Museum of the Galician People - Museo del Pueblo Gallego, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Since we wanted to learn about the region we were making holiday at, we planned to visit the Museo del Pueblo Gallego or Museum of the Galician People.

It is housed in a building ca. 700 years old and just a short stroll from the cathedral.

On Sundays the museum has open from 11.00 hours to 14.00 hours.  We expected to pay 3 Euro (ca. 4 USD) entrance per person.
To our surprise we were told the entrance was free, because it was Sunday.

It might also had to do with us arriving around 40 minutes before closing, so we couldn't see the whole exhibition.

Our backpack was stored in a locker.

Photography without flash is allowed.

We enjoyed the courtyard, the gallery with it's arches and stone reliefs depicting saints and the former church, now housing a memorial to famous Galician persons. The church was very simple, airy and a clean cut space.

Another highlight was the staircase. It was winding and looked very elegant. It was impressive and alone for that the entrance would be worth paying for.

Since we had a few minutes to spare we went into one of the many exhibition rooms. This one was dedicated to the history of the maritime life in Galicia.

We had visited a similar museum before, so we could understand what it was showing, like fishing boats, mussel picking and other things. Unfortunately there is no English signage, only Spanish and Galician, so it could be boring some or difficult to follow.

Overall we would highly recommend the museum for a longer visit next time.

 

©2013

Gallery Hotel Art, Florence, Italy

We arrived with Volainbus / shuttle Bus from the Airport to the Florence Train Station and bought a return ticket, which cost 10 Euro per person (ca. 13.40 USD). The driver was so nice to give us directions to the Gallery Hotel Art.

The Gallery Hotel Art belongs to Salvatore Ferragamo's Lungarno Collection. This and having been the first design hotel in Italy were the reasons we choose this hotel.

The hotel has the ideal location, just steps away from the Ponte Vecchio, in a very quiet side street. The building was formerly a work shop for Salvatore Ferragamo.

The hotel was easy to find. The lobby looked like an art gallery and had an exhibition about bicycle racing going on.

Check in was friendly and quick.

Our rate included breakfast, free internet access, free entrance to the Ferragamo Museum and an upgrade at check in, if available. We were lucky and were upgraded.

We were accompanied by the bell captain to our room on the fourth floor, who also took our suitcase.

He gave us a quick room description. Then we were alone.

The room was large with twin beds pushed together, two chairs in front of the beds, a writing desk and a cupboard, containing the mini bar and storage space.

There was also a small hallway with a large wardrobe including safe.

The bathroom was medium in size. There was a double sink, weighing scale, toilet and bidet and a bath tub with shower combination.

The amenities were Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Soul.

The color scheme was brown, beige, black and white.

24 hour room service was also available.

We loved the details, like artwork depicting Florentine landmarks or that the leather handles to open the wardrobe were also made by Salvatore Ferragamo craftsmen.

We could see the part of the Ponte Vecchio from our window or looking in the next door apartments.

Everything in the room was comfortable.

There was also the biography of Salvatore Ferragamo and a Lungarno Collection magazine.

TV channels available were mostly regional but all important international channels were also there. Some channels also allowed changing the language by pressing a button via remote control. We watched one evening Bag of Bones with Pierce Brosnan on Italian TV using this service.

Breakfast was something to look forward to. We could have had breakfast at the Continentale or the Lungarno Hotel, but choose to have it at the Gallery Hotel Art, because we wanted to have a surprise element when returning to Florence and staying at one of the others within the Lungarno Collection.

Breakfast was served at the Hotel's lounge which can be seen as extension of the Fusion Restaurant and Bar. It was divided into different areas, insuring that the people flow was manageable. There were some hot items like bacon, scrambled eggs and turkey sausages, cold cuts, different types of cheese, fruits, cereal and much more. My favorite was the rice tart, but most of the days it was finished by the time we arrived. So if you want to have them better come early. All other items were replenished frequently.

The juice choice was good too. We loved the detox juice and the energizer, but there were peach, pear and orange juice available.

Other hot items, like omelets or pancakes could be ordered a la carte. They were charged extra. One of us had pancakes, and they were delicious. The cost was 6 Euro, ca. 8 USD.

One evening we also had dinner at the restaurant. It was fantastic and included 2 cocktails, a bottle of water, two main courses and two desserts. It came in at 78 Euro (ca. 104.40 USD).

