Slummin' it to Spain - BCN, PMI for some Park Hyatt, and MAD
#17
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Canterbury
Programs: BA Blue, IC Diamond Ambassador, Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 368
This TR has really brought my memories of Barcelona flooding back from the food to the wonderful architecture. Looking forward to the rest.
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
Thank you, offerendum
I was happy with the tapas places I went to. Ciudad Condal and Cerveseria Catalana were the two that I frequented as mentioned above
Trying to get the next post up, but been busy with work! Hopefully this weekend I can scrounge together the Mallorcan installment
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
The next morning, it was a quick taxi ride to the airport and we were through security in no time. Since we were slumming it, sitting at the gate was the pasttime.
We were at the very far end of the concourse, and the gates were a floor above the rest...interesting setup
Skipping the pictures of regional economy, cause nobody cares, right? That's ok if you disagree, since this is the only picture I took of the flight
We landed in Mallorca where I picked up my rental from Sixt. It was a facelifted A3 wagon, diesel with 6MT so I could row my own gears as I prefer. First stop before driving across the island was Bellver Castle
A view towards Palma Cathedral
A door to nowhere
Continuing into the heart of the fortification
At least the view isn't too bad if you were trapped in here
The view from the top
Oh, I WAS planning to go to Rome this summer, but that all changed recently. Looking like back to Tokyo, then a separate trip to Maldives and London instead.
Afterwards, the next stop was Palma Cathedral, which took us longer than we would have liked. Using navigation, it routed us through some narrow streets with lots of foot traffic. It's a bit unnerving in an unfamiliar area. It took us around a few times before I spotted the underground parking meant for people like us
It was about 2PM by now, so we immediately sat down to get ripped off at Guiness House for a sandwich. But, at least this was our view for the time we spent there...
A forgettable sandwich
Heading towards the cathedral
Again, just simply stunning architecture
A cannon on display
Looking back towards the Med
More cathedral
Not sure why I took this...it ended up looking a lot worse than I was thinking. Maybe I just wanted to capture the bird?
Anyhow, we hopped in the car and drove for roughly an hour to Park Hyatt Mallorca. Now, it's not THAT far away, but the endless roundabouts that span every few miles of road meant lots of slowing down, speeding up, and repeating that made the trip much less fluid than I wanted. All those thoughts disappeared as soon as we arrived at this beautiful property.
We were checked in immediately. We were low on cash, so we exchanged some USD for Euros. However, they screwed up the exchange, significantly in my favor (they did an inverse). When I tried to tell them, the agent brought someone else over who confirmed that I was getting the right amount and thanked me for my honesty. I wasn't going to push it to make the situation uncomfortable, but I knew I shouldn't have received 110 Euro for my single Benjamin.
On to the room...we were driven by buggy and shown the amenities.
Front entrance is on the far left
2nd bathroom in the distance, where the entrance is
The far end of the room, with a dining table and exit to a patio
Bedroom with a rise up TV
Bathroom with heated floor
Outside on the patio
And looking towards some of the other rooms
A sign
Me snapping some pictures
Looking over the pool and dining areas
Down in the pool area where it was too cold for any kind of water activity
Dinner was at Tapas Bar, one of the restaurants on site
Cheese plate. I think we tried the blue bufala (not a cheese person but the guy said it wasn't kill you strong so we said ok), Manchego cured dehesa de los llano which was world's best cheese in 2012, and the last one was the cured organic cheese washed in beer. Pretty good all in all. Just need to taste more and develop my palate going forward
Then a ham tasting plate...lighter one is aged 14 months whereas the darker, leaner one is aged 48 months
Starter was the grilled scallop with smoked butter
Main was the ribeye with padron peppers and some potatoes. Unfortunately, the steak was a let down. It looks delicious, but it was rather tough. I've had plenty of USDA choice steaks that were juicier and more tender. Even worse was that I was really looking forward to a big slab of meat after a few days of small tapas dishes too
Full menu here for those interested: https://mallorca.park.hyatt.com/cont...nu-English.pdf
A bonus walk around video of the room
We were at the very far end of the concourse, and the gates were a floor above the rest...interesting setup
Skipping the pictures of regional economy, cause nobody cares, right? That's ok if you disagree, since this is the only picture I took of the flight
We landed in Mallorca where I picked up my rental from Sixt. It was a facelifted A3 wagon, diesel with 6MT so I could row my own gears as I prefer. First stop before driving across the island was Bellver Castle
A view towards Palma Cathedral
A door to nowhere
Continuing into the heart of the fortification
At least the view isn't too bad if you were trapped in here
The view from the top
Oh, I WAS planning to go to Rome this summer, but that all changed recently. Looking like back to Tokyo, then a separate trip to Maldives and London instead.
