It’s Travel Tuesday and Im really itching for an overseas trip…our currency at the moment is making it difficult to plan anything. I have decided to reminisce on a trip I took to Spain last year. There’s a quote that I read that says “Traveling, it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a story teller“… love being able to share my travel adventures!
2015 was a great year for my travel adventures. My trip to Spain with my girlfriends (my sisters from another mother) was really awesome. Initially, our plan was a trip to Italy but that never materialised. We just spent too much time trying to plan the perfect holiday and that resulted in us not finding dates that worked for all of us.
The idea to travel to Spain (Barcelona and Ibiza) was driven by a friend who at that time was itching to travel. She was so motivated, she actually planned the entire trip:-)
BARCELONA
The City of Gaudi has a good mix of a vibrant night life, culinary experience, distinctive architecture and culture. Why the City of Gaudi? There is amazing architectural works by Gaudi – La Sagrada Familia, considered Gaudi’s masterpiece which is still under construction. There’s also Casa Milà (La Pedrera) Casa Batlló, Parc Güell…to mention a few.
Where we stayed
Great simple hotel, conveniently located with easy access to the Plaza Catalunya and the famous Las Ramblas. Our arrival was not great, we requested early check-in but when we arrived our room was not ready. We were then given a voucher to shower at the hotel spa, when we got to the spa it was closed and only opened at 11am (We had arrived at 9h30am)
We were booked in their Triple Room (standard double room with an extra bed) The room felt a bit cosy, but we somehow managed.We loved the bathroom, it had a bath, a decent size shower and spacious.
The hotel has an à la carte restaurant, a bar, indoor patio with teka solarium terrace and gardens, gym, meeting rooms for events, swimming pool and free wifi.
Overall the hotel location is great, the staff were helpful and friendly.
What we did
We shopped, ate and partied…we failed dismally from touring Barcelona. The plan was to spend one of the mornings on one of the tours. The only saving grace for me was the fact that I have been to Barcelona and did manage to do a lot of the tourist activities.
On one of the mornings, I did manage to fit in a run and I also walked a bit on one of the afternoons, it was to see the city’s incredible architect.
Where we ate
Barcelona is renowned globally for food and the culture of eating- from your Tapas bar to your fine dining venues, there’s an abundance of places to eat. The places we ate:-
- This place is hidden in one of the streets, very close to the Las Rambla. The place was recommended by a friend who had an amazing experience there.
- Love the menu design – The food was great, they serve Tapas style dishes of very high quality. The service was excellent and the overall atmosphere was fantastic.
- Carrer de la Unió 17, Barcelona, Spain, +34 932 703 458
- We stumbled upon this place on one of our shopping endeavours, it’s the most convenient lunch place.
- The menu has a great selection, love the overall look of this place, it also has a nice relaxed vibe to it and the service was good.
- A great place should you want a break the traditional Barcelona Tapas or Paella meal.
- Barcelona Diagonal, Barcelona, Spain, +34 934 143 232
- This place was recommend to us by the hotel, we were looking for a simple place to grab lunch. Great Tapas selection and overall service was great.
- Plaça Universitat, 5, +34 933 176 488
You can’t go to Barcelona and not visit a rooftop bar, there’s plenty to choose from and all offer views of the city. We visited two bars that came highly recommended:-
- The La Isabela Terrace restaurant is located on the roof of H1898 hotel and has incredible views of the city. The hotel is situated at the next to the Plaza Catalunya, very easy to access.
- It’s a great looking bar, it has a warm vibe and lovely atmosphere. The service was not great but we enjoyed our late evening virgin cocktails. The bar is opened from April – November.
- Hotel 1898 – La Rambla, 109, Barcelona, Spain, +34 935 529 552
- Love the look and feel of this place – sheek, elegant,modern contemporary. It made up for the disaster of an evening we had trying to find a good place to have dinner. One would think that being in Barcelona we would not struggle however we found ourselves in the wrong area with places that had the worst service that resulted in us having dinner at Burger King.
- Arola is located at the Hotel Arts (Ritz Hotel) and has great view of the iconic fish sculpture known as Peix. It’s such a pity we missed out on a opportunity to have dinner there. Their menu looks really great…
- Hotel Arts (Ritz Hotel), Marina 19-21, Barcelona, +34 93 221 1000
We partied at Jamboree Jazz Club – a club that offers different style of music. Our timing was perfect, the evening we went was RnB and Hip Hop night. The overall vibe and was great. The DJ’s were pretty decent.
IBIZA
After 2 days in Barcelona we ventured to the island of IBIZA. We spent the day lounging by the beach and the night partying.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Ushuaia beach hotel – the ultimate party hotel. This place is great if you are looking for a party and beach combination. Ushuaïa has made a name for itself championing huge DJ names and creating the most amazing stage production. I was blown away by the entire production and scale.
The hotel has everything – restaurants, cocktail lounges, beachfront café, rooftop bar, outdoor pools, spa, fitness room, free Wi-Fi, and an outdoor stage.
We were booked in a double superior room, the room is open plan and I particular did not like the bath/shower combination. I guess it serves a purpose for people looking to just sleep, we hardly spent any time in the room.
What we did
We lounged around, partied and ate ourselves silly. We partied at our hotel and at Pacha…the party experience was incredible and very different to how I would go out when in Johanneburg.
The overall trip was EPIC…it really was an amazing catch-up session with my girlfriends. Barcelona and IBIZA are a perfect holiday destination for friends looking to have a good time. The entire experience was SPLENDID!!
TS!!
SPLENDID EXPERIENCES 