Falling in love at Grand Salomé Hotel

By Loren in Luxury Hotels

Spring and summer are the seasons for love. Today we have a very special hotel review. A love review because the hotel we are going to talk about in this short post is one of the most incredible romantic accommodations you can find in Spain: Grand Salomé Hotel.

It is a luxury Adults Only hotel in Costa Adeje, situated in one of the most complete hotel complexes in Tenerife: Iberostar Anthelia.  It is an accommodation for couples in front of Duque beach and one step away from Fañabé beach. Besides boasting an idyllic environment, Grand Salomé stands out for being an authentic oasis targeted at couples, with breathtaking facilities characterised by their majesty and good taste, and services created with attention to detail.

This hotel has a 5-star category and offer a unique spa centre in Tenerife: 1000 sq. m. filled up with sensibility, equipped to offer all types of relaxation, health, wellness and beauty treatments on the seafront. Take advantage of the Asian techniques of their massages and enjoy a special session for a summer tune-up. Try it!  You won’t be disappointed.

Costa adeje, Tenerife

Costa adeje, Tenerife

But man cannot live by relaxation alone, so this hotel provides an exclusive gastronomy service: 4 gourmet restaurants and beach club to enjoy the beautiful sunsets, exquisite cocktails and aperitifs with sea views.

The accommodation is as good as the other services. All its suites in Fañabé beach and Duque beach boast striking sea views, Canary-style, roomy spaces, comfortable furniture and details that make days in this exclusive 5-star hotel a really magical experience.

It is undoubtedly ideal for a honeymoon.  Grand Salomé is one of the most important hotels for weddings in Tenerife. It has 8 meeting rooms, terraces and special menus for events that will allow you to celebrate your dream party in one of the most beautiful places in the Atlantic.

Besides, rates are not as high as you may think. In fact, on the hotel’s official website you can find interesting offers (in June and September, for example). Check and compare. Be careful, you just might fall in love!

Popayán, the white city of Colombia

By Loren in Colombia

Popayán is a dazzling city to get lost between its colonial buildings that lead you through time to this beautiful settlement origin. Capital of Cauca’s department. Located in the Pubenza valley, one of the oldest and well preserved towns of the American’s continent.

This antique town, known by its white facades that gives the image of a city cover by a white cloak, where it got the White city name. Some of the older buildings were remodelled and used as hotels, like the Dann Monasterio Popayán Hotel: an antique Franciscan monastery from 1570 which has a unique colonial architecture, turned into a luxury hotel in Popayán.

This Colombian city is an interesting destination thanks to its architectural heritage, with some singular religious buildings such as the Belén, Carmen and Francisco chapels, and other places of worship like the Ermita or the religious art museum. To visit these places, travellers can make a reservation in any hotel in the centre of Popayán which also have an incredible architectural wealth.

One of the best season to visit Popayán is during the holy week, when the whole city change in order to show its devotion in the festivities. Each years the city gathers many visitors that come to see the holy week processions in Popayán, declared oral and immaterial masterpiece of world heritage by the UNESCO.

The city not only shines by its architecture but its delicious gastronomy as well, in fact, it was declared city of Gastronomy by the UNESCO in 2005, thanks to its tasty, and varied cuisine, and for being itself a legacy from the traditional Colombian cooking methods.

The gastronomy from Valle del Cauca is consider Colombian’s world heritage, it has a variety of dishes made with a mixture of local ingredients and other brought from Spain, some of these traditional dishes are the caratanta, the soups, pumpkin seed tamale, pumpkin seed empanada, or the vegetables recipe like the huerta fríana potatoes.

Some of the best hotels in Popayán, offers a very rich Colombian menu, making a whole new experience to the guests, what’s better than touring Popayán to get fancy with the traditional cuisine, places like Humilladero bridge, located between the centre of the city and the Bolívar neighbourhood, other beautiful places to know are the Casa Mosquera museum, built in the XVIII century, o the Negret museum of modern art where the artist Edgar Negret Dueñas lived, and we can appreciate their whole life work where.

You can also visit some monuments like the Clock tower, built between 1673 and 1682, the pantheon of the heroes or the historical district which is considered a national monument.

The best season to visit Barcelona has begun

By Loren in Barcelona

Barcelona in May, is a luxury, and those who ever made a reservation during spring in this Mediterranean capital know it. The design, fashion and trend city shines radiantly this time of the year, when the heat rises and the sun can be enjoyed since morning.

