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Another year’s gone. To welcome the brand new 2020, Marina and I headed to Spain.
Another year’s gone. To welcome the brand new 2020, Marina and I headed to Spain. First, we would spend a couple of days in Madrid then take AVE express to Barcelona where we party. Planning a trip to Spain is a breeze. Start with the flights. Just about every major airline and quite a few discounters fly there. There are plenty of direct flight options from the US. The best value, in my opinion, is Iberia Airlines that stands alone with very attractive fares (both dollars and points), a convenient schedule, and a decent service. Until now, Iberia had direct flights only to Madrid but recently added a non-stop to Barcelona served by its subsidiary Level. The best availability for the holidays may be limited, but I started planning well in advance and was able to book air tickets, as well as hotels, entirely on points. That was basically all arrangements I had to make. We have been in Spain several times before, this time we will be at our own pace, the way we feel like, with no particular agenda.
The start of the trip at JFK was kind of intense. The long term parking was full due to the holidays. Luckily we were given a voucher to park at a terminal at a long-term rate. Bravo JFK parking management! But that was not the end of pleasant surprises. Priority Pass has the Alaska Airlines lounge at JFK Terminal 7.
But giving a high volume of holiday travel and Alaska giving strong preferences to its elite flyers, we figured a chance to get access was slim. We gave it a try anyway and came to the lounge reception. As expected, the lounge was full, but we were offered to scan a code on the phone and join a wait list. We did with no high expectations, but surprisingly in just a few minutes, we received a message that invited to come in.
Excellent job, Alaska! Our final surprise, though, awaited at the gate, where we were notified that we got upgraded to a business class! Why? I still don’t know- we are nobody with Iberia or with any other Oneworld airline, but it just happened. So goodbye crummy 27D and 27E; hello lie-flat seats and dinner with champagne! The place was the brand new Airbus A350. While the cabin was bright and shiny we found the space a bit smaller than on Boeing 767 that served this route before. Content, relaxed and well-rested, we landed in Madrid on a shiny bright morning having four exciting days in Spain ahead of us.
Hotel Indigo Grand Via Madrid left a mixed impression. On the other hand, the location was excellent, and the service was good. I emailed the reception ahead of our arrival to ask if early check-in was possible. When we arrived, a room was ready for us. Madrid hotels tend to be comfortable and well kept; a lot of them are recently refurbished, but places are often small. As IHG platinum members, we could have expected an upgrade, but Indigo did not have any. We’ve got a standard room without a proper window. We were facing an internal wall with just a tiny shred of daylight. The room was more like a large walk-in closet or an inside cabin on a ship.
We contemplated asking to change a room, but then just settled with that we’ve got. After all, an inside room meant no street noise. We were here for a couple of days only and did not plan to spend much time in a hotel. Still, no natural light felt depressing. By the end of the visit, we felt like we should have asked to change a room. The hotel interior was decorated with the images of Grand Via – Madrid’s Champ Elysee. On the ground floor was a small bar, on a second level – a restaurant for breakfast and dinner, and another bar on a rooftop.
There was also a small pool closed for winter but good to have if you stay here on warm days. The room rate on IHG points was 40,000 per night. That did not include breakfast – an extra 14 Euro per person per day. The redemption rate and the breakfast supplement were a bit steep, in my opinion, but if you intend to use IHG points, there is not much choice in Madrid center locations. Overall, my impression of Indigo Grand Via was somewhat positive, but if you decide to stay there, make sure to ask for a room with a view.
In the afternoon, we walked to Grand Via that was hustling and bustling with the holiday crowd. We headed to Circulo de Bellas Artes to see the unique Van Gogh Alive exhibition.
Circulo is a centuries-old Spanish organization that promotes art and culture. It currently occupies an imposing art deco building in the very heart of Madrid, where Grand Via conjoins with Calle de Alcala. The building was open in 1926 and was designed by Antonio Palacios – an author of many other prominent Madrid constrictions of that period. It often hosts aspiring and non-conventional art displays. At the time of our visit, it featured Van Gogh – a multi-media installation by a company Nomad Art that introduced this popular way of art viewing around the world. The whole impression of the exhibit was astonishing. Cicullo de Bellas Artes also has a rooftop terrace bar with a view of Madrid. The cover charge to get in is 5 Euro. It may be worth it for the first time, but keep in mind – a lot of hotels in the city center also have rooftop bars that afford similar views, and you can get there for free.
After that visit, it was time for lunch. We had it at a nearby Al Jayma restaurant. The food was tapas style and Moorish and was very good. I can recommend the place for a quality inexpensive meal in the center of Madrid.
We returned to Grand Via at a twilight time and found the busy street became even more hectic. The holiday crowd packed Puerta del Sol and Plaza Major. Numerous Christmas market stands were busy and obstructed the view of that magnificent square. We hang around until dark to snap a picture of the city’s main Christmas tree eliminated. Then we tried to get to the famous Chocolateria San Gines for Madrid’s special treat – hot chocolate with churros. We were discouraged by an hour-long queue and skip it for now. We returned to our hotel and had drinks and tapas at the rooftop bar watching the magnificent lights of the Spanish capital.
