Trilogy features excellent quality cuisine set in a relaxed environment. When the Western PA weather is nice, the restaurant offers outdoor seating.
Pittsburgh: Hard Rock Cafe (November 2006)
Hard Rock Cafe Pittsburgh is the destination for tasty American cuisine and great live entertainment. This restaurant is located in Station Square, between the Grand Concourse and the Sheraton. The one-story building features an industrial ceiling, exposed-brick stage, indoor seating for 200 people, and an outdoor patio that holds 70 diners. Music memorabilia from rock legends is scattered all around the cafe.
Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco (August 2006)
(includes Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Cordoba, Seville, Algeciras, Tangier, Gibraltar, and Granada)
Reviews
Link to My Review of the Villa Real
Link to My Review of Meson La Posada de Millian (August 2006)
Link to My Review of AC Algeciras Hotel Restaurant (August 2006)
Link to My Review of Parador de Granada Hotel Restaurant (August 2006)
Link to My Review of Hotel Urban (August 2006)
Link to My Review of San Fernando Restaurant at the Hotel Alfonso XIII (August 2006)
The Cordoba train station
is fairly nice, with a few shops and a restaurant. The AVE club-class lounge is
excellent, with free drinks, snacks, TV, internet, restrooms. Our connecting
ticket from Cordoba to Seville was barely any different in price for the club
class versus first class. Well worth the difference.
- Day 1: New York (JFK) to Madrid on MaxJet
- Day 2: MadridVilla Real Hotel (Small Luxury Hotels, Derby Hotels)Link to my review on TripAdvisor http://tinyurl.com/38wlgo
- Day 3: Madrid to ToledoVilla Real Hotel
- Day 4: Madrid to SegoviaVilla Real Hotel
- Day 5: MadridVilla Real Hotel
- Day 6: Madrid to Cordoba to Seville
Link to my review on TripAdvisor http://tinyurl.com/32xsrc
- Day 7: Seville to Algeciras
Tips:**Request an Executive Room/Suite on the seventh floor (has a separate living room, two televisions, LARGE terrace.****The mini-bar is included with the room rate (refilled daily).****Book a room using e-mail. The rates were signficantly less than using the website. That seemed to be the only way to reserve the suite.**La Posada de Millan Restaurant
- Day 8: Algeciras to TangierAC Algeciras HotelLink to my review on TripAdvisor http://tinyurl.com/y6s45k
- Day 9: Algeciras to GibraltarAC Algeciras Hotel
- Day 10: Algeciras to GranadaParador de San Franciscowww.paradores-spain.com/spain/pgranada.htmlLink to my review on TripAdvisor http://tinyurl.com/38z227
- Day 11: Granada to London Stansted (STN)
Link to my review on TripAdvisor http://tinyurl.com/2pynqr
- Day 12: Stansted to United States (JFK) on MaxJet
Reviews
Link to My Review of Meson La Posada de Millian (August 2006)
Link to My Review of AC Algeciras Hotel Restaurant (August 2006)
Link to My Review of Parador de Granada Hotel Restaurant (August 2006)
Link to My Review of Hotel Urban (August 2006)
Link to My Review of San Fernando Restaurant at the Hotel Alfonso XIII (August 2006)
We just did a stopover in
Cordoba en route from Madrid to Seville. There were many sizes of lockers in
the train station, just ask a guard to open the ropes surrounding them (must be
a security precaution). Have your euros ready, and you will receive a code to
open your locker when you return. We had a medium-sized one, which fit two
rolling duffels (I think they are 28" each).
Two hours is plenty of time
to see La Mezquita; add another hour to walk the windy cobblestone streets and
have lunch. Something that we didn't plan on, though, was that there would be a
funeral at La Mezquita on the day of our visit. We arrived right at opening
time, but found that admittance would be delayed for 2 hours due to the
funeral. It didn't take that long, though, which leads me to believe that they
overestimated. They were, however, letting people in early that day, before the
opening time (I think the set opening was 10:00, and they allowed people entry
from 8:30 to 10:00--I think it was even free). No way to know this in advance,
but I just thought I would pass it along.
