Seville | Keeping the Kids Amused

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If you’re an adult, finding something to enjoy in Seville is like shooting fish in a barrel. Whether you like monuments and museums, picturesque balconied streets and plazas, parks and gardens, shopping, or just sitting out at pavement cafes or in cosy tapas bars watching the world go by, there seems to be an almost endless supply.

Your kids, however, may have more exacting (or at least different) standards. Another magnificent palace? Yawn. But never fear, help is at hand.

Depending on the age of the child, a little distraction may be all that’s necessary. Have them hunt for the crocodile in the Cathedral, for example (yes, there is, but it’s not alive). Climb the tower, too, looking out of the windows at each turn of the winding ramp. They may also like the model boats in the naval museum in the Torre del Oro. Try the maze in the gardens of the Alcázar Palace.

plaza espana rowboats

Buy a football and have a kick around in the park, or stop off at one of the children’s play areas – there are quite a few of these, including those in the Murillo Gardens,  If they like horses, take a carriage ride. You’ll probably enjoy it, too, and if you go out to the Plaza de España, you can have a go on the boating lake or rent a 4-wheel pedal bike cart in the Maria Luisa Park.

For something a little different visit the Casa de la Ciencia, in the Peru pavilion alongside Maria Luisa Park, which has exhibitions for children and has just opened a planetarium (shows Tuesday to Friday at 6.30pm, and Sats and Suns at 11.00,12.00 and 1.00).

Another alternative is a day at the beach. There are lots of good beaches along the Cádiz and Huelva coasts, the closest being Matalascañas, less than an hour’s drive away.

If all else fails you may have to bring out the big guns. Isla Magica is Seville’s pirate and adventure theme park in the Cartuja neighbourhood. All the fun of the fair for children (and grown-ups) of every age, and lots of shows and entertainments. A bit pricey, but you can take the edge off by going after 4.00pm with a half-day ticket. The season runs from the end of March to the beginning of November.

Still on the pirate theme, the pirate boat cruise on the river is lots of fun, as well as being a pleasant way to see the city from a different point of view.

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay with a family we have some great two and three bedroom holiday apartments at a variety of prices in the centre of Seville, some, like the Teodosio, with their own private rooftop pool. Don’t forget that we have an airport to apartment transfer service that includes provision of a child safety seat.

Granada | El Realejo

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To the south and southeast of the Alhambra Palace, on the slope of the hill dropping down to the River Genil, is the district of El Realejo, one of Granada’s most important historic neighbourhoods. In mediaeval times, until the conquest of the city by the Christians, it was the Jewish quarter of the city, and was known as “Granada of the Jews”. Originally this was outside the city walls, and reached by passing through the Torres Bermejas, an impressive group of towers that protected one of the gates of the Moorish period. After the expulsion of the Jews and Moslems it was given the name El Realejo, the Royal quarter, and although it still retains much of its original street layout, its character owes much to later rebuilding of the city.

View from Carmen terrace looking over the Realejo.

View from the Almanzor Alta Carmen terrace overlooking the Realejo.

From the Plaza Nueva a walk up the steep street of Cuesta Gomérez takes you through the Puertas de las Granadas towards the palace and the upper Realejo, but its worthwhile to make a short detour up Almanzor Alta street, and with the walls of the fortress looming above you take in the views of the Albaicin and the city centre.

From there walk past the Torres Bermejas into the Realejo proper. It’s an area of picturesque narrow streets and lots of busy bars and restaurants, especially around the Campo del Principe (Field of the Prince), the main square in the centre of the neighbourhood. It is said to have come by its name because a prince died there after falling off his horse. Stop here for a drink or a bite to eat while you absorb the atmosphere.

A little further on is one of Granada’s gems, the Carmen of the Martyrs. This was the site of the first Christian hermitage in Granada, named in commemoration of the Christians who had languished or perished in Moorish jails. In the 19th century it was rebuilt as a small palace, and surrounded with gardens in various styles and a small lake. It’s a place to visit for its tranquil beauty and views of the Alhambra.

Make your way back to the city centre along the main street, the Calle de Santiago (which becomes calle Pavaneras in its lower part), which will take you past many of the grandest buildings in the neighbourhood, including a number of religious foundations, such as the Convents of Santiago and the Carmelitas, and palaces like the Casa de los Tiros, or the Casa Arabe Girones, which is unusual in preserving a Moorish house in its interior, and is worth visiting for that alone.

For a perfect base for visiting this and other parts of Granada, have a look at our apartments in Almanzor Alta and Cuesta Gomérez.

Seville | Airport to Apartment Transfer Service

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San Pablo (SVQ) is Seville’s principal airport and the second largest in Andalusia, after Malaga. It is located 10 km northeast of Seville, the capital city of Andalusia, alongside the A4 motorway, which connects Seville with Madrid.

seville airport to apartment transferSeville does not have a direct train or metro network servicing the airport, so there are only three options for travelling between the city and the airport:

1. Airport bus
2. Taxi
3. Private transfer

In this post, we will give an overview of the latter.

The airport to city transfer service costs 30 euros for a group of up to 4 people, and can be booked through veoapartment.

The photos shown in this post are screenshots of our airport transfer video, which shows the process from arrival, loading the luggage into the car, driving to the apartment, and payment by credit card.

An English speaking driver with a name card will wait for you in the arrivals hall on the ground floor of the airport terminal. He will help you carry your luggage to the car and drive you directly to the apartment. On the way, he will call the apartment manager, so you won’t have to wait outside the apartment when you arrive. The drivers all have an excellent knowledge of Seville, and during the drive will give you a short introduction to the city and point out any monuments you pass on the way.