Afterwards, the next stop was Palma Cathedral, which took us longer than we would have liked. Using navigation, it routed us through some narrow streets with lots of foot traffic. It's a bit unnerving in an unfamiliar area. It took us around a few times before I spotted the underground parking meant for people like us
It was about 2PM by now, so we immediately sat down to get ripped off at Guiness House for a sandwich. But, at least this was our view for the time we spent there...
A forgettable sandwich
Heading towards the cathedral
Again, just simply stunning architecture
A cannon on display
Looking back towards the Med
More cathedral
Not sure why I took this...it ended up looking a lot worse than I was thinking. Maybe I just wanted to capture the bird?
Anyhow, we hopped in the car and drove for roughly an hour to Park Hyatt Mallorca. Now, it's not THAT far away, but the endless roundabouts that span every few miles of road meant lots of slowing down, speeding up, and repeating that made the trip much less fluid than I wanted. All those thoughts disappeared as soon as we arrived at this beautiful property.
We were checked in immediately. We were low on cash, so we exchanged some USD for Euros. However, they screwed up the exchange, significantly in my favor (they did an inverse). When I tried to tell them, the agent brought someone else over who confirmed that I was getting the right amount and thanked me for my honesty. I wasn't going to push it to make the situation uncomfortable, but I knew I shouldn't have received 110 Euro for my single Benjamin.
On to the room...we were driven by buggy and shown the amenities.
Front entrance is on the far left
2nd bathroom in the distance, where the entrance is
The far end of the room, with a dining table and exit to a patio
Bedroom with a rise up TV
Bathroom with heated floor
Outside on the patio
And looking towards some of the other rooms
A sign
Me snapping some pictures
Looking over the pool and dining areas
Down in the pool area where it was too cold for any kind of water activity
Dinner was at Tapas Bar, one of the restaurants on site
Cheese plate. I think we tried the blue bufala (not a cheese person but the guy said it wasn't kill you strong so we said ok), Manchego cured dehesa de los llano which was world's best cheese in 2012, and the last one was the cured organic cheese washed in beer. Pretty good all in all. Just need to taste more and develop my palate going forward
Then a ham tasting plate...lighter one is aged 14 months whereas the darker, leaner one is aged 48 months
Starter was the grilled scallop with smoked butter
Main was the ribeye with padron peppers and some potatoes. Unfortunately, the steak was a let down. It looks delicious, but it was rather tough. I've had plenty of USDA choice steaks that were juicier and more tender. Even worse was that I was really looking forward to a big slab of meat after a few days of small tapas dishes too
Full menu here for those interested: https://mallorca.park.hyatt.com/cont...nu-English.pdf
A bonus walk around video of the room
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
Not quite as epic as your RTW, Madone59, but it'll do
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
With a good night of rest, we walked just a few minutes to the breakfast area. Starting with the buffet selection, where a local sausage is the specialty.
On to the other buffet offerings. Of course there were also eggs and bacon and potatoes on offer, but I seem to have skipped those items in the photo op
Lots of cured meats, but not quite PH Vienna selection overall
There was something amazingly delicious about the apple pie crumble
We were also able to order off of the menu. I went with the Mallorcan toast as suggested by our server, whereas the wife went with the spicy avocado eggs
With stomachs full, we got changed and called down to the front desk to bring our car out front. About 1-2 km from the resort was Claper des Gegants, which have the remains of a prehistoric site from about 3000 years ago. You make short hike next to one of the golf courses before you arrive at the ruins.