I can't put a price on the
8:30 am entry to the Nazrid Palace. We just visited last Saturday. We were able
to pick up our tickets the evening prior, just before the 8:00 pm closing time
for the ticket window). Since we were staying at the Parador, we wandered over
to the entry gate at about 8:20, and they let us inside! Other than one other
couple, we had the place to ourselves for about 20 minutes! We made a quick
pass-through, taking photos of each room/area since no one else was present,
then we went back to the beginning and took a more leisurely approaching,
reading our guidebook and gazing in awe. Just 30 minutes after our arrival
time, the place was mobbed, with people talking loudly. The spell was broken
and the magic gone.
IF
YOU CAN DO ANYTHING AT ALL TO CHANGE YOUR VISIT TO THE NEXT DAY AT 8:30 am, DO
IT!! We completed our entire visit of the Alcazaba and the Generalife by about
1:30 pm, and that included going back to the Parador for an hour's rest and to
check out, and stopping for drinks/snacks at that little "hut" just
outside the Alcazaba. So I definitely think you can continue with your
transportation in the late afternoon after your morning visit. We visited the
Albaiczin (?sp) area the afternoon prior to our Alhambra visit (using the
mini-buses--highly recommend), which you could do too, so that you can leave
Granada right after the Alhambra. There are excellent restroom facilities on
the grounds outside the Nazrid Palace and Alcazaba; unfortunately, there aren't
any other public facilities in the more historic area (even the TI couldn't
help).
Don't cut your daytrips to Cordoba, Seville, and Toledo. You can do it all in 9 days. I just returned from a 10-day trip quite similar to yours, except we switched your Barcelona days for 3 days in Algeciras so that we could visit Gibraltar and Tangier, Morocco. While it was an ambitious itinerary, we still had plenty of time to rest and relax in the outdoor cafes.
Don't skip Granada--our visit to the Alhambra was the highlight of our trip. The Alcazar in Seville and the Mezquita in Cordoba were great, but nothing compares to the Alhambra and the Generalife. The Segovia aqueduct and alcazar and the Toledo Cathedral are also really worth seeing.
We tried to take Nautus,
but the ferry was cancelled that day. Since we had prepaid (would recommend NOT
doing that and NOT making a reservation at all), Nautus put us on the Comarit
slow ferry which took forever (on the way over). On the return, again Nautus
was cancelled, putting us on IMTC, which was even slower! It seemed that many
ferries were cancelled that day, and the terminal in Tangier was chaos. Please,
please, please, if the FAST ferry is cancelled on the day you are planning to
go, reschedule your trip. Fortunately, we really enjoyed our brief time in
Tangier, or the day would have been a total disaster. We would have been better
off taking a bus or taxi to Tarifa and then taking the FRS high-speed catamaran
from there. They seemed to run like clockwork.
Traveling from Algeciras to Grenada by bus
Don't cut your daytrips to Cordoba, Seville, and Toledo. You can do it all in 9 days. I just returned from a 10-day trip quite similar to yours, except we switched your Barcelona days for 3 days in Algeciras so that we could visit Gibraltar and Tangier, Morocco. While it was an ambitious itinerary, we still had plenty of time to rest and relax in the outdoor cafes.
Don't skip Granada--our visit to the Alhambra was the highlight of our trip. The Alcazar in Seville and the Mezquita in Cordoba were great, but nothing compares to the Alhambra and the Generalife. The Segovia aqueduct and alcazar and the Toledo Cathedral are also really worth seeing.
If you are going by boat,
be sure to book the FAST ferry from Tarifa or Algeciras (I think the company
you want is FRS). I think that I posted back in August about getting stuck on
the SLOW ferry, and what a mistake it was! We enjoyed our day trip to Tangier,
Morocco, and saw enough to know that someday, we would like to return for a
more extensive tour through the country.