The entire transfer service has a fixed price of 30 Euros, all inclusive. As our apartment guests include many families with children an important safety feature, compared to taxis, is the availability of baby seats, which are provided with no extra charge. There are also no waiting charges for delayed flights.

A private airport to city transfer is, in our opinion, the most convenient, and hassle-free means of transportation from the airport to the apartment.

Our private transfer service is available to and from Seville airport, the train station, and other local destinations. Private transfers to other cities are possible, as well. Please request by email.

Malaga | Automobile Museum

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Michael Jackson's Swarovski crystal-studded Rolls Royce

Michael Jackson’s Swarovski crystal-studded Rolls Royce Silver Cloud

As well as its beaches, monuments, historic old centre, parks and gardens and great places to eat, the city of Malaga has one of the largest and most varied selections of museums in Spain, outside of Madrid and Barcelona. Here you can find not only the expected, such as the Picasso museum (he was born in Malaga), the Carmen Thyssen Art museum, and museums celebrating local history, but also the unexpected, such as the interactive music museum or the Crystal and Glass museum. One of our favourites, which you can find a little way outside the city centre to the southwest, is the Malaga Automobile Museum, regarded as one of the best of its kind anywhere in the world.

It’s housed in what was once Malaga’s tobacco factory, built in the 1920s in a style that makes a perfect backdrop for the collection of shiny vehicular machinery within, which spans the entire period from vintage cars of the late 19th century “Belle Epoque”, the earliest still looking like aristocratic carriages and coaches with the horses removed, right up to the present, and beyond, with the concept cars of the future. For the enthusiast and the more casual visitor alike the names of the famous classic marques roll off the tongue. Bugatti, Ferrari, Rolls Royce, Cadillac, Jaguar, Hispano Suiza and many more. And you will also recognise the names of some famous car owners, such as John Lennon and Michael Jackson.

John Lennon's psychedelic Phantom-V Rolls Royce

John Lennon’s psychedelic Phantom-V Rolls Royce

If you’re not an auto enthusiast, there are exhibits for you too. The collection of high fashion hats of the 1920s is fascinating, as is the gallery of themed artworks, and if you’re in Malaga this weekend be sure to catch the special exhibition, the Jazz Years, featuring the cars, clothes and accessories of the 20s and 30s, on Saturday. Definitely a great place to spend an hour or three.

For information on the location, price and opening hours of this and other museums have a look at our Malaga museums page.

If you’re looking for a place to stay we now have a range of high quality rental apartments in Malaga.

Seville | How Seville Got Rich

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This week’s post is by guest blogger and long-time Seville resident Peter Tatford Seville Concierge.

Next time you’re in Seville (or if you’re here now), make your way down to the river and take a stroll along its banks from the Puerto de Las Delicias, past the Torre del Oro (the Gold Tower), to Triana Bridge, enjoying the sunshine, the breeze, and the peace and quiet beside the water.

arenal torre del oroBut it wasn’t always like this. Allow your imagination free rein to go back to when this short stretch of the Rio Guadalquivir was one of the busiest ports in Europe. The sun is still shining and the breeze is still blowing up from the sea (if you’re lucky), but the peace and quiet has been shattered, seemingly beyond repair. Moored along the banks are dozens of the sailing ships that ply the trade with the recently discovered New World of the Americas across the nearby ocean. A shipment of gold is being unloaded, ready to be carried under guard to the storerooms of the Casa de la Moneda (the Royal Mint). Spices and other valuable trade goods sit on the docks, awaiting collection. Other ships are being loaded with provisions, or being readied for sailing. Coils of rope and canvas sheets abound. The docks are crowded with ragged sailors and stevedores, a few gaudily dressed noblemen and merchants, and even more gaudily dressed young women plying the oldest trade of them all.

This is what has made, is making, Seville the greatest, richest city in Europe, and this month marks the anniversary of the two world-changing voyages of discovery that set it all in motion.

On the evening of August 3, 1492, three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Santa Clara, slipped anchor in the little harbour of Palos de la Frontera, near the mouth of the Guadalquivir, and set off in search of a western route to the spice islands of the far east. Their commander was, of course, Christopher Columbus, actually an Italian from Genoa, not a Spaniard, but his voyage was being sponsored by the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabel, and he had a strong association with Seville, both in life, and in death, his tomb being in the city’s Cathedral. As we all know, he never found a way to China and India. Instead he discovered America, and for the next two hundred years Seville had a monopoly of the trade with the New World, and grew fat on the proceeds.

His goal of reaching the East by sailing west was achieved a generation later by another foreigner in the pay of the Spanish crown. Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese, making him almost guilty of treason given the competition between the two countries at that time. He set sail from Seville on his voyage to circumnavigate the world on August 10, 1519 with a fleet of five ships and 237 men, from a spot next to the Triana end of the Puente de San Telmo now marked by a rather abstract memorial. Magellan himself never returned, being killed in 1521 at Mactan in the Philippines, but just over three years after setting out the last remaining ship limped into Sanlucar de Barrameda under the command of Juan Sebastian Elcano, who has a street named after him next to Magellan’s memorial. There were just 18 men left on board, the rest having perished on the journey. Wealth doesn’t come cheap.

For more information on Seville’s seafaring past visit the naval museum in the Torre del Oro.

Apartments with a perfect view of this stretch of the river include Betis Blue 2, and two others in the same building.