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Andalucia was one of the destinations I considered every year but decided always against it. This year I finally decided to go.

First I planned to do a classical road trip with stays in Baeza, Granada, Loja, Cordoba, Sevilla and 2 resorts at the coast. As my GF is not to keen about removels we agreed to stay at 3 diiferent hotels, 5 nights at La Bobadilla Loja, 2 nights at Alfonso Xiii Sevilla and 4 nights at Finca Cortesin Casares (more Estepona).

Flights were my first issue. There are direct flights from DUS with Eurowings, but times were not very conveniant and prices quite high. As I normally canīt put all my Things in one bag with 23 kg I knew in Advance that I have to pay extra for 1 bag. So in the end flights with Swiss in (fake) Business at much more conveniant times were nearly the same price (770 € for 2 people). So I decided to book it as a Lufthansa ticket. As car I booked a BMW 7er at Avis to have a proper car with enough space and comfort for the comming long car rides. Price for the car was 691 € for 11 days what I found very reasonable.

Since I booked my flights they changed nearly daily. In the end I was booked both on Eurowings "Business Class" for the DUS-ZRH leg and on Swiss for the ZRH - AGP leg.

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The fun started when I tried to check-in online. It was possible for the Eurowings leg DUS-ZRH but not for the ZRH-AGP leg. Cool!

Whe I arrived at the airport the queue at the Eurowings check-in was long. As I was relative short in time I was glad I could use the Business check-in which was relative empty. At the counter I had to insist they check my lagguade through AGP, first the lady wanted to check it to ZRH... When I asked for a boarding pass for the second flight I was told she wasnīt able to print it for the Swiss leg. Wow, one ticket and no one is able to print me a Boarding pass. They substitute more and more flights by Eurowings but they are not able to provide boarding passes at the daughters check-in. Also Eurowings donīt use priority-tags for the laguage, another pain in the ... what I had to learn later. Grrrrrr……

Nevertheless I headed relative fast through security but only had 10 minutes at the Lufthansa-lounge. Indeed they improoved their Food-offerings, they now also offer Rösti beside their scrambled eggs and some more bread (5 star airline).

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The flight was an usual Eurowings flight….

At ZRH I headed first (time in my life) to the Transfer counter and grabed our Boarding passes. The lounges at ZRH are newly done but relative small. They offered a cooking station with freshly made eggs and some bread. Nothing to write home about....






Flight was in time and uneventful. Food surprisingly good with 2 choices.

At the airport it first needed nearly an hour till the lagguage arrived. Thanks to Eurowings and a full flight our lagguage arrived nearly as the last - thatīs Business dream!

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The moment I switched on my mobile I had 2 sessages from Avis. First one showed my rental contract with my car, a BMW 730d. While I would never buy a Diesel itīs not a bad thing during vacation. A second message described were I should go to the Avis counter. When I arrived there I was told as a Preferred Member I should directly go to the garage - they really spend attention to their e-mails.

At the parking garage I had to wait a few minutes till I got my car keys, after this moron searched quite a while for the car still he mentioned it was parked in front of the counter. The car was from February 2018, had run 9500 km and had a small damage on the front. What I mentioned was an ugly smell after tabac which didnīt go away. Only after 3 days I found an old cigar between the seat and the center console which the had overseen during cleaning. After its removal the smell had gone…..

The car was more or less in basis configuration, it missed even some equipment which are standard in Germany. At least it offered a good navigation system with online search.


A good car for the comming 2050 kilometers even if Andalucian car parks are mostly not made for bigger cars.

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After a hour drive we arrived our first hotel La Bobadilla. I booked it via Virtuoso which brought me a guaranteed room upgrade from a Junior Suite to a Junior Suite with terrace (biggest one bedroom suite), Spa-access and one bath at the SPA for 2 persons. From the entrance of the property you Need nearly 5 minutes to the hotel, the property is really huge.
Some words About the location. Itīs remote. They claim itīs 40 minutes to Granada but even without traffic it is 1 hour. Once we wanted to buy some water, the next supermarket is 15 minutes away. Without a car you are bound to the property or some taxi drivers could hardly stop laughing.
At a gate we had to ring, nevertheless I doubt they understand anything what you tell them (thought to say: "Iīm here to rob you" or something like this but stayed serious). When we arrived nobody was there to great us so we did the way to the lobby on our own. The hotel is build in a traditional Andalucian style with a nice courtyard.