I really enjoyed the day
trips from Madrid to Segovia and Toledo. As for Madrid itself, a nice city but
definitely more modern than the other two I mentioned. No need to waste time at
the El Rastro flea market--it's similar to those I've seen elsewhere in the US
and Europe and just didn't impress me. I did like my visit to the Palacio
Real--if you arrive at opening time, you have the place to yourself (we even
encountered a fantastic guard inside who spoke perfect English and knew all
about US basketball, even telling jokes and using appropriate
slang/jargon--that was a treat!). We also visited the Reina Sofia and Prado
museums just to see the highlights; again, not hugely impressed (but I know I'm
in the minority! My favorite museum anywhere in the world is the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York and the d'Orsay and Marmottan in Paris). I wish we had
spent some time in Retiro Park--I think that would have added to our enjoyment
of Madrid. Plenty of sidewalk cafes for eating or just having drinks. Excellent
transportation system, too--no problem using the trains or buses (didn't try
the metro).
Stansted: New York Grill at the Radisson Blu (August 2006)
With its warm lighting and rich woods and mouthwatering steaks, the New York Grill Bar offers diners an upscale grill experience. Enjoy the finest cuts of juicy beef sizzling from the grill, or opt for other seasonal tasty dishes from the kitchen.
Stansted: Radisson SAS Stansted (September 2006)
The
location is excellent--just a 2-minute walk (mostly under covered
walkway) from the airport. Also VERY near the rental cars (I've never
seen them so close to such a large airport). Very hip and modern hotel.
There are many restaurants in the lobby, including the famous wine bar. I
think I also saw a NY style deli, Italian restaurant, and
paella/Spanish restaurant. The wine bar stays open late (until 1:00 am),
which wasn't late enough for our late-arriving flight, and there is
24-hour room service (which was VERY pricey--almost $24 USD for a
hamburger, although there were regular sandwiches more in the $16 USD
range). The services at the airport also stay open quite late (the
stores and shops were still open after midnight, which I don't always
find in the US), but then again, the airport itself was hopping at that
time. There was also a spa/fitness center, which I didn't get to use due
to time constraints. It is also open to passengers in transit at the
airport for a cost of about 17 GBP per person. The room we had wasn't
overly large (as compared to other rooms we stayed in on our trip), but
it was a good size. The bathroom was more of a handicapped-type
facility, but I can't comment on whether they are all that way. The room
did have a desk, flat-screen TV, chair/ottoman, and large bed (probably
a queen, though, not a king). Front desk staff seemed fairly helpful,
even though we were quite tired and need things repeated twice.
I made a very early booking and pre-paid for the hotel room, which made it nearly the same price as the other two hotels off-site at Stansted (and yet no shuttle transportation was required).
I plan to stay here again--very pleased!
I made a very early booking and pre-paid for the hotel room, which made it nearly the same price as the other two hotels off-site at Stansted (and yet no shuttle transportation was required).
I plan to stay here again--very pleased!
Grenada: Parador de Granada Restaurant (August 2006)
In the dining room and terrace of the restaurant at the Parador de Granada, you can enjoy spectacular views of the Generalife Gardens while savoring dishes such as remojón granadino (cod and orange salad), baby broad beans with ham, piononos de Santa Fe (sponge cake rolls topped with cream), or refreshing Andalusian gazpacho. The large windows are a perfect viewpoint overlooking the archaeological remains of the Turkish bath of the Nasrid palace, and from the terrace, you will enjoy the scenic view of the Sacromonte and AlbaicÃn neighborhoods. You will also be amazed by beautifully prepared traditional dishes such as breua nazarà (savory pie), monkfish in mozarabe sauce (tomato mayonnaise with cumin and garlic), Alpujarras-style kid goat, and San Francisco Monastery cake. Enjoy a pleasant meal in an incredibly beautiful setting, a dining experience you won’t want to miss.
Grenada: Parador de Grenada (September 2006)
You
just can't beat the location! While we had tremendous difficulty
locating the ticket office, once we did, we were able to pick up our
tickets the evening before our visit (close to 8:00 pm when the booth
closed). This saved us enormous time in the morning of our visit. We
arrived at the Alhambra about 10 minutes prior to our 8:30 reservation,
which was worth the price of staying at the Parador. For about 25
minutes, we and another couple were the only ones in the Nazrid Palace.
Just a half-hour later, the rooms were overrun with loud tourists, and
the spell and the magic were broken.