All the staff was very friendly and attentive.

One example was the maid. On our first night the twin beds were pushed together, our preference. The next day, when the room was made up, the beds were separated. Before going to bed we pushed them together. The following morning the maid took note of what we liked and the beds stayed the way we preferred it for the rest of the stay.

Check out came too quickly. It was efficient and fast.

©2013

Hotel Porta Fira

When we planned our European tour we tried to find a way from Santiago de Compostela to Florence. There were no direct flights, and with a connection it would have meant we would arrive very late in Florence.

We didn't want to arrive close to midnight in a city we've never been before. We decided to break up the flights. We bought a Vueling ticket to Barcelona and another one for the following day from Barcelona to Florence.

That meant we needed a hotel for our roughly 19 hours in Barcelona. After a long discussion we thought we had found the right hotel with the Renaissance. It is located in Hospitalet de Llobregat, a suburb, between the airport and Barcelona.

Shortly before booking we decided to have a closer look again. We spied the Hotel Porta Fira, belonging to Hoteles Santos of Spain and after that it was a done deal. We believed it was more interesting and better suitable for us.

The location is similar to the Renaissance - in fact our room faced it, from accross the road.

The Porta Fira hotel's architect was Toyo Ito. The building is covered in red tubes and shaped like a lotus flower. It won in 2010 best skyscraper in the world by Emporis.

From the airport we took the bus 46 to Amadeu Torner - tickets were 2 Euro (ca. 2.70 USD) per person one way.

The Hotel Porta Fira is around 50 to 100 m from the stop.

We admired the building before checking in. It looked really great. The lobby was large. Check in was only staffed with one person.

Our check in was fast, professional and efficient. Since there was only one member of staff, she was very busy and was asked even while we were dealing with the formalities for maps.

To the left of the reception were the bar and restaurant and the elevators, to the right meeting rooms.

We had booked a Privilege Room including breakfast. It was located on the higher floors and offered stunning views. The facade tubes were cut, so that they were undisturbed.

The color scheme was black, white and red.

There was a king sized bed with a bench in front, a stylish writing desk and chair - it wasn't comfortable -, a sofa that looked uncomfortable, but was the whole opposite, large storage space, wooden floors and a white carpet.

The TV offered a wide choice of international channels, including Arirang South Korea and Bloomberg. The mini bar was well stocked with the usual items and priced according to staying in Barcelona.

The bathroom concept was unusual. The double sinks were placed in the bed room, while there was a separate one for the toilet and bidet and another one for the bathroom.

The bathroom was a typical Japanese wet shower.

The amenities were Porta Fira own branded, there was also a comb provided.

There is also 24 hour room service available.

We already knew that the restaurant was unsuitable for our needs, so we went to Gran Via 2, a shopping center just ten minutes walk away and had dinner at Sottovoce and it was very good.

The next morning we had breakfast at the restaurant. The facade tubes continued inside. The buffet offered everything including melon juice, cold cuts, bread, cheese, salad, hot items and much more. The quality was good and we enjoyed it very much.

After breakfast it was already time for check out.

We were sad to leave, because the stay was too short.

Check out was quick. The only cost incurred was the city tax of 1.98 Euro (ca. 2.65 USD).

Of course we are going to return, but would like to stay longer and test the bar.

©2013

A Quinta da Auga, Relais & Chateaux

We had a total of 5 nights in Santiago de Compostela. Thinking we would be quite busy while staying at the AC Palacio del Carmen (see review) we decided to spend the last two relaxing a bit outside of the city at the A Quinta da Auga, Relais & Chateaux. This was our second Relais & Chateaux property. Based on only good experiences with Le St. Paul at St. Paul de Vence, France, we thought it was time to check out another one, this time in Spain.

The A Quinta da Auga dates back to 1792. Originally it was built by Jacobo Perez Villamarin as a paper factory, but it was also used to produce wool clothing, ice and beer. It fell into disrepair until Lorenzo Garcia and his family bought the estate. The architect carrying out the restoration and renovation project was Luisa Garcia Gil.

We took a taxi from the AC to the A Quinta da Auga and paid around 8 Euro (ca. 10.70 USD). The journey took maybe 10 minutes.

It was around 12.30 hours when we arrived. Unfortunately we weren't able to check in early and were advised to come back at 15.00 hours, when the official check in time was and our room would be ready.

