Spain

Hoopoe Yurt Hotel :: Andalucia, Spain :: CLOSED

November 23, 2022 by Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel Andalucia, Spain combines amazing luxury with the magnificent countryside of southern Spain. Located in three hectares of olive groves and beautiful cork oak forest the hotel grounds give visitors majestic views of the Grazalema Mountains. A stay in one of their yurts (FYI yurts are felt-covered tents traditionally used by nomads in Central Asia) is the perfect way to enjoy all that nature has to offer, without giving up the usual luxuries you want when on vacation. There are plenty of ways to spend your time at the Hoopoe Yurt Hotel. Relax and unwind while you take in the sounds and sights of the nature at your doorstep. Take a nap in a hammock in the shade of a giant cork oak tree. You can even cool off by taking a dip in the hotel’s chlorine-free swimming pool while enjoying the surrounding blue mountains and scenic nature.

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Marqués de Riscal Hotel :: Elciego, Spain

November 23, 2022 by Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

Nestled in the mountains of northwestern Spain is a hotel that is as much a piece of breathtaking art as it is a magnificent luxury hotel. The Marqués de Riscal Hotel is located in Elciego, Spain, an amazing medieval town that sits in the heart of the Rioja wine region. Elciego, also known as “City of Wine”, is loaded with fine dining, a vivacious culture and a wonderful history to enjoy and explore during your visit. The Marqués de Riscal combines modern design and luxuries with an old traditional winery to create a unique comfortable atmosphere with amazing views of the town as well as the beautiful vineyards from any of its eight terraces. The hotel is made up of two wings that house forty three guest rooms including eleven suites as well as a variety of restaurants and leisure facilities like the Caudalíe Vinothérapie Spa. The new wing of the hotel was designed by world renowned architect Frank Gehry and is no doubt the most eye-catching element in the area.

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Hogueras de San Juan :: Alicante, Spain

November 23, 2022 by Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

Each year around June 24th several towns in Spain celebrate the popular festival known as the Hogueras de San Juan (Bonfires of Saint John). Although celebrated throughout the country in many cities, Alicante considers it the most important festival in the city and sets up the largest celebration. During the festival there are a variety of celebrations held, some are repeated daily and others are one time events. Originally started in 1928 by Jose Maria Py because he felt Alicante needed an important festival, he combined the Valencian tradition known as the “fallas” (see our fallas article here) with the bonfires to create this unique celebration. Although the “Bonfires”, also called Fogueres or Hogueras, are very similar to the Valencian Fallas they are not made by “fallero” artists but rather local painters and sculptures.

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PortAventura Resort & Parks :: Tarragona, Spain

November 23, 2022 by Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

Located one hour south of bustling Barcelona is PortAventura, a theme park and resort that is among the largest in Europe. The park was originally built as a joint effort by the Tussauds group, Anheuser-Busch and Universal Studios and is currently owned and operated by Criteria with the original three no longer holding a stake in it. It has evolved into a complete themed resort destination boasting four wonderful 4-star hotels as well as the PortAventura Theme Park, the Caribe Aquatic Park and a Beach Club. The resort even has three golf courses to challenge players regardless of handicap available for play at PortAventura Golf.

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Las Fallas :: Valencia, Spain

November 21, 2022 by Chris Blecha Leave a Comment

Originally started as a feast day for St. Joseph, Las Fallas has evolved into one of the most unique and wild festivals in the world. Meaning “the fires” in Valencian, the focus of the festival is creating and destroying huge cardboard, wood, papier-mâché and plaster statues that are referred to as “fallas” or “ninots”. They tend to be quite realistic looking and depict a variety of things such as poking fun at corrupt politicians and celebrities. The fallas are very labor intensive taking up to a year to prepare and can cost upwards of $60,000. The days and nights are one running party during the five days of Fallas, with explosions heard all day long and some through the night as well as plenty of processions and parades. During this time period fallas that have been worked on for months or more are placed throughout the city. The festival features an extensive variety of entertainment such as bullfights, paella contests and even beauty pageants.

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