Bilbao – If you are looking for a really delicious coffee and croissant in the morning you should go to the bar at Plaza Euskadi in Bilbao (just 5 mins from Guggenheim museum). They also serve a wide range of mouth watering cold and hot pinxtos, freshly squeezed orange juice, and wine and beer in the afternoon.
You better don’t go around 10ish, when the Iberdrola office staff queues for their morning break.
no internet page, Plaza Euskadi, Bilbao (next to Iberdrola building)
Bilbao – When we visited the Basque country end of June we knew we will go to the Guggenheim museum and maybe also eat in the restaurant there. In the end we went to Guggenheim twice and had a 3 hours lunch in the Nerua. The whole building complex is just overwhelming!
We went once to see Jeff Koons and the other day we went to see Jean Michel Basquiat (exhibition just started the week we were there). Both exhibitions were just great and touching.
But now more about the Nerua.
We were welcomed by the staff very friendly and led directly to the open the kitchen to greet the chef Josean Alija (1 Michelin star and several awards, in 2015, Nerua has been included for the first time in the World’s 100 Best Restaurants list by the prestigious magazine Restaurant).
He explained his concept and his passion about the products (most local and seasonal).
We had the 9 courses lunch menu and were amazed by the quality of the food. The wine pairing was great (and also the story the sommelier had to tell us about all the wines….) although one of the white wines was a bit peculiar for our taste.
The atmosphere is white, clean, chic and reduced to the max, to put the spotlight on the food. Two tables next to us sat a group of people that seemed to be related to Basquiat. As we knew from the exhibition that he had two sisters, we soon found out that it had to be them. Later other customers of the restaurant approached them to express their dedication to Jean Michel Basquiats art work.
It is definitively worth going – although it strains your wallet quite a bit….
Malaga – about 10 minutes outside from Malaga is “El Palo” a rather ordinary outskirt but if you really want to enjoy fresh fish and seafood you just have to cross the street and go to one of the little restaurants at the beachfront. There are too many and for most you cannot reserve a table.
The chiringuitos are very simple restaurants or bars directly at the beach, some tables are even placed in the sand. But what you get for your money is outstanding in taste and quality.
Entertainment is guaranteed as well as you can watch people strolling along the beach and enjoy the Spanish sun…or watch and listen to the guys at the grill boat arguing with each other…we haven’t found out the reason. We were a little worried if they would forget about our merluza (sea bass) that was burning on the little boat grill but when it came on our plates it was wonderfully juicy and tasted just great as the shrimps pil pil, fresh tomato salad and fried baby fish.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pe%C3%B1a-Barcelonista-El-Palo/192388220824494
Malaga – I remember this rather small, dark and authentic sherry (Jerez) bar from my language school stay….some 15 years ago. I recommend to go there before dinner and have some tapas as well.
I was astonished as the place has not changed at all….only the prices are now in Euros instead of Spanish Pesetas.
My favourite sherry was the Pajarete. You can just ask the waiter and he will explain…but it is helpful if you speak some Spanish.
I like the way how the present your bill – written with chalk on the bar….and maybe this sounds gross, but the bar counter is soaked with sherry and makes it a bit sticky….I found it charming if that makes any sense to you?
On one of the pics you may discover a very famous artist….
Sevilla – This small place is really a wonderful place for every food lover. But you need patience and time.
You cannot make a reservation and therefore either wait at the bar or just eat your tapas there. We had time and patience. After some 60 minutes and two cavas and two beers we were led to the table. During the wait we had time to study the menu on the blackboard. This tapas bar is probably the best I’ve ever been. The prices are reasonable.
We almost tried everything on the menu but our favourits were:
– The “cigar”; octopus in its ink rolled in a filo dough so it looked like a Cuban cigar
-Sangre, a kind of blood pudding, cut in litle cubes with caramelized onions
-the egg on Boletus tower
-Roasted pork ribs in honey sauce….and also the most tender pork cheeks
…actually everything on the menu
This tapas bar has the traditional Spanish food but interpreted in a modern way – GREAT!
After our visit we found out that there are also a restaurant and some “rooms for tourists”….so I will keep that in mind for our next trip.
Sevilla – This beautiful palace-style hotel is situated in the middle of Seville, only 10 minutes walk from the cathedral and main restaurant area. The rooms are modern and quite spacious. If you can ask for a room in the upper floors as they might be a bit brighter.
The breakfast was excellent with countless side dishes one can order complimentary.The roof top is ideal to take a dip in the small pool or drink the rest of the wine you did not finish the night before…
Andalucia – Close to Vejer de la Frontera (between Malaga and Cadiz) lays this formerly farmhouse – now transformed into a small luxury retreat.
The house has only 8 suites and all are individually decorated. We had a wonderful fire place and an old-fashioned bathtub in our room.
The people from the Casa la Siesta are really nice and helpful. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast every morning at the big wooden table and explored the area during the day or relaxed on the sunny terrace. One evening we also had dinner there and it was fantastic. But beware of “Sombra”, the black queen of the house on four paws…she can be moody 😉
In summer they also do Paellas and BBQ on the terrace or pool area and the house is ideal for weddings.
Marbella – This year we had to cancel our ski vacation – gourmet trip to Zermatt due to a bad knee… Instead we headed some hundred kilometers south to Andalusia. I spent a summer in Malaga to learn Spanish more than 17 years ago. The area is beautiful and it changed a lot, most to the better.
Just after the landing we picked up our rental car and drove along the beautiful coast in lovely sunshine at 20 degrees (in March)!
We booked at Dani Garcia for lunch. It was a fantastic culinary start of our vacation.
We entered the restaurant through a big massive wooden door and found ourselves in the world of Alice in Wonderland. The decoration is really special and you get treated really well.
My favourite dish was the small tomato that looked like made from metal “Tomate Nitro” with oysters and ceviche….heavenly good.
Bring along some time and a full wallet and you will not regret it.
sybillesbeenthere 