We explored the area and checked out where the bus stop for the Number 8 bus into town was. It wasn't easy to spot, because it was at the end of the road and only a no parking sign indicated it. We later saw a bus stopping there.

Having done that we decided to go back to the hotel and have lunch.

We had Ice tea, hot chocolate, cappuccino, ham and cheese sandwiches and watermelon gazpacho.

When we had settled the bill (ca. 25 Euro or ca. 33.40 USD) our room was ready. We were offered an upgrade for 90 Euro (ca. 120 USD) per night to a suite. We didn't take it up, because we were quite happy with our room. It was 10 square meters larger than the standard room at the AC Palacio del Carmen. We received a room at the top floor (5th). It was a mansard room with a window built into the roof and views over the garden and neighborhood. The room was sparsely furnished with a traditional writing desk, two chairs and comfortable twin beds. It was large, but didn't look too empty. We felt immediately at home.

There were wooden floors; the mini bar was free with local water, two bottles of Coca Cola, one orange Fanta and one lemon Fanta. It was restocked daily.

The flat screen TV was small, but moving the chairs from under the window nearer to the TV solved the problem. The only English speaking channel was BBC World.

Storage space in the wardrobe was good. There was also a safe unlike at the AC.

The air condition was centrally operated and sometimes made the room slightly too hot. It didn't bother us too much or we simply opened the window.

The tapestry was interesting. It depicted what life was like in earlier days.

The bathroom was large with a bathtub/shower combination, Relais & Chateaux Ylang Ylang amenities, a bidet, toilet and sink. The bath tub was comfortable and the water pressure was good.

The hotel has a restaurant called Filigrana, a social lounge and the Q Cafe. There is also a new wing with fitness center, hydrothermal facilities including swimming pool, hydrotherapy pool, sauna, ice fountain and steam bath. There is also a spa, offering facials, massages, body treatments, manicure, pedicure, hair care and yoga lessons. Massage treatments start from 30 minutes and cost 40 Euro (ca. 53.40 USD) to 90 minutes for 115 Euro (ca. 153.35 USD).

There are also packages available ranging from 110 minutes to 5 days.

Use of the Flotarium costs 22 Euro for 20 minutes (ca. 29.40 USD); yoga lessons start at 90 Euro (ca. 120 USD) for 90 minutes.

We enjoyed spending time on our room, going to the Q Cafe or walking in the grounds.

The gardens were very beautiful. There were different flowers, fountains tinkling and a waterfall. The hotel recommends also walks ranging from twenty to forty five minutes.

The hotel was detailed. The social lounge had old photographs of what the hotel looked like before the renovation, which famous guests had visited and other artwork. Each seating area was different with plush sofas, comfortable armchairs and an open fire.

Another detail were flowers and plants in the bedroom and bathroom or that the flowers and the outdoor chairs were in matching colors - an intense red.

There were nooks and crannies to explore on every floor and art work everywhere.

Even the elevators look not functional. They have prints depicting the paper making process.

Since we had time I choose a 30 minutes deep tissue massage.

The spa was airy and light. The original building and the new wing are connected indoors, so there is no reason to go outside. The staff was very friendly and concerned if the treatment had been to my liking. The changing room was empty and I had my own locker, containing a bath robe, panty and slippers. There were also showers and toilets.

The treatment was relaxing and eased my tensions. This massage didn't make me as sore as previous ones. It was as good, though.

At the Q Cafe we tried different smoothies and juices, local wine and coffee liquor, pasta salad, peppers filled with cod, frozen yogurt and raspberries, Santiago Cake and much more.

Breakfast was served buffet style every day at the Filigrana Restaurant. It was small, but had everything one could need from cold cuts and smoked salmon to cheese to yogurt, fruit salad, scrambled eggs - other egg dishes could be made a la carte -, pastries and much more. The space was a bit small and when it was busy, it could get tight. Restocking wasn't an issue. There was only one juice - orange. The flavor was outstanding and everyone had at least two glasses. The salmon was the softest I've ever had.

We had a funny incident with Housekeeping. It was afternoon. We had returned from our walk and saw that the maids were on our floor making up rooms. They hadn't arrived at our room, so we were prepared for their visit. The maid knocked, shouted something in Spanish and opened the door immediately. If we had been in an indiscriminating situation it could have gotten embarrassing, so the young lady was a bit surprised somebody was on the room. She asked a colleague to help her. The room was cleaned and the bed was made very quickly.

