our particular situation, the $90 + 4800 points “Cash & Points” option was nearly a 5% reward rate ($/points).  For SPG credit card holders, this is a great value for reward points (compare to the 1% and 2% reward options most credit card companies offer).  For those seeking to pay the cash rate for a stay at the Westin Palace, the hotel probably offers a value on par with similar international luxury brand hotels in Madrid.

Location. The Westin Palace is in a great location in the Museum District of Madrid.  The Prado is literally across the street, and lively Plaza de Santa Ana is a short 10-minute walk with plenty of excellent dining options.  Although the Museum District has plenty to offer, it’s not exactly central.  Ironically, the Royal Palace of Madrid is on the opposite side of the city center, over a 20 minute walk from the hotel.  Plaza Mayor, also west of the city center, is about 15 minutes.  Without better knowledge of the accommodation options in the center of town, however, I wouldn’t necessarily argue that the Museum District is not a good location.

Our room at The Westin Palace was modernly furnished and decorated with enjoyable prints of Spanish landscapes and people.

Room. We stayed in a recently renovated Deluxe Room.  Our SPG Gold Status earned us an upgrade from a room without renovations (at least that’s what we gathered from the reception desk).  The room was very modernly furnished, with several enjoyable prints of Spanish landscapes and people for decoration. The bathroom remodel was especially impressive, adorned with natural stone and equipped with luxury fixtures. Our room overlooked the main intersection with the hotel.  There was no balcony, but there was a small place to sit next to the window for people watching. I noticed their window here, and I’m looking for a window installation near me because I’m planning to do something like this at home. Anyway, other than the lack of an outdoor space, we had no complaints about our accommodations.

Dining.  There are several food & drink options at The Westin Palace, but all were out of our price range.  We did splurge on one round at the bar (cocktails were as much as €20!).  We managed breakfast on our own, however.  We were excited about advertisements for a terrace with drink service both on the web and in the hotel elevators.  The terrace ended-up being a complete disappointment.  Firstly, it took a confusing and circuitous journey through the hotel’s fitness center on the top floor to reach.  Then, upon arriving, there were just a few tables with practically no view and a telephone to the lobby for drink orders.  We also did not eat breakfast at The Westin Palace, as the buffet cost an excessive €45.  If you plan on staying at The Westin Palace and have a limited budget, plan on finding dining options elsewhere.

Amenities.  As a 5-star hotel, The Westin Palace offers plenty of amenities to guests.  The fitness center we walked through on the way to the disappointing terrace seems fairly complete, and can be access free-of-charge.  As SPG gold members, we were able to get free wireless internet as our “gift”.  For non-SPG members, expect to pay an exorbitant €19/day, which is sadly in line with other international hotels in Europe.  Although not inside the hotel itself, there is a Starbucks and a Vips cafe (to-go sandwiches, drinks. etc.) in the same building that are very convenient.

I suspect next time we are in Madrid, we will likely decide to stay at an independent hotel or B&B, unless a limited budget and/or a superfluous SPG account balance motivates us to return to The Westin Palace.  Although The Westin Palace worked for our situation on this trip and offered a good location for exploring Madrid, we miss the character of more local establishments and do not believe their cash rate offers guests a great value.

Hotel Amadeus – Sevilla, Spain

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Unusual circumstances landed us in the Hotel Amadeus in Sevilla, Spain.  Normally, we are able to book our “top choice” hotel based on our research, because we allow for plenty of lead time.  However, our plans for Andalucía solidified much later than our itinerary for the rest of our trip and by the time we decided to stay 2 nights in Sevilla, our first choice and a TripAdvisor.com favorite, Hotel Casa 1800, was booked solid.  Luckily for us, Hotel Amadeus turned-out to be a very suitable alternative.  In addition to a prime location in the venerable Barrio Santa Cruz neighborhood and spacious rooms, Hotel Amadeus offers unique common areas with musical instruments (their trademark and also check out their affordable online music lessons available here), an unbeatable continental breakfast, and a beautiful rooftop terrace complete with Giralda views (see photo to the left), a bar, and a refreshing (albeit unheated) jacuzzi.