The next morning started with breakfast at a hotel restaurant. It had a decent buffet spread and a choice of omelets or pancakes made to order. I think the price of 14 Euro was adequate.
After breakfast, we went out. The weather was still sunny and warm for December, and Grand Via was even more crowded. We headed to El Retiro – Madrid’s Central Park.
On that beautiful Sunday, people were there as well, but the park was so large it wouldn’t feel crowded. Park’s alleys were pleasant, even in winter.
At a café, by a central pond, we finally had churros with hot chocolate. It was delicious, maybe not that good as in San Gines but at least without waiting in line.
After this cheerful treat we stopped by the amazing Crystal Palace – the whole construction is made from glass.
It usually features art exhibition by aspiring artists. Don’t miss it if you are there. Then we walked through the park to Botanical Garden. We did not go in, instead went to the Prado museum.
Interestingly enough, it was initially meant to be a museum of natural history and therefore was built adjacent to Botanical Garden. But a queen at a time decided to move paintings from Royal palace to this new venue and open it for public viewing. Prado museum was established 150 years and today has of the world’s best collection of art. We spent hours there and could not get enough until the museum was closing, and the guards asked visitors to leave. We had dinner at nearby El Rincon de Esteban – a classy traditional Spanish restaurant frequent with foreign diplomats, especially Asians. We had one fish and one meat entrée and a choice of appetizers.
Food was good, but a check was on a higher side. We finished dinner around 11 pm. For the rest of Madrid, it was a going out start time, but after a long day, we needed a rest. We went back to our hotel and called it a day.
The next morning we left Madrid on AVE express to Barcelona. A train departed from Atocha station that was a short 20 minutes ride from our hotel.
The terminal was packed with people and a bit confusing to navigate, but eventually, we found our way.
Spanish passenger railway company Renfe jacked up fares for holiday travel. Even booked well in advance, the cheapest ticket in second class was 80 Euro There were however quite a lot empty seats – probably Renfe overcharges too much.
The ride itself was smooth, fast, and pleasant. Spain has the widest railroad gage in Europe, so riding there is a joy.
The whole trip took less than 3 hours. I remember 20 years ago it was an overnight trip.
From Barcelona Saints train station, our hotel was a mere 15 minutes cab ride. Crown Plaza Fira was a significant improvement from Indigo Madrid. It is located in Barcelona exposition district right by Plaza Espana (or Placa d’Espanya in Catalan), signing fountains, and the stairs to Montjuic. Even though the hotel is primarily oriented to business travelers, it has a spa (paid access) and a rooftop terrace. The full-service restaurant is also on premises – that were we booked out New Year dinner. Our room was large and modern, and at last – had a high window facing the city.
The reception offered an access to a business lounge for 30 Euro per person per day.
There we would get breakfast and evening chef d’oeuvres. We skipped.
After settling and having a quick rest, we went out and walked to Plaza Espana. The area was busy preparing for the New Year party next night. We claimed stairs up to Palau Nacional,
then headed to Olympic Stadium
and explored Montjuic lovely green grounds walking to Castillo.
It had a vista with a great view of the sea and a port.
Then we took a cable car down.
It terminated about a halfway to the city center. The rest of the distance, we could ride a funicular, but we just walked. It was a pleasant 30-minute stroll downhill via Jardins de Laribal until we got back to Plaza Espana.
The last item on that day’s agenda was a dinner that we had at L’Amfora restaurant on Avenida Parallel, just a block from the hotel.
The dinner was amazing – no doubt the best on our trip. After delicious appetizers, we had fantastic mixed paella. It was seasoned to perfection; before serving, a chef asked us to taste if it was right salty. Everything was perfect – food and service, and the check.
I highly recommend the restaurant, especially if you stay in that area.
The New Year Eve was another picture-perfect weather day. The plan was to visit some city attractions at a complete leisure pace. The hotel was just a short walk to a metro station, and even though Barcelona taxis are plenty and not expensive, we decided to use public transportation to move around. So last year in Milan the 24-hour unlimited metro pass was 4 Euro. Not so cheap in Barcelona. The tourist pass (Hola Barcelona) is for two days minimum at 15 Euro and does not pay for itself unless you plan to use the metro extensively. For a short stay and moderate movements in the city center, a regular single-use ticket at 2.40 Euro will do
We boarded the metro at Plaza Espana and headed to La Rambla. The famous Barcelona thoroughfare was packed with people. We walked uptown along a row of countless souvenir stands until we reached Mercado de Bouquera.
You don’t come here to look for a bargain but definitely must visit the place to get a feel of real Barcelona.
The stands are full of all kinds of colorful produce, but its Spanish Jamon displays that stand alone.
The place is also where you find delicious seafood.
There are multiple tapas bars throughout the market, but the snack will come at the price of a full meal elsewhere. If you on a budget but want to have a bite walk to the back were cheaper eateries are clustered.
There we squeezed in a seafood tapas bar and had some fantastic appetizers
with tasty Spanish beer.
