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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

Valencia Hotels

Hotel Husa Reina Victoria

We stayed at the 4* Hotel Husa Reina Victoria for one night in July 2010. The location is excellent, very central and just about 5 minutes walk from the Metro station. The rooms are a bit dated looking to be honest, but they're clean and comfortable and the buffet breakfast was good with plenty of choice. We'd seriously consider staying here again just because of the location. Visit the hotel's website for more information or to make a booking.

 

Holiday Inn, Valencia

 

We stayed at the Holiday Inn for 3 nights at the end of March/beginning of April 2010, to meet up with friends. It's a nice hotel, about 15 minutes walk from the City of Arts & Sciences and so is very handy for that, but it's not very close to a metro and is quite a long walk to the city centre. As with most Holiday Inns there are usually lots of different offers available, and we got a good deal that included breakfast. If you don't have breakfast included it can be quite expensive to pay as you go and there aren't any cafes close to the hotel serving breakfast. Their buffet breakfast is quite extensive with fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, ham, cheese, toast, pastries - you name it! -, or you can just opt for coffee and a croissant in the cafe if you prefer. If you have a car, the hotel has a car park which costs an extra €16/day. There is limited parking in the streets around the hotel but we couldn't find a space anywhere. They also charge for internet access. The hotel has a gym and a small outdoor swimming pool which is open from the end of May until September. We'd recommend this hotel if you particularly want to be close to the City of Arts & Sciences, but otherwise it's probably preferable to be somewhere a bit more central. For more information, visit the hotel's website.

 

Hotel Acta del Carmen, Valencia

We spent one night at this 4* hotel in September 2009. It's a nice modern boutique hotel, about 10-15 minutes walk from xx metro station and handy for the bars and restaurants in the Barrio del Carmen area of the city. It's probably the type of hotel that would appeal to couples more than families. The rooms are modern and bold, with a comfortable king size bed and a large walk-in shower. Breakfast was nice, not the huge buffet selection you get in the bigger hotels, but nice bread, pastries, cheese, ham, fruit, yoghurt, etc. We'd be happy to stay here again. Visit their website for more information or to make a booking.

 

Hotel Silken Puerta Valencia

 

We stayed at the Hotel Silken Puerta Valencia (sometimes just referred to as the Hotel Puerta Valencia) for one night when we went to the Mestalla to see a football match. It's easy walking distance to Valencia's Football Stadium which makes this a good choice if you're going to be going to a game. Otherwise, expect to walk a lot, or use the metro (it's just about 10 minutes walk from Amistat or Aragon stations). It's a relatively new, modern hotel and the rooms are nice without being exceptional. We'd stay here again without hesitation if we were going to a football match, but would choose somewhere more central if we were visiting the city for other reasons. Visit the hotel's website for more information.

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. We'd definitely stay here again even though it's not right in the centre.

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 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, but it didn't look like a 4* hotel room. 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. We may have been unlucky with the room we got, but that was enough to put us off. 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 an IMAX film on at the Planetarium but 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.

A good time to visit Valencia is during Las Fallas. This is a huge festival held in March where amazing huge papier mache sculptures (ninots) are erected at various points throughout the city. On the final day of the festival, the sculptures are burned to the ground except for the winning one which is saved! There are fireworks every night and lots of fun to be had! Don't miss the Mascleta every day of the festival at 2pm where the loudest firecrackers in the world are let off and the ground shakes for about 10 minutes! There are regular parades all over the city where Valencianos dress up in their traditional costumes and carry offerings of flowers to the Plaza del Virgen, where a wooden tree shaped structure is filled up with all the flowers.

 

The Bioparc Zoo in Valencia is seemingly well worth a visit, we just have never got round to going! It’s a zoo where the animals aren’t all in cages and are encouraged to roam in environments close to their natural habitat.  Have a look at their website for more information.

 

There is 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.

Click here to reserve discount hotel rooms in Valencia, Spain

 

Click here for information about restaurants and bars in Valencia

Some other 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 2006-2010