Price. €185/night for 2 people in a junior suite.  Breakfast was another €10 per person per morning, but well worth it (described below).  Hotel Amadeus was the most expensive stay of our trip.  However, we used loyalty points (SPG) in the more expensive cities of Madrid and Barcelona and decided to splurge on an upgraded room.  In retrospect, we would have booked the much more affordable standard room (€112/night).  With so many things to do in Sevilla and the outstanding common areas in the hotel, we spent very little time in our hotel room.  The basic rooms in this hotel offer excellent value, considering the amenities and location of the Hotel Amadeus.

Location. Hotel Amadeus is located in the Bairro Santa Cruz, the most enchanting quarter of Sevilla.  It is within 5 minutes of the Sevilla Cathedral, which is reached from the lively restaurant-lined Calle Mateos Gaga.  It’s nearly across the street from the popular Casa de  la Memoria de Al-Andalus flamenco show.  The Bairro Santa Cruz is conveniently positioned between the great shopping options near Plaza Nueva and the picturesque Plaza de España, both within 20 minutes walking distance.  No doubt, we’ll want to stay in the same neighborhood on subsequent visits.

Room. We upgraded to a Junior Suite based on photographs on the hotel website.  Unfortunately, there at least two Junior Suite options at Hotel Amadeus, and the one we were assigned was not the same one that intrigued us from the website pictures.  As mentioned earlier, we wouldn’t pay for the upgrade again, especially for our version of the “Junior Suite.”  It was fairly spacious with a modern bathroom, but did not warrant a €73 premium over a standard room.  Our particular room included windows that opened to a view over a small courtyard, but with no balcony.  There were two small couches, a small desk, and and armoire.  We had no complaints about the comfort of the bed.

Hotel Amadeus offers a continental breakfast served in your room or on the rooftop.  Their fresh squeezed orange juice and chocolate croissant were a trip breakfast highlight.

Dining. For a hotel of its size, Hotel Amadeus has excellent dining options.  A beautiful manned rooftop bar is open late and offers an assortment of wine, beers, cocktails, as well as a decent menu of appetizers.  They also offer guests a continental breakfast for less than €10 that is very filling and includes tomatoes, cheese, fresh OJ, and a variety of pasties (including a chocolate croissant!).  The breakfast is also available on the beautiful terrace, which offers great views of Seville.  We recommend a shady spot, as the morning sun can be quite brutal.

Amenities. Hotel Amadeus uniquely places a variety of musical instruments in public areas for the use of guests, inline with their musical theme.  Although intrigued by the idea, did not see any people taking advantage of this amenity.  However, many guests used the common areas for relaxation, as all were adorned with comfortable sofas and chairs.  The rooftop terrace is also a great place to relax, with plenty of outdoor lounging chairs and couches.  There is also a small jacuzzi on the roof that seemed unheated.  A lukewarm jacuzzi fit the bill, however, after a hot day of exploring Sevilla.

The Hotel Amadeus is a great option for Seville travelers.  Although we could not justify the price of our premium room, their standard rooms offer a great value.  They are located in the most desirable neighborhood in Seville and offer guests great common areas, including a beautiful rooftop terrace with views of the Giralda Tower.

Orange 3 House – Lisbon, Portugal

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Amateur traveler reviews are often instrumental in trip planning.  Actual experiences and undoctored photos have proven much more reliable than short descriptions in guidebooks or glamorous hotel websites.  Accordingly, we wanted to share our own impressions of our hotel choices during our recent trip to Portugal and Spain for the benefit of other travelers.

Our reviews start in Lisbon, where strong TripAdvisor.com reviews led us to Orange 3 House for our 3 night stay.  Orange 3 House is a 3-room bed & breakfast located in the heart of Lisbon.  The B&B’s proprietor, Igor, is extremely enthusiastic about the city of Lisbon and very dedicated to perfect the experience of his guests.  His recommendation led us to Guarda-Mor for fado, which I just incidently described as my “best memory of 2012” to a group of friends.

Our room on the third floor at Orange 3 House in Lisbon was modernly apportioned with plenty of natural light.