All the staff encountered was friendly, efficient and warm.

Way too soon we had to leave for our next destination Barcelona.

Check out was done quickly, a taxi was ordered for us and the "bible" - the 2013 Relais & Chateaux catalogue in English was given to us as a good bye present. On the room we only had the actual version in Spanish, so this was a nice touch.
Donations to UNICEF are also encouraged.

We can recommend the A Quinta da Auga to couples and families with older children, who are looking for a quirky property that is romantic and off the beaten track with personalized services and attentive staff.

We are missing the property already and are definitely going to return, when we are in the area.

©2013

Time to Celebrate!!!!

10.000 View!!!!









 

©2013

AC Palacio Del Carmen, Autograph Collection

Sorry for so long nothing publishing. My better half and I have just returned from holiday. A few more reviews are going to follow. Hope you enjoy our hotel adventures as much as we did. Happy Travels!

We planned a small travel itiniery in Spain and Italy. Our first stop was Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia in the Northwest of Spain. We arrived from Dublin by Aer Lingus. We tried the new pre-order meal option. There is a choice of Irish breakfast, chicken or beef salad. We both had the chicken salad. The process worked flawless and the salad was delicious. The cost was 7.50 Euro (ca. 10 USD) per person and included a hot drink, like coffee or tea. The flight was pleasant and eventless.

We had informed ourselves about public transport and decided to take the bus operated by Empresa Freire to Praza da Galicia. The journey took about 45 minutes. A single ticket costs 3 Euro (ca. 4 USD), a return ticket 5.10 Euro (ca. 6.80 USD) per person.
We had a map with us and thought the AC Palacio del Carmen, an Autograph Collection property, was easy to locate. It proofed a bit more difficult than thought. We asked locals for directions. They were helpful, but unfortunately spoke only Spanish. Mine is non existent. We finally found someone, who spoke English. She directed us correctly and within five minutes we arrived at the Palacio del Carmen.
It nestles in a residential area on the outskirts of Santiago's city center.

The hotel is located in a former 15th century convent. In the two original buildings are the reception and small lobby with an internet corner, the bar, fine dining restaurant and meeting rooms located. There is also a new wing with additional rooms. Besides meeting facilities there is also a beautiful fairly large garden, indoor swimming pool, spa and a very small fitness center.

The check in was pleasant and conducted in German. The receptionist Karel is from Prague and spoke fluent German. My better half and I have forgotten most of it, since we have been very rarely back to our home country and speak mostly English with each other since we live in Ireland for nearly fourteen years. We were promised a big bed and were very happy about our comfortable king.
The room was located in one of the original buildings.
Each floor is glassed in, airconditioned and a bridge leads to each room.
The entrance category room was simple, but elegant and comfortable.
There were wooden floors and beams, the large bed, a luggage rack, medium sized TV, a large wardrobe and a writing desk. The colors were different shades of brown, beige and ocre. Our view was over the peaceful garden.
One night there was a wedding party and for a moment we feared we would be disturbed by the noise, but the soundproofing was good, so we heard nothing. The room's location guaranteed a restful sleep. It was really quiet.
The bath room was medium sized with a sink, Palacio del Carmen own branded amenities, a comfortable bath tub and shower combination, a bidet and toilet.
The bath tub was wide and not very high, making it easy to get in and out.
The mini bar contained orange and pineapple juice, Mondariz water, Nordic Mist, Coca Cola and Coca Cola Light and San Miguel beer (with and without alcohol). Prices were reasonable. The water cost 1.50 Euro, ca. 2 USD, the rest 2.50 Euro, ca. 3.35 USD.
TV channels were dominantely local. There was BBC World, RT and CNBC.
The air condition was easy to use. It kept up with the heat and worked fast and efficient.
The lightning was mellow, but added to the atmosphere.
24 hour room service was also available.

We planned a small travel itenary in Spain and Italy. Our first stop was Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia in the Northwest of Spain. We arrived from Dublin by Aer Lingus. We tried the new pre-order meal option. There is a choice of Irish breakfast, chicken or beef salad. We both had the chicken salad. The process worked flawless and the salad was delicious. The cost was 7.50 Euro (ca. 10 USD) per person and included a hot drink, like coffee or tea. The flight was pleasant and eventless.

