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.

Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Caledonian is one of those hotels that takes you back to the golden age of travel. It stands on a corner in the heart of Edinburgh, Scotland, with a view to the castle from many of it’s rooms and the Pompadour Restaurant. It’s recently been refurbished, and currently operates as a Waldorf-Astoria property. I reserved a standard room and was pleased to find myself on the top floor.

A room on the top floor of The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

A room on the top floor of The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

The hallway was a bit narrow, but the room was well-appointed and with a view to the castle. Of course the bathroom featured all the comforts you’d expect as you see in the next photo:

Bathroom of a standard room in The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Bathroom of a standard room in The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

The rainfall shower certainly made for a wonderful experience. At the sink, there’s plenty of room for personal grooming as well:

Sink in standard room at The Caledonia Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Sink in standard room at The Caledonia Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Don’t miss the pair of fluffy robes hanging on the door. There’s also slippers tucked into the pocket, more comforts than home! Of course, there’s a selection of products for your use and here’s a detailed look:

Products provided at The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Products provided at The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

There’s also a generously sized closet where you’ll find more conveniences, including an ironing board and more:

Closet in standard room at The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Closet in standard room at The Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh, Scotland.

All this and more makes for a comfortable stay at The Caledonian, where staff are truly professional and do whatever they can to make your stay enjoyable. The location is very convenient to many attractions and activities in Edinburgh, including business. I enjoyed my stay here 20 years ago, and this time it was just as good if not better. Oh, and here’s the view from that room:

View from the room at The Caledonian, Edinburgh, Scotland.

View from the room at The Caledonian, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Very nice, indeed!

Work continues…

…on the Ritz-Carlton in Aruba. As you see here, the main structure is mostly complete.

Inland facade of Ritz Carlton, Aruba.

Inland facade of Ritz Carlton, Aruba.

The building is much larger than I thought it would be from the conceptual drawings that were in the local newspaper. It takes up a chunk of the beach and is immediately adjacent to a very popular wind/kite surf area. The good/bad news is, there’s no more beach to build more hotels in this area.

Published in: on July 9, 2013 at 9:39 am  Leave a Comment  
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Club Arias, Aruba

In Savaneta, Aruba, you’ll find a bed and breakfast type of establishment called Club Arias. It’s easy to find. If you’re headed south from the airport, continue on the main road until you see this faux stone wall.

There’s room to park there. Then, after passing into the compound you’ll come upon a pleasant recreation area with a pool table as seen here.

While a game of billiards with your friends may be fun. May I suggest a dip in the pool? There are two. A large, deeper one…

…and a shallow one…

That’s a float up bar at the far end. Don’t want to be thirsty out there in the Aruban sunshine. The rooms are arranged around these pools giving you direct and immediate access to the water. A typical room features a nice bedroom like this…

…and a sitting area with micro-kitchenette like this…

The kitchenette area is off to the right, out of the frame. Then, Chef Gabby will be making you breakfast and snacks, served in the dining area. Around those pools you’ll find coolers dispensing lemonade and iced-tea at no extra charge, which is a nice bonus.

There’s a lending library here with books and games. Also available are various all terrain vehicles for exploring remote parts of the island, and there are a few worth finding. Club Arias provides an alternative to the big hotels. It is a place away from the bustle of the main tourist center. Here you can kick back in a casual fashion, do your own thing, and not have to worry about the crowds or the exorbitant prices that can sting your budget. Check it out.

Published in: on July 17, 2010 at 9:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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