So if you’re able to extend your stay a few days from the weekend, we recommend you a short trip to Barcelona and enjoy every single thing. In order to do that we have a tip list to enjoy it the most, keep reading and take notes.

1)    Accommodation in Barcelona. First of all, start right away to look for a hotel in Barcelona, an Airbnb accommodation or a hostel, since the accommodation is very crowded on this month thanks to the events (festivals, fairs, concerts, etc) and the prices will rise along with the market demand until June.

You already read our advices like a million times: book in a hotel in the centre of Barcelona if you have the chance. You really don’t need a car to move in the city, unless you want to know some towns from the Barcelona’s coast. The public transportation is perfect to move around the capital and it save you money and time.

Some of the featured hotels in Barcelona are in the Ramblas and Boquería zone, at the beginning of Eixample y Gràcia. However, another option would be opt for hotels in Plaza de las Glorias, the Pobre Now, and near Forum since they’re more affordable.

Prices may not be cheap, Barcelona is an expensive city, even more than Madrid, at least in accommodation, but the quality services are excellent, a high level service.

2)    Interesting routes. Besides Borne, the Gótico, the modern routes, the commercial areas and the best tapas y tascas zone, Barcelona has a variety of alternative touristic routes that you shouldn’t miss. The GoBcn offers us different activities, such as the hidden Raval route or the hidden Gracia, that will change the way you see this peculiar neighbourhood in Barcelona. This tours usually cost around 14 euros per person, they are in the morning and includes a vermouth and aperitifs. The web Turisme,is the entity that promotes the city tourism. You also have the opportunity to know the centre of Barcelona, both the classical and the modern areas, one of them is the Contemporary Barcelona which makes an itinerary of the city through its architecture from the xx to the xxI century.

3)    Downtown tapas Barcelona has thousands of excellent places to go and have some tapas and fresh cañas right in the centre of the city. The atmosphere in both the street and the buildings will captivate you, we recommend the Quimet I Quimet, the Esquinica (typical aragonese cuisine), the vermouth in the Xampanyet, the best cañas in El Vaso de Oro, the unique environment in the Gata mala and the unmissable San José Market (Boquería)

4)  Music and more music. May is the month of music in Barcelona, with international concerts with the best bands such as AC/DC, and to end the spring we will have the Primavera sound with the best independent groups nowadays, an excuse to come to the city and enjoy with your friends.

 

The latest news from Mencey’s Cookery Classroom

By Luke Durden in Luxury Hotels

This month of May, there are some very interesting announcements to make for both the IBEROSTAR Grand Hotel Mencey and Mencey’s Cookery Classroom.

The Mencey Lounge events at the Iballa Cocktail Bar are back to Tenerife’s nights with many novelties. A privileged location, the best live music, varied cuisine, exotic cocktails and the best possible company. Mencey’s Lounge thematic nights start at 19.00 and finish around 23.30.

During this month, guests will enjoy themed tasting menus, such as the special menu Sushi & Gins and the Mexican themed night.

On Friday 8th May, guests will enjoy a sushi tasting together with a selection of macerated premium gins and tonics. Some of our favourites include Blue Ribbon & Fever tree with lime peel, strawberries and liquorice, Geranium & Abbondio with blackberries, juniper, cinnamon and lemon peel.

Menu degustacion restaurante Los Menceyes

On Thursday the 21st May, the Iballa Cocktail Bar hosts a special themed night, an authentic Mexican evening! You will be able to enjoy the best Mexican dishes and snacks.

Bear in mind that every Saturday, starting at 11am, you can enjoy Mencey’s Appetizer on the terrace of the Iballa Cocktail Bar. The menu includes Iberian ham with bread and grated tomato, a selection of Canarian cheeses and figs and black pig on toast with caramelized onions and goat cheese.

Regarding the cooking courses, and after popular demand, the Cookery Classroom will offer the course “make your own bread at home.” The course will be held by Juan Carlos Bolanos and you will learn how to prepare the mother dough, learning different techniques, weighed, shaped and baked. This course is held on the Thursday 14th May between 17.30 and 20.30.

On Friday the 29th May, the Mencey’s Cookery Classroom will offer a “special antiox course“. Carlos Perez will be responsible to provide attendees with all the information regarding the benefits and secrets that you can obtain from smoothies and shakes.

If you need further information, please visit the official website of the Iberostar Grand Hotel Mencey or the website of Mencey’s Cookery Classroom.