Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain

Hotel Claris offers plenty of options for the stylish traveler. In the first place, you’ll find yourself in an upscale neighborhood with high end shopping only a few blocks away. There’s also a number of great restaurants nearby. However, the hotel itself puts you within the lap of luxury, offering regular rooms, “duplexes,” and a number of amenities such as a rooftop pool that make your stay that much better.

At check in, the desk clerk informed me that I received an upgrade to one of the duplex rooms. What an excellent surprise! And what a dramatic space to stay. Here’s the lower level where I did most of my sleeping:

Sleeping area of a duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Sleeping area of a duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Beside both sides of the bed, you’ll find an outlet as well as switches for the lights. The outlet comes in handy for charging your smartphone while sleeping. Note the railing on the right side of photos. There’s a staircase there that takes you up to the second level where you’ll find a couch, chair, TV, and minibar as seen here:

Entrance to and staircase inside duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Entrance to and staircase inside duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Now for a look at that upper level, see the next photo:

Upper level of duplex style room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Upper level of duplex style room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Of course, a fantastic bathroom is part of this room:

Sink and shower in duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Sink and shower in duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Marble and granite in the bathroom match the woodwork in the rest of the duplex.

Bidet and toilet in duplex room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Bidet and toilet in duplex room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Finally, but also importantly, there is a nicely designed closet complete with safe, drawers, and racks for your clothes:

Closet in duplex style room at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Closet in duplex style room at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Staff at Hotel Claris do a wonderful job making your stay pleasant and productive. They are true professionals, right down to the laundry service, which delivered my cleaned, pressed articles in a lovely basked like this:

Laundry perfectly cleaned and pressed at Hotel Pau Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

Laundry perfectly cleaned and pressed at Hotel Claris, Barcelona, Spain.

And there’s more! Hotel Claris has rooftop amenities that including a swimming pool, bar/lounge, and gym. I’ll put them in another post. Please check back frequently for more updates from Spain and around the world.

Tortilla Española

Also known as the Spanish Tortilla, this dish is a favorite of mine, especially when enjoyed in Madrid. Since I happen to elsewhere at the moment, I decided to make myself this simple treat. All you need is olive oil, potatoes, onion, a couple eggs, and a hot stove. Dice up the potatoes and fry them with chopped onions (you can add bits of ham or other stuff to your taste) in the olive oil about 10 minutes. Drain off the oil. Whisk the eggs in a pot then dump in the potatoes and onions. Mix it all together gently then pour back into the frying pan on med-low heat. Keep the edges nice and neat with the spatula; you’re going for a pie-like look here. When the one side is cooked, carefully flip the cooking tortilla over onto a plate then slip it back into the pan to cook that other side. (This can be tricky.) When cooked firm all the way through, onto a plate it goes and you’re ready to eat. Here’s a photo of my tortilla with accessories for my Spanish snack last night.

That was a great little meal. As soon as I come up with a reliable source for jamón iberico, I’ll be loving life that much more. Naturally, the albariño wine kicks things up a notch. Even if you can’t get there, you can still enjoy the tastes of your favorite travel spots. Enjoy the journey wherever it takes you.

Published in: on May 6, 2012 at 5:14 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Back Roads Spain, review

Back Roads Spain is a book published by DK Eyewitness Travel. I’ve used their travel books many times, especially when planning my trips to the Iberian Peninsula. The “back roads” collection is designed to take the traveller a little deeper in-country, something that is right up my alley. Here’s a brief video review of the book:

Let me emphasize the photographs and illustrations in this book. The street maps show a walking tour with sites of interest highlighted. Sometimes there are three dimensional renderings of a cathedral or winery, which prove irresistible. You want to see the real thing after peering into such well-presented images. The driving routes definitely take you into the countryside, which, having driven extensively in Spain, can be frustrating. However, with a decent guide and fair warning of what to expect, you’re sure to enjoy yourself.

Published in: on October 6, 2011 at 10:21 am  Leave a Comment  
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Quiet Streets in Spain

During my travels, I enjoy walking quiet streets, having a chat with the old folks lingering on porches or tossing a treat to the odd stray cat. While in Spain this was particularly interesting because of the contrast between the old buildings and the new. Some of them date to medieval times, some from a few years ago. The town of Jerte showed this juxtaposition very well as you’ll see in this next video. It’s not brilliant footage, just documentary images of what was and what is. Take a look.

There was that friendly elderly couple on the bench and a cat, too. These elements add great authenticity to any place, including a native perspective on visitors like myself who are just passing through. Enjoy the journey.

Published in: on August 20, 2011 at 5:06 pm  Leave a Comment  
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