It was a real Barcelona treat!
Then we crossed La Rambla to Gothic quarters and saw the landmark Barcelona cathedral.
From there, it was a short stroll to Plaza Catalunya – the central point of hassle and bustle where all major transportation lines come together and where La Rambla ends. We took the metro for another ride to Park Guell – Antoni Gaudi’s marvelous unfinished creation.
Park Guell is not in the city center now and certainly was not at the beginning of the 20th century when this ambitious project has begun. Gaudi’s architecture was fantastic, mind-boggling, revolutionary, and absolutely not practical.
The plan to build a futuristic residential complex on a hill overlooking Barcelona and the Mediterranean Sea was a financial fiasco.
A beautiful park but only two buildings were actually finished. Still visiting the place is a remarkable experience. The lower part of the park is accessible by tickets only, and you need to buy them online in advance. The upper part is free. Don’t miss visiting the well-preserved Gaudi house museum.
The entrance fee is just 5 Euro, and tickets are available on the spot. On a lovely afternoon, you can spend hours walking in the park, enjoying its nature, and imagining how beautiful this place would be if the project were fully implemented.
From Park Guell, we took another metro to Sagrada Familia – Gaudi’s last masterpiece and Barcelona landmark. In 1926 while still working on the creation of the cathedral, Gaudi was hit by a streetcar, mistaken for a drunk, and soon died in a hospital almost unattended.
While the cathedral is still unfinished, the construction works seem to pick up to be done by 2026 – the cathedral centennial anniversary. As a result, the temple is very much a construction site.
A lot of areas are fenced, and the view is often obstructed. It is also commercialized – the entrance ticket costs 37 Euro (!) per person if you want to climb the towers. Still, the monument is exceedingly popular, and at the high tourist seasons, tickets should be bought online well in advance. In the sunset, the cathedral looked even more monumental.
We hang out in the area until it became dark then headed to the hotel to relax and watch some TV before dinner. At 10:30 pm we went down to El Mall restaurant.
The special New Year eve dinner had a pre-set menu, and we had to book a table well in advance.
Giving a special occasion, the all-inclusive price of 149 Euros per person was reasonable. There was an adequate choice of food and wine.
However, most of the dishes were pre-cooked and tasted a bit bland.
At a quarter to midnight, we ascended to a rooftop terrace. The champagne was served by the hotel host. Someone started a countdown, and when the New Year arrived, we watched a fantastic firework over Montjuic and Plaza Espana.
It was quite a highlight of that magnificent night. In all that excitement, we forgot to eat Spanish traditional 12 grapes. I hope it will not ruin implementing our New Year resolutions. Then we returned to the room and watched some more TV before shutting down the light.
The New Year morning, we just slept. The late checkout option for IHG platinum members came handy at the moment. It was an early afternoon when we packed and checked out. Since our flight back was not until 6:40 pm, we left the luggage in the storage room and went to see Barcelona a day after. We might have a calm New Year eve, but everywhere on the streets were remains of a wild celebration. The city was empty and quiet, with most of the residents still in bed. We went to Avinguda Diagonal – the city thoroughfare and a boundary between the downtown and the commercial district. Hustling and bustling at other times, the avenue looked almost dead now. Many of the restaurants were closed, but some were open. A quick Google search brought us to La Brochette.
It was almost a random choice, but a good one. The restaurant had the New Year day pre-set menu.
We had an excellent fusion lunch with Asian inspired appetizers, seafood and steak for 40 Euro per person, including wine.
It was an outstanding culinary experience to finish the trip. From Diagonal, we decided to walk back to the hotel. It was about a 40-minute long pleasant stroll along empty streets. Many windows displayed Catalan or Spanish flags. While a local separatism and countering Spanish nationalism is very much a thing in Barcelona, we did not see any disturbances. It appeared the national struggle took a holiday break. We arrived to the hotel, picked up our luggage and took a taxi to the airport. The ride took less than 30 minutes.
If you hope to shop or browse boutiques at El Prat Barcelona airport departure terminal, you will not find many at the non-Schengen zone where USA flights depart. There is a general duty-free store, few bars, a restaurant, and Burger King, and that’s about it. There is a mediocre lounge for business class passengers and anyone else who has a Priority Pass. That’s where we spent our time before boarding the plane. Our return flight was on Level airline that is a low-cost subsidiary of Iberia.
The Airbus 320 had no business class, three rows of the premium economy at 2-3-2 configuration, and the rest standard economy at 2-4-2 configuration. At booking, I was able to assign duo seats in row 4 right behind the premium economy section, so we got some extra legroom.
The booklet in a seat pocket suggested the food and drinks are for purchase, but on that long haul flight, the airline served a hot dinner (subpar quality) and a snack before arrival (no better). There was complimentary water, soda, and juice. The paid food was also available for those who did not mind to splurge a little for a better quality meal experience.
The IFE was probably a plus – large displays and the right choice of movies and other entertainments. Overall the flight was OK for a budget carrier standard. We landed at JFK ahead of schedule and were home soon. Another New Year mini-vacation finished. Where would we go next time – Russia?