I think this is the right way
Finally some more signage
Just a bunch of rocks, but you can see some dividing walls of the settlement. Pretty cool stuff
The next stop I had on my list was Cuevas de Art. This was much cooler than I had expected, and pictures simply don't do the cave justice. Countless stalactites and stalagmites line each chamber, and some are given names based on their shapes. We ended up having a private tour since we were the only ones that were there at the particular time slot. I'll just let the pictures do the talking here.
Giant stairway is actually the exit
Looking towards the sea
There is a small locked gate to the left of the giant stairway that is the entrance. This hallway leads to the first main area
And the first chamber in all its glory. We were stunned and motionless as our eyes took it all in
The tallest formation more than 60 feet high, but not quite reaching the ceiling yet. It grows at a rate of approximately 2cm every 100 years
This area was dubbed the Gates of Hell
Some lighting effects
The upside down sheep on the upper left
This one was the mammoth or elephant?
A new formation beginning
Some close ups
One last shot exiting
Surprisingly, we had more places to see on our agenda. The initial thought of just relaxing at the resort went out the window somehow and we were back in the car driving towards another castle
Might as well advertise!
Entrance was just a few Euros
The outer fortification walls
Juxtaposition of past and present
Defensive tower
Water tank
Another vantage of the tower
A bell
More walls
A church was onsite
Church on the left
More of the perimeter
Archaeological excavations are still ongoing
You can see more dividing walls similar to Claper des Gegants
And walking back to the car
Flowers
And back to paradise
I'll pickup the next post with dinner at Tapas Bar again
On to the other buffet offerings. Of course there were also eggs and bacon and potatoes on offer, but I seem to have skipped those items in the photo op
Lots of cured meats, but not quite PH Vienna selection overall
There was something amazingly delicious about the apple pie crumble
We were also able to order off of the menu. I went with the Mallorcan toast as suggested by our server, whereas the wife went with the spicy avocado eggs
With stomachs full, we got changed and called down to the front desk to bring our car out front. About 1-2 km from the resort was Claper des Gegants, which have the remains of a prehistoric site from about 3000 years ago. You make short hike next to one of the golf courses before you arrive at the ruins.
I think this is the right way
Finally some more signage
Just a bunch of rocks, but you can see some dividing walls of the settlement. Pretty cool stuff
The next stop I had on my list was Cuevas de Art. This was much cooler than I had expected, and pictures simply don't do the cave justice. Countless stalactites and stalagmites line each chamber, and some are given names based on their shapes. We ended up having a private tour since we were the only ones that were there at the particular time slot. I'll just let the pictures do the talking here.
Giant stairway is actually the exit
Looking towards the sea
There is a small locked gate to the left of the giant stairway that is the entrance. This hallway leads to the first main area
And the first chamber in all its glory. We were stunned and motionless as our eyes took it all in
The tallest formation more than 60 feet high, but not quite reaching the ceiling yet. It grows at a rate of approximately 2cm every 100 years
This area was dubbed the Gates of Hell
Some lighting effects
The upside down sheep on the upper left
This one was the mammoth or elephant?
A new formation beginning
Some close ups
One last shot exiting
Surprisingly, we had more places to see on our agenda. The initial thought of just relaxing at the resort went out the window somehow and we were back in the car driving towards another castle
Might as well advertise!
Entrance was just a few Euros
The outer fortification walls
Juxtaposition of past and present
Defensive tower
Water tank
Another vantage of the tower
A bell
More walls
A church was onsite
Church on the left
More of the perimeter
Archaeological excavations are still ongoing
You can see more dividing walls similar to Claper des Gegants
And walking back to the car
Flowers
And back to paradise
I'll pickup the next post with dinner at Tapas Bar again
#28
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
You won't be disappointed, @offerendum PH was a fantastic property. I hardly saw anyone wandering the grounds, but I'm sure I was there during low season. Many of the restaurants weren't open, which is why we ended up sticking to the resort both nights
Thank you, @Steve_19 Hope you enjoy as much as we did!