The rooms were acceptable, nothing grand or fancy, but still nice. (They are renovating, supposedly, but we saw no sign of it.) Public areas are nice, especially the bar, terrace, and restaurant. We ate at the restaurant, and while it was a good meal, was not the best of our trip. Service was better than the food, I would have to say. Again, not a bad meal, just not the best of the vacation, although it was the most expensive (about $100 US for two, including appetizers, entrees, dessert--it was a prixe-fixe--and drinks). There are a few other restaurants within walking distance, but I'm not sure whether they are open at night, or just in the daytime when most people are visiting the Generalife.
With all that said, I WOULD spend the money to stay here again, because you just can't put a price on the location (however, had we NOT been able to pick up our tickets the night before, it would have meant traipsing all the way around the gardens to the ticket office and COST us time in addition to money). As everyone says, DO order the tickets ahead of time on the Internet to get the exact slot that you want. The lines were unbelievable! The Parador can also get you tickets, but I still think you must pick them up, and I was worried that they couldn't secure my first choice of time (but I never asked).
We had afternoon drinks on
the terrace, which was lovely, and they give you a tapas selection with each
round. We also had dinner on the patio, complete with a guitarist for
entertainment. Food was pretty good, service was great. We had a 3-course
prixe-fixe for about $28Euros per person, and there weren't many exclusions and
no surcharges from the regular menu (like many restaurants have). We expected
it to be the best meal of our trip, and I'm not sure whether it lived up to
that expectation (it was the most expensive, though).
The rooms were acceptable, nothing grand or fancy, but still nice. (They are renovating, supposedly, but we saw no sign of it.) Public areas are nice, especially the bar, terrace, and restaurant. We ate at the restaurant, and while it was a good meal, was not the best of our trip. Service was better than the food, I would have to say. Again, not a bad meal, just not the best of the vacation, although it was the most expensive (about $100 US for two, including appetizers, entrees, dessert--it was a prixe-fixe--and drinks). There are a few other restaurants within walking distance, but I'm not sure whether they are open at night, or just in the daytime when most people are visiting the Generalife.
With all that said, I WOULD spend the money to stay here again, because you just can't put a price on the location (however, had we NOT been able to pick up our tickets the night before, it would have meant traipsing all the way around the gardens to the ticket office and COST us time in addition to money). As everyone says, DO order the tickets ahead of time on the Internet to get the exact slot that you want. The lines were unbelievable! The Parador can also get you tickets, but I still think you must pick them up, and I was worried that they couldn't secure my first choice of time (but I never asked).
My stay at the Parador was
well worth the cost (the basic room with tax but without breakfast ended up
being more than $325). It was the most expensive room of our vacation, but
certainly not our favorite, although the furnishings/size/etc were just what we
expected. (We loved our deluxe room at the Alfonso XIII in Seville, our 2-story
duplex suite at the Villa Real in Madrid, and our executive suite in the AC
Hotel in Algeciras better than the Parador). However, regarding the Parador,
you just can't beat the location, particularly if you can pick up your Alhambra
tickets the night before your visit and/or if you choose the 8:30 am time slot.
It could give you an uninterrupted 20 to 30 minutes in the Nazrid Palaces
without many other guests--great for taking pictures. We even popped back into
our room during our visit between the Nazrid, Alcazaba, and Generalife to rest
and refresh.
The rooms at the Parador
were adequate--not overlarge large, and ours had two twin beds pushed together
to make a king. Not much other space in the bedroom area, although there was a
tiny table and two tiny chairs--one with arms that neither my husband nor I
could fit between (maybe it was for a child?) There was a decent-size closet,
minibar, large window that opened onto the courtyard area. (Please note that I
am certain that we were a bit prejudiced after having suites or HUGE rooms at
the other hotels. Also, keep in mind that the Parador is renovating right now,
so perhaps the room decor will improve a bit. We did happen to see into a room
that had a double bed and an additional twin, and that seemed much larger than
ours.) The bathroom was big, as the previous poster stated, with a
double-marble vanity sink, and there were a selection of toiletry items and
hairdryer.
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