Archive for 'Food and Wine in Spain'

The popular seaside resort town of Alicante is famous for her excellent beaches, her great weather, her charming old town with its brightly coloured buildings and pretty winding streets and alleys, her numerous parks and open spaces, her palm tree flanked shopping streets, and her vibrant nightlife. If you have found a vacation rental in Alicante and are exploring everything that she has to offer, then you will likely work up an appetite and find yourself in need of sustenance. The best part of renting an apartment or villa is that you have access to a kitchen and if you’re a travelling foodie, you’ll probably want the chance to play around with some local ingredients during your stay. To source the freshest food in the prettiest of surroundings, just head to the Mercado Central de Alicante (Central Market of Alicante) and shop the various stalls that are housed within.

Located on the central shopping street of Calle de Alfonso X the Wise, the Central Market of Alicante is an architectural gem that was built under J. Vidal Ramos between 1911 and 1912. With an elaborate and ornate façade featuring modernist-inspired elements, the building is on a rectangular plan and built in the style of a basilica, with a tacked-on addition to the south-west corner that is topped by a semispherical cupola and called La Rotonda.

There are few things that perfectly represent being on holidays as well as having the luxury of endless time to spend wandering around a market, looking at things, taking in the atmosphere of a destination, sampling products, and grabbing a bite to eat. Rarely do any of us ever have the time in our day-to-day lives to properly enjoy a market in the same way. If you have found a vacation rental in Valencia, in particular, you should really set aside a morning or lunchtime to visit the city's most famous market, the beautiful Art Nouveau Mercado Central.

One of the oldest markets still in use in Europe, the Mercado Central is an official Heritage of Cultural Interest site, as designated by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. It was designed in 1914 by Francisco Guardia and Alejandro Soler, was then inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII in 1928 and was completely renovated in 2010 to preserve its incredible beauty. Probably the most important example of Valencian Art Nouveau in the city, this gem is one of the key 20th-century architectural works in Valencia.

There are lots of beautiful stores, cool eateries and little gems tucked into the pretty streets of the historic centre of Madrid but if you have found a vacation rental in Madrid and want to find all three under one roof, then you need to visit Pinkoco.

Pinkoco is a beauty, fashion and homewares store, as well as a café and bar, that is impossibly cool and chic and also boasts incredible products. Whether you want to grab coffee and take a breather while exploring the city, go for drinks with pals or pick up some unique souvenirs for others (or yourself), it is an ideal location!

In the last post, we were talking all about the importance of food during travel and scoping out great places to get it. As such, we were listing some of the cutest cafés in Barcelona. If you have found a vacation rental in Barcelona and are planning a trip, be sure to pencil these wonderful eateries into your itinerary for a quick bite between attractions, peaceful hours with a good book, and meals with loved ones. Here are the rest of our picks of the cutest among them...

3. Demasié, Princesa, 28, 08003 Barcelona
+34 932 69 11 80

Demasié is a celebrated bakery and café in Barcelona that is most famous for its cinnamon buns (with a variety of toppings and additional flavours) but also makes plenty of other delicious cakes, biscuits and treats.

The first thing that I do upon arriving anywhere or ahead of any trip, is to look up the restaurants in the area and plan where I'll eat, slotting each day's activities in around that. Food is such an integral part of holidays and travel and no vacation is complete without an exploration of the culinary culture of a place. Many can't afford to try the most lauded restaurants and eateries but cafes offer a chance to try great food, at a lower price-point and in a more casual environment. As such, we have rounded up a list of some of the most beautiful cafes in Barcelona where you can grab a quick pastry and coffee for breakfast before exploring the city or settle in with a good book to relax and really enjoy your vacation or take a leisurely lunch with friends. Whatever way you like to travel and unwind, cafés are the perfect type of eateries to factor into your itinerary. Here are some of the best ones to pencil in with a vacation rental in Barcelona...