@cruisingmickey we were there the last week of February. It wasn't too cold...50s to 60s during the daytime when we were there. For Mallorca, you would want to rent a car if you're staying on the east side of the island, where PH is, in my opinion.
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: LAX
Programs: United Silver, Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 988
That night, we called around for reservations but found out many restaurants were closed as it was low season. Rather than deal with driving and finding parking, we just went to Tapas Bar again for dinner.
Some of the ham we had the previous night, as well as some sausage
We had a pick of the sobrasada de porc negre, camaiot, and chorizo, and all were delicious
Steak tartare
Tuna tartare
Oxtail cannelloni made with cheese cream and foie gras. We forgot to disclose a peanut allergy, but the chef was awesome enough to fire up a second serving just for my wife. We were completely content with the original dish since it was our fault for not being upfront, but like I said, the staff were more than accommodating
Farm egg with potato cream and Iberian ham
Lastly, some croquettes to finish it off
Dessert of creamy chocolate with coffee foam
We retired to our room afterwards for the last night at this beautiful resort. I do hope we have time during a better season to come back and explore some more.
The next morning, we checked out and hopped in the car back towards PMI. We had to do a little luggage rearranging since one of the bags was overweight. Once we were within 1 kilo, the desk agent was content and handed us our boarding passes.
At one of the run down Priority Pass lounges, but still better than waiting at the gate
At the gate waiting for the flight to Madrid
Another hour or so of flight later, we landed in Madrid and took a taxi to the AC Carlton Madrid. It was a barebones room in contrast to the PH, but comfy enough to kick back and relax in.
I still don't get why so many bathrooms have partial glass that lets water splash all over the floor
Not having eaten lunch, we found a local spot to fill our stomachs
Steak medallions
Time to explore!
Plaza Mayor
Chocolateria San Gines for some churros
And then back to Plaza Mayor for some people watching.
A disgusting costume
Some more wandering
A band
Taking a roundabout way back to our hotel
Thru Parque del Retiro
Sun setting
And we called it a night!
Some of the ham we had the previous night, as well as some sausage
We had a pick of the sobrasada de porc negre, camaiot, and chorizo, and all were delicious
Steak tartare
Tuna tartare
Oxtail cannelloni made with cheese cream and foie gras. We forgot to disclose a peanut allergy, but the chef was awesome enough to fire up a second serving just for my wife. We were completely content with the original dish since it was our fault for not being upfront, but like I said, the staff were more than accommodating
Farm egg with potato cream and Iberian ham
Lastly, some croquettes to finish it off
Dessert of creamy chocolate with coffee foam
We retired to our room afterwards for the last night at this beautiful resort. I do hope we have time during a better season to come back and explore some more.
The next morning, we checked out and hopped in the car back towards PMI. We had to do a little luggage rearranging since one of the bags was overweight. Once we were within 1 kilo, the desk agent was content and handed us our boarding passes.
At one of the run down Priority Pass lounges, but still better than waiting at the gate
At the gate waiting for the flight to Madrid
Another hour or so of flight later, we landed in Madrid and took a taxi to the AC Carlton Madrid. It was a barebones room in contrast to the PH, but comfy enough to kick back and relax in.
I still don't get why so many bathrooms have partial glass that lets water splash all over the floor
Not having eaten lunch, we found a local spot to fill our stomachs
Steak medallions
Time to explore!
Plaza Mayor
Chocolateria San Gines for some churros
And then back to Plaza Mayor for some people watching.
A disgusting costume
Some more wandering
A band
Taking a roundabout way back to our hotel
Thru Parque del Retiro
Sun setting
And we called it a night!