Thank you!
Be very aware of the heat index. In less than 45 minutes, my super-fit 21 yr old son and I (far less than fit) caught a bit of heat stress in Segovia. My son recovered in a few hours. I needed a cold shower and a lengthy nap.
And not to single out Segovia. It could have been anywhere in a sunny hot Mediterranean climate.
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Thanks Patrick - it will be a early winter trip so weather should have cooled off!
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He’s closing his restaurant at Hotel Unico and opening a new place in 2025.
My college junior daughter is currently studying in Florence. My recent college grad daughter is meeting her in Madrid for a few days. She’s flying over tonight. Any thoughts on reasonably priced restaurants that offer both good food and a fun vibe at a reasonable price? Wine isn’t an issue as I’m 100% sure they will stick to cocktails. Also, looking for fun things to do for young adults.
Assuming they enjoy museums and culture, the Prado and the Royal Palace are both excellent attractions. Otherwise, just walk and sightsee. Many beautiful plazas and buildings and streets.
As far as dining goes, there are probably a number of other recommendations on this forum. Our favorite spot that we have sent a bunch of other people to based on the experience we had was Astor. It is a little out of the way though and not in the main tourist hub but depending on where you are staying, it might be close by. If not, uber is very convenient and cheap in Madrid.
Enjoy!
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Heading there in a few days and will post an update. Take a look at RavioXO- looks reasonable and fun and part of the DiverXO group. Heading to the Prado and lots of Christmas markets are open.
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Thanks! My oldest landed this AM. My youngest flies in tmrw morning. Their hotel is near the Royal Palace. Based on the pix I’m getting, she’s doing just fine. I’m happy they get to spend the time together and even more importantly, that they want to spend the time together.
This could be a total nightmare for travelers and businesses—
Travelers to Spain should know about a significant change that will affect them during their visit. The country’s new “big brother” data law went into effect on December 2, despite backlash and criticism. Called Royal Decree 933/2021, the new law requires tourists to share over 40 personal details with hotels and 60 pieces of information with car rentals. Industry experts are concerned that data privacy and personal information may be compromised.
We are currently in Spain - it’s not a big deal. They essentially ask to confirm home address, phone and email along with provide passport. Many offer pre-registration online so you fill in the info and check in is easy. Not very noticeable at the four hotels we’ve stayed at.
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Hope they are having a great time - lots of Christmas markets - most pretty cheesy- but the one at Recletos is artisanal and has some lovely items. Prado not to be missed. La Duquesita is a charming bakery and has one of the best Jamon y Brie sandwiches along with exquisite pastries. Galarias de canalejas has a food hall and one of the booths has a good selection of Gildas (octopus, mussels, dried tomatoes, jalapeño, sardines, in addition to traditional with anchovies) with a red vermouth and is very reasonable. Lots of fun people watching and Plaza Mayor and Puerta de Sol are just a zoo of people - especially after dark. Just walk and walk and walk.
Hi Lori,
Thanks for following up. They are actually both on planes now to their respective destinations. They had an amazing time. They loved the Prado and they went to a few food halls. Can’t wait to get the full download from them.
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Had the best meal I’ve ever had at Abantal in Seville. We were seated at the chef’s table, which we had not expected. Shared the room with one other couple. We had the tasting menu with wine pairings. I think there were 14 courses. Every dish was fantastic. Even if you think you need huge tasting menus, I would go for it!! I would recommend trying to reserve chef’s table. It was a fantastic experience. In Granada, we ate at Farala. Food was elegantly prepared and presented. I had a bad cold and couldn’t taste a thing, but my wife said it was great.
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We were really pleased with lunch at Farala in Granada - very reasonable, yummy food, and the staff was pleasantly engaging! I could have eaten a plate of their falafel balls. Each dish had something surprising. Weird location having to go through the Flamenco Dancing Hall.
Sorry you couldn’t enjoy it!
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+1
Also enjoyed the large beans and wild boar tenderloin. Quite frankly, I thought the wild boar was better than the suckling pig.
Madrid redux:
Takos al Pastor — holy smokes are these small street-style tacos some kind of incredible! 1.5 to 2 euros apiece. Long, but fast-moving line stretching out on to the street was immediate confirmation that we were somewhere excellent. Highly recommended.
Les Montes de Galicia — ate here our first night, as it was walkable from our hotel, and the menu looked good. We go the 100-euro-per-head deal that got our table of four the following: 6 apps to share (they were all huge); a main; 4(!) bottles of wine, a digestif, dessert, and another drink. Food here ranged from bad (tuna carpaccio was not a cut that should be served raw, imo — it had a rather strong flavor – it was allegedly tuna belly – mmmmmm, don’t think so. I’ve had plenty of tuna belly in my life, and if this was belly it was the worst belly I’ve ever had — tough and fishy, and I didn’t get the sense it had turned bad or anything — rather, it just wasn’t premium meat to start with) to “fine” (most of the dishes) to “good” (Corvina carpaccio; veal cheeks). Menu can be viewed here: https://losmontesdegalicia.es/en/menu-select/. It didn’t help that I was very tired by the time we sat down, but I was hoping I’d catch a second wind at some point, which I eventually kinda did. We sent most of many of the apps back uneaten, not because we didn’t like them, but because we were getting full and wanted to save room for our mains. Our server, Sammy, was very kind, but had a huckster/tourist trap-y vibe to him that I did not enjoy, but I’ll take that over a server who is indifferent or bad any day of the week. At the end of the meal, we were offered yet another drink – I was going to pass until my wife started entertaining the thought of a whisky. I needed something refreshing at that point, so opted for a beer. My wife’s whisky was poured into a lowball, neat, and it was probably the most absurd pour of whisky I’ve ever seen — a full four fingers, I shit you not. As we were paying our check, our server then bagged-up three more bottles of wine for us to take back to our hotel with us. The white wine was a drinkable Albarino, and the red was a big/modern Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero — both were drinkable, but neither was objectively impressive — kind of par for the course for this meal. Can’t say I recommend this place for the food, but at the same time I’m sure you can do worse.
Luzi Bombon – really enjoyed this restaurant. Food was good, yet accessible enough for us to bring our 11 yo and 9 yo. We were able to secure a weekday reservation for 10 on the day of. Not Michelin star type of food, but nonetheless nice. Recommended.
Canadio – liked this place, too. My app. of rice and cuttlefish in its own ink was good, and huge for an app. — I was honestly regretting having ordered a main before I was even done with my app… For my main, I got the veal meatballs, and they were delicious. Recommended unless you’re looking for Michelin-type food.
Wanted to eat at Astor, but they didn’t have reservations available on the days we were open; I recommend booking prior to your trip if you want to eat there.