I lived in the house on the right for 18 years and remember when Hotel Casa 1800 @hotelcasa1800 was actually someone’s house. Now one of the finest hotels in Sevilla, I was thrilled to be invited to spend a night there this week. You can see my gorgeous room and a few other details below. Full review coming soon on Azahar Travels.
Staycation n. a holiday or break spent at or near home pursuing leisure activities.
I’m not generally a huge fan of hybrid words that seem to have been invented primarily to seem hip, but as someone who very rarely gets the opportunity to disconnect and just chill, the idea itself had a certain appeal. As luck would have it, I was recently invited to spend a night at the Hotel Doña Maria, a well known city centre hotel here in Seville. So why not? Staycation here we come.
Check in was around 1.00 pm, and we (myself and my friend Peter @SVQconcierge) took possession of a superior double room on the second floor, across the narrow street from the Archbishop’s palace. Good sized room with a slightly faded old fashioned charm, two nice firm beds and a spacious bathroom.
Although I had never stayed here, the Doña Maria was not a totally unknown quantity, as it has a rooftop terrace with one of the best views in town of the Cathedral and Giralda tower. So after checking in, a cooling Beer O’clock refresher upstairs was naturally our first port of call. The view across the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes square, with the swifts wheeling and crying round the tower, is one of my favourites in all Sevilla. There are also regular music events scheduled during the summer – check the Doña Maria Facebook page for details.
Lunchtime, and even if you’re not the Queen of Tapas, the choice of primary activity for the next couple of hours was something of a no-brainer. Although the hotel doesn’t have a restaurant, there are dozens of bars within easy walking distance, but a word of warning – this area is “tourist central”, and in (too) many of the bars the food and service is mediocre. There are, however, some that are really excellent. If you’re looking for something traditional follow us to our first stop in the heart of the Santa Cruz, the famous Bar Las Teresas, and one of the best places in town for that Spanish essential, Jamon Ibérico de Bellota with a glass of Fino sherry. Second stop was the other end of tapas bar spectrum, the modern but equally excellent La Azotea, for a nice glass of cava and some fish and seafood. Anyone for crispy prawns with kimchee sauce?
After lunch we took a short walk before heading back to the hotel for another Spanish tradition – siesta. Now siesta is something I don’t usually do, but having disconnected from my normal routine, a little peace and quiet and a comfy bed soon worked their magic. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve slept that much in the afternoon. Carried me right through until it was time to get ready for evening tapas (yes, we had thought of including more activities other than eating – electric bikes maybe? – so next staycation I’ll start a bit earlier as I really don’t have to wait for check-in time). Got a few nice walks in though, which felt nicely different to when I am going around town either working or running errands.
In the evening we headed off in the opposite direction to our lunchtime tapeo, to Barrio El Arenal, away from the more touristy area round the Cathedral, but still comfortably close to the hotel. We started at an old favourite, Casa Moreno, a tiny abacería in Calle Gamazo. When I first discovered this place I was a little nervous of going in, as it has such a “locals only” look to it, but once I did I found it was really friendly, and it’s become a firm favourite. The speciality is montaditos, toasted buns with a variety of meat and cheese fillings that are to die for.
From there we popped across the street to Enrique Becerra. This is an excellent bar that I used to come to all the time, but I hadn’t been for awhile, so it was real pleasure to see Enrique again and my barmen pals, along with enjoying an exceptional beef “Señor Marquez” with some of the best chips in town. I left vowing to come back more often.
A quick third stop was at my second home, Bodeguita Romero, then it was back to the hotel for a final nightcap on the terrace, with its spectacular views, and so to bed. Have to say I slept like a top, and even so close to the main square and with the windows open I wasn’t disturbed by any noise, and had a nice lie in – one of life’s little luxuries that I don’t often get the chance to indulge, and one of the reasons for taking a staycation in the first place.
Last act before leaving the next morning was the hotel breakfast, something I don’t normally do unless it’s inclusive (which this was), preferring to find a local bar for my toast and coffee. The hotel has a dedicated breakfast room, pleasant enough but not much in the way of conviviality and atmosphere, and much the same could be said of the breakfast itself. This isn’t really a criticism, as in my experience it’s true of almost every hotel I’ve ever been to that serves a buffet breakfast. Afterwards we took a stroll through the Barrio Santa Cruz before heading home.
Overall I really enjoyed my short stay at the Doña Maria and think it’s a good mid price option for a stay in Sevilla.
After now having done it once (okay, twice), I’m definitely up for making Sevilla Staycations a regular, though probably occasional, part of my life here.
Hotel Doña Maria
Calle Don Remondo, 19
Sevilla
Tel: +34 954 224 990
After my pleasant stay at Hotel Room Mate Lola in Málaga last December it’s probably not surprising that I would choose to stay with Room Mate again on my recent trip to Barcelona. I’d actually looked into a couple other hotels there but, as usual, Room Mate came through first with a good four-night offer, plus Emma is just three metro stops from the Renfe Sant station, where the AVE stops. And it felt good – a bit like coming home – when I arrived and got settled into my comfortable Deluxe room. It had a nice big window, a very comfortable bed, a desk for my laptop, mini bar, safe and a good amount of closet space. My only small complaint was that the bathroom had very dim lighting, making “hair and make-up” very awkward. Had no idea what I actually looked like until I got into the lift.
