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
For years I’ve seen this cute microbus all around town – and I mean ALL around – but not in a way that made any sense. I’d wonder how the C5 bus stop could be in so many seemingly random spots and where it could possibly be going. Then one day my friends Julie & Steve informed me that “riding the C5” was one of their favourite pastimes when they visited Sevilla, so I put it on my To Do list, and today I decided to take the plunge.
There are three of these Mercedes Sprinter diesel microbuses used on the route, measuring 7.7 metres long and 1.9 metres wide, with a capacity of 27 passengers (13 seated, 14 standing), and equipped with an electric ramp for people with limited mobility.
[click on image to enlarge]
Calling the C5 a circular route is a serious simplification. We started at the “start/finish” stop just behind the Alfonso XIII Hotel and from there it was like being on a Magical Mystery tour. We had no idea where the bus was going to go next as it trundled down one narrow street to another. Just when I thought I knew where we were headed it would abruptly turn, even occasionally backtracking down a parallel street to end up almost where it had just been. Whoever designed the route must have been either mad or a genius. Or drunk. We noticed that sometimes even locals getting on the bus had no idea where it was going, and would get right off again after checking with the driver. But it clearly serves a purpose, as long as you’re not in a hurry, connecting parts of the “casco antiguo” (old centre) that larger buses can’t access.
AND…it was fun. Plus it could also serve as a totally wonky “off the beaten path” tourist ride for visitors, though it’s a bit of a bumpy ride at times, and the driver doesn’t stop anywhere for long, so taking photos is tricky (as you can see above). But I’ll certainly be doing it again. 🙂
Repost from Casa Azahar
This week I was invited to a cata for this year’s edition of Bodegas Delgado Zuleta’s D.O Cádiz white wine Viña Galvana. Delgado Zuleta is of course best known for its sherries (it’s said to be the oldest bodega in the marco de Jerez), especially Manzanilla La Goya, but also produces local white wines.
The 2017 Viña Galvana (85% Palomino Fino and 15% Moscatel) is a fresh, light wine with a bright pale gold colour and a touch of fruitiness, and pairs well with fish and seafood. Really a perfect summer wine. The label pays tribute to one of Sanlucar’s most popular events, the annual horse races on the beach which take place every August. The cata was presented by Jorge Pascual, the Director-General of Delgado Zuleta and enologist José Antonio Sánchez Pazo, with promotion by @ProbandoGastro.
The event was hosted by Cinta Romero and her team at La Cochera del Abuelo, who also provided a light post-cata lunch. Thanks to everyone who helped organise this very pleasant event.
The Palacio de Las Dueñas is the Seville home of the Dukes of Alba, and until her recent death, of Cayetana, the 18th Duchess of Alba. Last year the house was opened to the public, and recenly I took a rather delayed opportunity to see it for myself.
The palace was originally built in the 15th century by the Pineda family, one of the original aristocratic houses of Seville, and was named for the adjacent Monastery of Las Dueñas (finally demolished in 1868). In 1496 the house was sold to Doña Catalina de Ribera, widow of Governor Don Pedro Enriquez, according to legend in order to pay for the ransom of Don Juan de Pineda, taken prisoner by the Moors during the wars against Granada. In 1612 it passed by marriage to the family of the Dukes of Alba, where it has remained ever since. In the 19th century parts of the palace were converted for a time into a boarding house, and Antonio Machado, probably Seville’s most famous poet, was born here in 1875.
From the outside, despite a substantial entry gate with a glimpse of garden beyond, it’s only moderately impressive, and it’s full extent really only becomes apparent once you pass inside. The main palace is essentially Renaissance, and built around three sides of the central courtyard (the fourth side giving onto the gardens), with additional wings and courtyards, and surrounded by gardens and outbuildings. Despite being near the city centre it’s an oasis of peace, calm and greenery, and it’s easy to appreciate why the family loved the place so much.
The tour begins in the front garden courtyard, where our handy audio guide explains some of the history of the Palace. Ahead of us is the apeadero, a typical feature of all grand houses, where visitors would have alighted from their carriages, but our route takes us off to the right to the stables, and through to the famous garden of the lemon trees immortalised by Machado. From there we come to the central courtyard, the heart of the old palace. This is built on two floors in the Gothic-Mudejar style with the typical columns, arches and decorative plasterwork of the period. In one corner the principle staircase, adorned with tapestries and with an outstanding ornate coffered wood ceiling, leads up to the private residence of the Dukes of Alba (not open to the public).
Arranged around the courtyard on the ground floor are a number of rooms that traditionally formed the public part of a late mediaeval palace. These include the chapel and is antechamber, where the extended family and their friends would gather for religious occasions, the Flamenco room, complete with a tablao for dancing, and of course, a library. All these rooms also serve to house an important collection of art and furniture collected over the centuries.
Tucked away beyond these are the Olive Oil Patio (so named because it was once used for storing olive oil), and the quiet space of the Santa Justa garden, which has a picturesque creeper clad balcony overlooking one corner, one of my favourite places in the palace.
The Palacio de las Dueñas is almost like a bridge between times present, and times past (at least if you were wealthy), and offers one of those rare glimpses into another style of life. It’s well worth a visit.
Calle Dueñas 5
Sevilla
Tel: +34 954 214 828
Palacio de las Dueñas Website