Just got accepted to study abroad in Florence for Fall semester. I'm planning on heading out early (late August) and meeting friends in England before they have to come back to the states. Where do you guys recommend I go after that (but before school starts)? Going to Octoberfest is one of my life's goals so I'm planning on that. Should I book a Hostel in Munich ASAP?
yo porkchop, any feedback on http://www.habitatapartments.com/ ? finally booked my flights...2 weeks...fuck. Madrid-Barcelona-Ibiza-Valencia (going to La Tomatina..the tomato throwing festival) should be fun i hope.
I have a friend vacationing in Ibiza right now, although I think she'll be gone by August. If I knew you better AND I knew her better AND you were both there at the same time I'd do a virtual introduction. She's a cute Mexican chiquita. Ed O.
might or might not do ibiza...kind of over the party club scene...we'll see. it is pretty convienient though. but expensive.
Yo Porkchop...any feedback on Barcelona. Trying to book....looking in the Barri Gothic and Born areas of the city.....something close to Las Ramblas and the beach (i.e. walking distance). Option 1: 650 Euro http://www.habitatapartments.com/en...en=0&n_babies=0&area=0&orderBy=price&pagina=1 It would be nice to have a terrace/deck and view. The apartment includes the following amenities and services: 1 bedroom with double bed, wardrobe & en-suite bathroom A living room / dining room, with a sofa bed (140x200 cm and table with four chairs. 1 bathroom with bath/shower and toilet (en-suite off bedroom) Kitchen washing-machine, microwave, toaster, coffee maker. Terrace with view over Sots Tinent Street (a pedestrianised street) Air conditioning / Electric heating Internet wifi connection TV with satellite Hairdryer Iron and ironing board Towels and linen provided A baby travel cot and baby´s high chair ( upon request ) Maid service for more 8 + nights stay Option 2: 650 euro http://www.habitatapartments.com/en...en=0&n_babies=0&area=0&orderBy=price&pagina=1 2 bedrooms. However there is only AC in one of the bedrooms. The apartment offers the following amenities and services: 1 bedroom with a queen-size bed 1 bedroom, on mezzanine floor with stairs leading up, with a hard futon style bed. Dining room with a dining table for 4 people. 1 bathroom with shower and wash-hand, the toilet is in another room with a sink as well. A well-equipped kitchen with fridge, freezer, oven, coffee maker and microwave TV with local channels 1 CD- Player and DVD Player Washing Machine/Tumble dryer Hairdryer Air Conditioning in the main bedroom. Gas heating Iron and ironing board Towels and linen provided Maid service for more than 7 days staying A baby travel cot and baby’s folding high chair Internet WI-FI Option 3: 700 euro http://www.habitatapartments.com/en...en=0&n_babies=0&area=0&orderBy=price&pagina=1 This seems clean. the entire building is apartment rentals so it might be run a little nicer. The apartment includes the following amenities and services: 1 bedroom with double size bed. A living room / dining room, with sofa bed (140x200 cm). Bathroom with bath/shower and toilet A well-equipped kitchen (fridge, freezer, toaster, coffee machine, microwave) with washing machine Air conditioning / Electric heating Satellite TV Internet WI-FI DVD Hairdryer Iron and ironing board Towels and linen provided A baby travel cot and baby’s folding high chair Maid service for more than 7 days staying
We actually stayed at Princesa 8. The apartment was nice, but nothing special. TV is super small, which probably doesn't matter for you. Internet was usually good, but cut out a few times. The bedroom gets very little light, so it was really hard waking up in the morning. The best part of the apartment was the location. I love the Born, so that alone was worth the apartment just being ok. Oh, and the bed sucks. Super hard and is actually 2 twins. But, I think every "queen" bed I've slept on in Europe was really just 2 mattresses. The Sol apartment looks the best, but I'd be hesitant staying w/o A/C in August. It is fucking hot then. I've got to run, but I'll take better look at the non Princesa ones later tonight. I think you'll be happy with any of them. Not sure if I mentioned it before, but the payment was credit card for a deposit (30% or something) and then cash upon arrival. I know you were wanting to pay cash.
nah, it doesn't matter really. whatever is best. sometimes they add 4% for card transactions + international fee, etc. yeah, i'm used to the shittiness of beds internationally. we'll see whats up. how's the foot traffic in the area? good bars and restaurants nearby? thanks for the info....trying to make a decision this weekend. do the kitchens come stocked with utencils, plates and pans? kind of leaning towards the first one, like that it has a patio terrace.
