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	City of Arts & Science	Room at Eurostars Gran Valencia	Room at Husa Dimar
	City of Arts & Science	City of Arts & Science	City of Arts & Science
	Pelicans at Aquarium	Railway station & bullring	Valencia centre at night
	Valencia square	Il Ghiottone Restaurant	View of Valencia street

Hotel Eurostars Gran Valencia

We stayed at this 5* for one night in September 07. It was a last minute booking but we got a good deal on their 'romantic package' which included breakfast, parking, a nice chilled bottle of Cava and chocolates ( we'd expected a small box of sweets but just got 4 individually wrapped chocolates with the hotel logo!). We'd heard that parking can be very expensive so we took that into account. If we hadn't been driving we may have gone for a different package but this one worked out well for us. The hotel is not centrally located, but is very close (just round the corner) from a metro station which obviously makes getting into town very easy. We took a taxi back from the Canovas area of town and it cost just over €6. If you like being able to walk everywhere this hotel is not for you. The rooms are gorgeous (see photo in gallery above) and the breakfast buffet was very nice, with lovely fresh fruit, rolls, cheese, ham, scrambled egg, etc. You could even have a glass of Bucks Fizz with your breakfast! Visit Hotel Eurostars Gran Valencia's website or click here to reserve a room.

Hotel Husa Dimar, Valencia

The first time we were in Valencia we stayed at Husa Dimar, a 4* centrally located hotel. We chose it mainly because of the good reviews we'd read, but have to admit to being slightly disappointed. First impressions weren't great when we were unable to check in because the room we were initially allocated smelt really strongly of smoke (we'd requested a non smoking room). When we eventually got checked in a few hours later we were still a bit disappointed with the room - nothing particulary bad, just nothing to get excited about. Breakfast was nice (a buffet with selection of cereals, fruits (including Valencian oranges), yoghurt, rolls, toast, cold meats, cheese, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc) and was included in our room rate. It's in a great location in the Canovas area which had a good selection of bars and restaurants at night, and was about 15 minutes walk from the Barrio del Carmen area. We chose another hotel next time we visited Valencia, and to be honest didn't consider Husa Dimar. Visit Hotel Husa Dimar's website.

 

Things to see and do in Valencia

One of the main attractions in Valencia is the spectacular City of Arts & Sciences which comprises an Aquarium, Science Museum and Planetarium. The white building is a very impressive example of modern architecture, fronted by a large pool of bright blue water. You can buy a ticket for all three sections, or select the section/s you want. When we were there there was only an IMAX film on at the Planetarium and the timing wasn't right for us, so we just went to the Science Museum and the Aquarium. The best bit of the Science Museum was the Space Shuttle simulator so look out for what times it is running. Generally it was probably more suitable for kids. The Aquarium is quite large - the biggest in Europe - and well worth a visit. Lots of tropical fish, an interesting dolphin show, Beluga whales, walruses, birds, etc. Visit the City of Arts & Sciences website. If you're visiting in July or August it can get really busy, so go early to avoid huge queues.

 

There was a really nice shopping centre just opposite the City of Arts & Sciences, with some nice shops and a huge food section with pubs, an Italian restaurant, mexican restaurant, middle east restaurant, pizza restaurant, sandwich shops, etc.

 

We planned to hire bicycles for the day on Sunday but the bike hire shop Do You Bike had run out of bikes and the other place we tried (Orange Bikes) didn't open on a Sunday.

 

Bars and Restaurants in Valencia

Our favourite restaurant in Valencia is the pleasantly-named Ginger Loft Cafe. It's a small, unobtrusive restaurant, down a side street on Calle Vitoria #4, by Calle San Vicente Martir and Calle Moratin in central Valencia (Tel: +34 963 523 243). The restaurant is run by the friendly Peruvian Santi and Michael from Scotland. The food is absolutely delicious and the value second to none, whether you are looking for a four-course meal or just a snack. They excel in food with an Asian twist but also offer Mediterranean specialities. The first time we were there in the evening, we had delicious home-made hummus to start, followed by a very tasty Thai chicken curry and a spicy noodle dish with prawns which set our taste buds into overdrive! On our second visit we went for lunch and were offered a choice of two menus, one offering a 2 course lunch and the other a snack option with soup and a sandwich. We went for the 2 course lunch and weren't disappointed. For our starters we had tasty soup and a very nice salad, for mains one of us had the most delicious ginger chicken and the other had an equally tasty pork fillet dish with sweet potato. We've really enjoyed both our meals so far at the Ginger Loft Cafe and look forward to next time! Visit their website for more information. Please note that they're shut every Monday and also on Saturday lunchtime.

 

There is a large selection of bars and restaurants in the Canovas area. In 2007 we had a lovely meal at Lambrusqueria on Conde Altea 31-26. There are seats indoor or outside with candlelight and a nice ambiance. Our tomato and mozzarella salad to start was very nice and the pasta dishes for our main course were also delicious, accompanied by some very nice fresh bread. They have a smaller place directly opposite which looks nice too but doesn't have as extensive a menu.

 

In 2006 we had a lovely meal at an Italian Restaurant called Il Ghittone. We had the most delicious mozzarella, tomato & basil salad to start, with a selection of nice breads then had a very tasty pizza and Pasta Arabiatta. Very friendly staff, opened very late and they don't rush you to finish your meal.

 

We also ate at Don Salvatore, which gets rave reviews but we were disappointed with it. The bruschetta to start (we were impressed as it wasn't on the menu but they offered to make it for us) was very tasty, although a bit more cheesy and less tomatoey than we're used to. For mains we had a Veal Pizzaola and their house speciality pasta - maccaroni with bacon, cream, tomato and mushrooms. The pasta was tasty but we were disappointed not to be offered parmesan or black pepper, and the veal was quite nice but came with just chips and no vegetables (this can be a problem generally in Spain, where you do not automatically get vegetables with your main course, even in a nice restaurant).

The Barrio del Carmen area in the old quarter is a quaint area with narrow cobbled streets and lots of bars and open air cafes. There's a nice little bar in Plaza Negrito, La Cava del Negret, just off Calle Caballero where you can sit and watch the world go by with a small jug of Aqua de Valencia for €8. Agua de Valencia is Valencia's speciality cocktail. It tastes like a Bucks Fizz but with a bit of a kick - orange juice, cava with vodka or gin added, usually vodka. Very nice!.

Another nice little bar with seats outside is Cafe de Sant Jaume on the corner of Calle Cabellero and Plaza del Esparto. They also do great Agua de Valencias but we had a very interesting variation here, made with cava and lemon ice cream. Delicious and very refreshing!

Some useful sites about Valencia:

VLC Valencia Valencia Tourism & Convention Bureau's site with lots of useful information
Official Tourism Site for Valencia Lots of useful information about Valencia here
This is Valencia - What's on in Valencia, bars, restaurants and sightseeing
Trip Advisor - Reviews from other travellers and a useful forum
Hotels in Valencia - Book hotels in Valencia, read travellers reviews of those hotels and earn rewards worth 5% of your booking to use against other reservations.
ValenciaValencia.com - a comprehensive, independent resource on Valencia created by travellers for travellers

*Note: Prices quoted above were accurate in 2006/07