Price. €105/night for 2 people (including breakfast) on the 3rd floor (Suite 3).  Orange 3 House offers tremendous value, considering its location in one of Lisbon’s most interesting ,pest free garden and convenient neighborhoods and modern amenities.You can also contact experts from pest control portland to avail pest control services and to make your garden more impressive.You can save €10/night by staying in the rooms on the first and second floors, neither of which have the partial views of the Tejo River available in our room.  Prices drop an additional €10/night across the board in low season.

Location. Orange 3 House is located between 2 of Lisbon’s top neighborhoods for cuisine and sightseeing, Chiado and Bairro Alto.  It is directly adjacent to the Elevador da Bica (the focus of many Lisbon photographs) and a short walk to both Cais de Sodré and Rossio stations, which offer connections to popular day trip options Belém and Sintra.  The only time we ever needed a taxi during our stay was to connect to and from the airport.  We can think of no better spot for a Lisbon home base.

Room. We stayed in Suite 3, located on the 3rd floor.  The room featured a small balcony with partial views of the Tejo River (pictured below).  Unlike many other accomodations in Europe, Orange 3 House has floor-to-ceiling windows that allow ample natural light into the room.  It also offered a spacious shower (with the overhead rain nozzles that are becoming so popular) and modern conveniences like a flat screen television are free wi-fi.  Our room was the perfect place to relax and enjoy a bottle of wine before heading-out for dinner, especially after opening the large windows to enjoy the evening breeze and sounds of the city.

The balcony on Suite 3 at Orange 3 House offers partial views of the Tejo River.

Dining.  We were given a free bottle of wine at check-in and had access to the downstairs fridge for affordably priced beers, more wine, and snacks at any hour during our stay.  The breakfast is continental, but was delicious and provided us plenty of fuel to get through to lunch.  Every morning, we were surprised with a new local specialty pastry that was included as part of the breakfast, which was a nice touch.  We were also packed a to-go breakfast when we needed to catch an early morning flight our last day, which we certainly hadn’t expected!

Amenities.  Igor offers his guests free wi-fi, which had a strong signal on both the top floor and in the lobby.  I would recommend you go through Orange 3 House to arrange your transportation to and from the airport.  We tried to get our own cab on the way there, and they were unfamiliar with the neighborhood (dropping us off at the top of the Elevador, thinking the streets below were pedestrian only) and overcharged us.  On the way back, we had Igor arrange our taxi back and he picked us up right outside, and charged us the fair rate.

If we are lucky enough to return to Lisbon in the near future, I expect we won’t even to bother researching places to stay, given our complete satisfaction with Orange 3 House.  We were amazed by Igor’s superlative hospitality and loved our room and location.

Orejas y Fútbol

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Evenings in Madrid enthralled us.  On the warm fall nights during our visit, we discovered swarms of energetic people, spirited music, and an electrifying atmosphere.  This jubilation   apexed around Plaza de Santa Ana, the heart of Madrid’s nightlife scene.  It was here that we began our culinary adventure through Madrid’s tapas offerings.

Our first tapas stop in Madrid was a planned one.  As we do in preparation for all our trips, we repeatedly watched relevant Rick Steves episodes prior to our departure.  A scene capturing Rick eating sautéed pig ears in his Madrid episode especially intrigued us.  Accordingly, we followed his lead and ordered a ración of oreja (ears) at the Orjea de Oro bar, along with two glasses of the Galician ribeiro wine (€1 each!), and an order of patatas bravas.  The taste of the ears was recognizable–not too different from bacon–but the texture was wild.  Just like one might expect, the dish was “cartilagy” and far from tender.  The pieces of ear served already cut-up, so luckily minimal chewing was required.  

Our oreja ración at Oreja de Oro

To our chagrin, instead of a colorful local, we found ourselves sitting next to a fellow Rick Steves aficionado.  He was similarly following Rick’s trail through Madrid’s tapas offerings, but could not muster the courage to order the orjeas.  He had no shame communicating with the English-speaking bartender in Spanish that was nothing short of abysmal.  Despite the lack of local flavor and toughness of the orejas, we do not our regret our experience.