They also have a chapel were they hold meditation circles and weddings.


The lobby is very nicely done in the style of the Mezquita.



Library

Floors


I absolutely liked the style of the hotel even if it wasnīt fancy or modern. But it absolutely fits.

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Our room was number 7 and named "Suite Don Jaime".

When we entered the room we got one of the most freezing welcomes ever. Reason wasnīt the marble, the air condition was nearly on freezing level. My first thought was I entered accidently bhrubins room. We immediately tried to put the heat on but only one of the 3 diffusers were able to provide warm air. In the end we switched it out all the time.
We stood in a lage hall with a staircase to the terrace and doors to the bedroom and living room.


On the right was a small courtyard with a fountain you could switch on.

If you travel with kids they have their own room

There was also a walk-in closet:

The bedroom was good sized.



Over some steps you reached the 2 level living room.



From the living room you reached a little balcony with a private garden.


The bathroom was a Little bit old fashioned with a huge tub but a small shower.



While style is one thing th bathroom had some faults. The water preasure at the shower was weak and 3 of 5 days there was only cold water at the shower. Also the water at the sinks wasnīt always warm.
The terrace upstairs had nearly the sice of the ground level and offered nice views.




The suite was spacious and offered everything you need (with excemption of a second toilet). Nevertheless it showed its age, itīs not a new hotel. If I consider the rate was 285,00 € per night it was still a good deal.

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Here is a video of my suite:

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As I said the grounds are huge. Most important part for me were the outdoor pools.



Unfortunately the water was relative cold so I didnīt use them a lot.
On the grounds you find also the "romantic" Romeo&Julia" lookout.

What I met there were many mosquitos who were obvious in love with me.....
They have some sports facilities




a turtle pond

plants

and some art

They have a map with hiking trails but I hadnīt enough time to try some.

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The SPA is quite funny as it is not included for every guest and they claim 22 € for it. I wouldnīt pay it.....


As I told before we had 2 bathes at the SPA Suite included. When I asked at the SPA they knew Nothing and tried to sell me their regular treatments. At the end I had no time for it but a weak perfomance.
The pool was nice....

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Breakfast was served in a special restaurant which also had a terrace which was always closed.

The selection was very good but more important all items were of high quality. I was impressed.





You could also order eggs and juices.

Yes, I really stayed in September...…

To make it clear….

Highlight of the buffet were the fruits, they had beautiful sliced mango.

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The hotel has 2 restaurants. The more casual is El Cortijo.
We had 3 meals here, the 2 first were uneventful. We "reserved" always 15 minutes in advance, I made also some fun about their reservation policy. I love to come in an empty restaurant, be asked with important face for my reservation, they look in their papers (especially if you donīt have a reservation = big sin) and in the end the restaurant stays half-empty the whole evening.
Food was pretty good, without wine we normally paid around 100 € for 2 people. Here some impressions:



















Our 3rd visit was different. The hotel hosted a wedding the next day so it was full. We didnīt get a table bevor 10 p.m. When we arrived we felt like in a market hall, it was Incredible loud. The Video gives a Little Impression, in fact it was much louder. Not a pleasure meal….

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The second restaurant was "La Finca", they call it their gourmet restaurant. I was a little bit more elegant furnished, service better and more expensive, Count with 150,00 € for 2 persons 3-course without alcohol. I found the food also better as El Cortijo, even if it wasnīt a big different. My impression:

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The hotel is in a remote Location, this may be an advantage or disadvantage. While the grounds are beautiful and the rooms spacious the resort shows its age. Therefor rates are reasonable. Gastronomy is good, prices on an usual (high) level. Breakfast is a highlight.
Would I stay again? Perhaps.

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When visiting Andalucia Alhambra is the number 1 sightseeing spot. To visit you Need in advanced timed tickets for Nasiri Palace. I booked them well in Advance, unfortunately due to the late start of breakfast at La Bobadilla (8 a.m.), the distance of the parking lot to the palace and driving time 10:30 was a little tight and we nearly missed it. Fortunately we made it (after waiting in a queue with people 1 hour early (morons) or 1 hour late (poor) who blocked the entrance and discussed when send away).
After we passed the checkpoint we stood in front of the entrance:

What shall I say about the palace. Itīs a beautiful, unique place and an absolute must see. Only downside is that this isnīt a secret and many People wanna see it. So itīs crowded.





















You leave the palace through the garden were you can also find islamic art.