We had informed ourselves about public transport and decided to take the bus operated by Empresa Freire to Praza da Galicia. The journey took about 45 minutes. A single ticket costs 3 Euro (ca. 4 USD), a return ticket 5.10 Euro (ca. 6.80 USD) per person.
We had a map with us and thought the AC Palacio del Carmen, an Autograph Collection property, was easy to locate. It proofed a bit more difficult than thought. We asked locals for directions. They were helpful, but unfortunately spoke only Spanish. Mine is non existent. We finally found someone, who spoke English. She directed us correctly and within five minutes we arrived at the Palacio del Carmen.
It nestles in a residential area on the outskirts of Santiago's city center.

The hotel is located in a former 15th century convent. In the two original buildings are the reception and small lobby with an internet corner, the bar, fine dining restaurant and meeting rooms located. There is also a new wing with additional rooms. Besides meeting facilities there is also a beautiful fairly large garden, indoor swimming pool, spa and a very small fitness center.

The check in was pleasant and conducted in German. The receptionist Karel is from Prague and spoke fluent German. My better half and I have forgotten most of it, since we have been very rarely back to our home country and speak mostly English with each other since we live in Ireland for nearly fourteen years. We were promised a big bed and were very happy about our comfortable king.
The room was located in one of the original buildings.
Each floor is glassed in, air conditioned and a bridge leads to each room.
The entrance category room was simple, but elegant and comfortable.
There were wooden floors and beams, the large bed, a luggage rack, medium sized TV, a large wardrobe and a writing desk. The colors were different shades of brown, beige and ochre. Our view was over the peaceful garden.
One night there was a wedding party and for a moment we feared we would be disturbed by the noise, but the soundproofing was good, so we heard nothing. The room's location guaranteed a restful sleep. It was really quiet.
The bath room was medium sized with a sink, Palacio del Carmen own branded amenities, a comfortable bath tub and shower combination, a bidet and toilet.
The bath tub was wide and not very high, making it easy to get in and out.
The mini bar contained orange and pineapple juice, Mondariz water, Nordic Mist, Coca Cola and Coca Cola Light and San Miguel beer (with and without alcohol). Prices were reasonable. The water cost 1.50 Euro, ca. 2 USD, the rest 2.50 Euro, ca. 3.35 USD.
TV channels were dominantly local. There was BBC World, RT and CNBC.
The air condition was easy to use. It kept up with the heat and worked fast and efficient.
The lightning was mellow, but added to the atmosphere.
24 hour room service was also available.

We went twice to the bar. There are nineteen dishes to choose from. A small selection is available during general opening hours, a larger between 13.30 hours and 15.30 hours and 21.00 hours to 23.00 hours.
We had refreshing sangria, chicken salad with cherry tomatoes and sherry vinaigrette, fresh tomato and tuna salad, Iberian ham in a bread roll with parmesan cheese and dried tomatoes and a seasonal fruit plate with green and watermelon, red grapes, kiwi and pineapple.
All was tasty, fresh and healthy.
Prices were reasonable again. We paid 29.60 Euro (ca. 39.30 USD) and 35.20 Euro (46.70 USD) respectively.

Breakfast was included in our rate. It was every day in the former chapel. It can be also used a meeting room.
The room is beautiful with a large mosaic depicting the Archangel Gabriel visiting Mary to tell her she is going to give birth to Jesus.
The windows are high up, letting in the light in an unusual way. The plays between shadow and light are beautiful.
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and juice are self service based. There are a Nespresso Coffee machine and three differently colored capsules (red, green and black) available. The colors indicate the strength of the coffee. Red is de-caffeinated, green normal and black strong.  I had the last two and enjoyed them. They are smooth and have intense flavors as it is expected from Nespresso.
The buffet contains the continental breakfast, while egg dishes can be ordered a la carte and don't incur an additional charge. We tried the scrambled and baked eggs and French omelet.
Juices on offer were orange, pineapple, peach and raspberry.
The buffet is small, but has everything one could want beside fish. There are cold cuts, cheese, pastries, bread, Tortilla Espanola including condiments, jam, different types of cereal and much more.

All staff was warm, helpful and efficient.

The memories we took home are about a very different place. It's romantic, peaceful and tranquil. It can be as near to the action as you like, though. When you know your way around, you can reach the Cathedral and Old Town within ten minutes walk.

It's definitely on our return list.

©2013