Anxious to find an authentic local experience, we sought out a tapas bar playing that night’s Real Madrid fútbol match.  After surveying several options, we found a spot called La Venta de Farracas just a few blocks away with plenty of buzz and an open table.  We ordered traditional tapas, all of which we had sampled in other Spanish cities–croquettes, fried calamari, and more patatas bravas.  I ordered a couple of Spanish beers to accompany the food.  The food itself was decent, but the real highlight was the fútbol game.  All eyes were fixed on a large big screen television in the back of the establishment.  Unlike the modern American sports bar, with dozens of digitial high definition televisions, this spot had one television, with a noisy analog signal.  This did not distract the crowd, however. They chanted, cheered, and groaned just as they would at the stadium.   To their dismay, the game resulted in a loss for Real Madrid to underdog Sevilla.

That same night, we also visited a pintxos bar called Txakolina for  and and one additional Rick Steves recommendation in Casa Toni to completely satiate our appetite.  We ended the night with a strong sense of accomplishment at successfully completing a 4-stop tapas crawl.   

City Overview: Madrid, Spain

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City. Madrid, Spain

When? Friday, September 14 – Sunday, September 16 (2 nights).  The 2 nights were a little rushed.  We visited all of our top priority sites (Prado, Palace, etc.), but another night would have allowed us to consider a day trip to Toledo.

Where? We stayed at the Westin Palace Madrid in a Junior Suite.  The hotel has an excellent location, directly opposite the Prado and a short walk from Plaza de Santa Ana, which is one of Madrid’s liveliest nightlife scenes.  We only paid $90 + 4800 SPG points per night.  The same room usually costs €399.  Without our Starwood points, we likely would not have found the hotel to be a good value.

Transportation. Central Madrid is very walkable, although there are busses and an underground subway to get around.  The only time we hired a cab was for travelling from the train station to the hotel and from the hotel to the airport.

Food. Madrid had an excellent tapas scene, especially around Plaza de Santa Ana.  We had no problem finding a variety of options to piece together a tapas crawl.  In addition to ordering the patatas bravas that are available everywhere, we also tried orejas (pig ears – pictured below), visited a pintxos bar, and sampled champiñones (sauteed mushrooms).  We had one lunch on Plaza Mayor, which has a unique ambiance, but unremarkable food.  Unfortunately, Kristin wasn’t feeling well during our stay in Madrid, so we weren’t able to pursue the cuisine options as aggressively as we’d hoped.  Our impression was that Madrid had more to offer than any of the other Spanish cities we visited on our trip, perhaps only rivaled by Sevilla.

Day Trips. None.  We would have likely visited Toledo if we had more time though.

Attractions. The highlight for us was the Prado.  We aren’t art lovers, but we found our visit to the Prado very enjoyable.  The Prado is our new favorite art museum in Europe, far surpassing the Louvre and the Uffizi.  Also, it is nice that the Prado is free in the evenings, and we found the crowds to be very bearable.  We also enjoyed our visit to the Madrid Palace.  All of the important rooms are open to the public at the Madrid Palace, and visitors really gain an appreciation for the grandeur of Spanish royalty.  We also visited the Reina Sofia (modern art museum), Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, and Retiro Park.

Language Barrier. Almost everyone spoke English.  We had some minor communication difficulties at a pharmacy and one of the less busy tapas bars, but overall the language barrier was very manageable.

Cost. The cost of food seemed comprable to other places in Spain.  As could be expected, our meal on the Plaza Mayor was probably overpriced considering the quality of the food.

Advice.  Dedicate at least one night to a tapas crawl.  Wonder along some of the smaller streets around Plaza de Santa Ana, to avoid some of the more crowded and touristy options.  Although the Prado and the Madrid Palace are worth a visit, the cuisine scene is what really impressed us.

Closing comments.  Madrid is often a focus of many travel itineraries in Spain.  Appropriately so, considering its status as the nation’s capital.  However, it is a relatively young city and lacks some of the history and tradition found in other European cities.  We would prioritize a stop in Andalucía above Madrid if time is limited, but still believe Madrid is worth at least two nights if time permits.