I would go with the one with the terrace. Since I had lived in the city before, I tried to avoid Las Ramblas (very touristy), but if you're only there for a few days it is a great location to be at. The only time I went there this last trip was to go to the boqueria (a must see) and to celebrate their win over Real Madrid. Let me know if you want any food recommendations.
So you pussed out on staying at a hostel? Don't blame you the per person rate on those hotels are not much more than for a hostel room. Looks sweet!
for a little more, we could get a triple room in a hotel right outside la boceria..... http://hotelcurious.com/eng/hotel-barcelona it'd be nice to be there....with a bed each...room looks smalllish. but it comes with breakfast every morning. gets good Trip Advisor reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_...eviews-Hotel_Curious-Barcelona_Catalonia.html
OK. ended up going with apartment #1 with the terrace. woot. no deposit...just pay cash when we get there. weird.
I don't think you'll regret the choice. You're in a super convenient location, plus having a balcony will be nice. Are you seeing any sights, or just eating/drinking/partying? On to food. Our best meal was at Comerç 24. You'll probably need to make reservations before you fly out if you want to try it. The head chef/owner worked at El Buli for years before opening it up. It is pretty expensive though (70-100 Euros for a tasting menu), but it was worth it. If you like desserts (they have good food too), go to Bubo. It is near the apartment I stayed at. They have a shop, where you can eat or take it to go and they have a little cafe with some outdoor seating. In our two weeks, I think we ate dinner there twice and got dessert at least 5 times. A bar I really like when I was studying there (didn't make it this time) is the Barcelona Pipa Club (you can google it). The bar itself wasn't anything special, but it is on the top floor of an apartment building (you need to buzz to get in) in Plaça Reial. It's a great place to people watch at night. It's technically a pipe or cigar club and is members only before 10 or 11, but then it is open to the public. You just have to know which buzzer to ring. There's a really good, more traditional Catalan, restaurant near your apartment that I can't quite remember the name of right now. If I remember the name, I'll let you know. There is great food everywhere, so I'm sure you'll find something you like just by wandering around. Just don't eat (or probably drink) right on Las Ramblas. Especially don't eat paella there. It won't be good. If you want paella, I'll track down a restaurant that is supposed to be good. Have fun. I'm fucking jealous right now.
I've been trying to get reservations at Tickets, which is Albert Adria's tapas bar...no luck though. fucking booked. so many people there in the city from what i gather so getting in at a nice sit down place may be tough....trying not to spend too much. maybe we'll do one all out tasting menu meal. I do want to try some of the molecular gastronomy type places though for certain. we'll be doing it all...pretty slow paced though. want to live like spaniards.....the long lunch, siesta and the tapas crawls. we're going to Valencia, which is the home of paella so we'll probably look for a good version there. we'll probably eat on Las Ramblas just to hang out on the street in a cafe.
The apartment is pretty awesome. the barri gothic is great. everyone i meet is staying in a hostel though. i've met a shitload of people doing the bar crawls, they're pretty great. barcelona is great. it feels more french than spanish though
Glad you like it. It is, by far, my favorite city in Europe (but living there rather than just passing through skews my view). Have you made it over to El Borne yet? It's just on the other side of Leitana. How's the weather right now? I'm guessing HOT. If you want to go to the beach, I'd skip the ones in town and take a train down to Sitges. It's under an hour away and I remember it being a lot nicer (although this was in early spring, so it may be super crowded now). Enjoy your stay. I'm super jealous right now. I need to figure out how to move back there. Oh, probably not your style, but if you're in need of a bag (messenger/backpack/etc) go to Pinzat in El Borne. http://www.pinzat.org/. We bought a couple from them when we were there in April.