[click on image to enlarge]
I was up on the sixth floor with a window facing the street, which turned out to be very quiet. I’d recommend a street-facing room for the extra light, unless you are a very extra-light sleeper, in which case there are also rooms facing the interior patio. There are seven floors of standard and deluxe rooms, with two floors of suites with private terraces above. I was actually surprised that the ultra-modern décor could feel so cosy, but it did. As always with Room Mate, breakfast is served until noon, but I just opted for a quick morning cup of coffee while I plotted out my day.
Room Mate Emma is located in Carrer Rosselló, in the chic Eixample barrio, a stone’s throw from the elegant Paseo de Gracia and close to just about anywhere you’d want to go. In fact I walked everywhere during my four-day stay and found lots to do nearby. There is also a small supermarket right across the street to pick up “supplies” like mineral water, juice, wine and snacks. Great customer service, as always. Recommended!
For restaurant recommendations have a look here… Eating Out in Barcelona
After three fabulous nights in Málaga mid-December I realised I needed/wanted to extend my visit by one more night. Unfortunately the lovely hotel I’d been staying at had no availability and they asked me if I would like them to call somewhere for me. Well, back in July while I was on summer holiday in Málaga a friend of mine came to visit and spent the night at Hotel del Pintor. I’d seen her room and, while not as nice as where I’d been staying, I thought it would be fine for one night. But imagine my surprise when I showed up at the hotel and saw that my room was nothing like the one I’d seen before. In fact, it was barely a room at all. There was one single bed in a room just slightly larger than the bed itself, with two small windows looking into two other small windows across the patio. Small, dark and uncomfortable. There wasn’t even a place for me to put my carry-on suitcase and I ended up leaning it against the door. The (surprise!) very small bathroom was clean enough, though the toilet seat was soaking wet when I arrived, and the toilet made odd gurgling sounds throughout my stay.
I spoke to the receptionist who told me she couldn’t change rooms because they were fully booked and when I asked to speak to the manager I was told he was away in Sevilla for a meeting and couldn’t be reached. What? This was at midday on a Friday. I was pretty much resigned to spend my final night in Málaga in that dreadful room but certainly didn’t want to spend 54€ (the same price my previous – and much superior – hotel had charged per night) and so asked for something to be done. When I returned to the hotel in the evening to change for dinner (I’d stayed out as long as possible so I wouldn’t have to spend time there) I was told that the manager was still unavailable. I told the receptionist – a different one this time – that it was scandalous to charge so much for what was little more than a walk-in closet and was told that this was because of the hotel’s “excellent location”. Yes, on grimy calle Álamos, with no parking, no restaurant… all of which was available at my previous hotel (which is actually in an excellent location). Whatever. I left to meet my friends feeling very upset.
That night I had a terrible sleep on the small bed that creaked whenever I turned over (receptionist: “oh, that must be because the bed is new!”) on a too-soft pillow that was full of lumps. The next morning I got dressed and got out of there as soon as possible, and while checking out yet another receptionist told me that the manager – who was now unavailable because he was off for two days – had instructed her to tell me that they would not adjust the price for me. Unbelievable. What kind of hotel has no manager available from mid-day Friday until Monday morning?? Totally unprofessional. When my friend stayed there during peak season in July she paid 48€ for a room that was easily twice as big, yet management maintained they could do nothing for me. Trust me, there are plenty of other places to stay in Málaga where you will be treated much better than here.
Those of you who know me know that I usually opt for holiday apartments if I’m staying somewhere more than a night or two. I just like the extra space and having a small kitchen for making coffee and snacks. But on this recent trip to Málaga I came across a nice 3-night online offer at Room Mate Lola, where my friend Annie Bennett had stayed not long ago and, based on her positive experiences there, I thought I’d give it a try. I was also interested to stay in the new hip Soho barrio, so it suited me quite well. I liked that I could walk to the hotel from the train station in less than 15 minutes (no problem with small carry-on bag with wheels and laptop). I wondered if the “standard” room might feel a bit cramped, but although it wasn’t overly spacious and only had one window looking over a side street, it actually felt quite cosy and pleasant. Nice use of mirrors helped make the room feel larger and added more light. There was also lots of closet space (with a mini bar and safe inside), a good-sized desk and comfy armchair in the corner.
[click on image to enlarge]
Lola’s retro-chic style totally fits in with its location in the newly designated “Soho” neighbourhood of Málaga. What used to be a rather dodgy area of town is being transformed into a trendy barrio filled with galleries and boutiques, and almost daily more and more buildings are being covered in street art and graffiti, some by quite famous artists. And the Contemporary Arts Museum is just a short walk away. In fact, I found it a comfortable walking distance to pretty much everywhere I wanted to go: the Atarazanas market, the recently refurbished port Muelle Uno, Larios street and the surrounding shopping areas, and even Plaza Merced.
I opted out of the breakfast (an attractive buffet served until noon) but was still able to enjoy a cup of coffee in the bright dining area on the main floor. There was excellent free WiFi throughout the hotel and the staff were very friendly, professional and helpful. The only “negative” I can think of is that the lighting in the bathroom was a bit too dim for doing hair and make-up, but it was nice having both a bathtub and shower. I honestly felt completely at home and comfortable at Lola and look forward to future stays there, and to trying out some of their other hotels in Spain.