Barcelona -
BESTA. A wonderful tasting menu (a la carte also available), solid cocktail and wine options. Great service. Reservations required.
HEMINGWAY's Bar. Fun spot. Unique glassware.
Valencia -
CAFETARIA LE NAU. Breakfast in courtyard at a college. No crowds, cheap eats. Tasty.
ULTRAMARINOS POPE. Tapas and pastrami.
RICARDO CARMERENA's BAR CENTRAL @ Mercado Central. Line starts at 11:00am for lunch. Worth the wait. Michelin Starred Chef without the frills.
Our friend's who live in the city claim this is their favorite Paella restaurant: MASUSA. We ate there and it was great! eight different paellas on the menu. Reservations needed because it is small.
Trip Tip: Check out the CCCC museum of contemporary art based in an old monastery.
Seville:
HOTEL: Palacio Pinella. Very nice, small hotel. comfortable. good breakfast (gratis). Seven minute walk to Alcazar and Cathedral. Little pricey.
TABERNA ZABAREN. Very close to "the Mushroom (las Setas)". Food was wonderful, one of our favorite Andalusian experiences. The chocolate ganache with salt, olive oil and crispy bread was GREAT.
CASA ROMAN ( a RS recommendation) - very solid. loved the Gazpacho, Iberico pork in a whisky sauce.
SABRETABLAS. about 20 mins. from city center. Nice neighborhood. Fine dining. 7 course tasting with a wonderfully curated wine pairing....most wines were between 10-20 yrs old..some real delights. Very enjoyable experience.
Trip Tip: Go to Las Setas, especially for sunset
Ronda:
Hotel Montelirio. Must get a room facing the sunset/gorge. If not available, book elsewhere. Our sunset pictures of the gorge/old town are a highlight.
Trip Tip: DO take in the evening guitar show mentioned by RS. Very nice, one hour show.
Nerja:
Stayed at an AirBNB on the Mediterranean with a fresh water pool. Nice space. large balcony. Hosted by Cruz. on Calle Torrecilla.
SAFARN. moderately priced Moroccan. Small. Solid cooking.
OLIVA. Fine dining. Very good tasting menu. Not innovative but solid. Not many choices in Nerja - this would be a go-to-place in that town.
Trip Tip: Walk to Burriana Beach, take a cab back
Granada:
Hotel: Palacete 1620, Premium Suites. Spacious rooms in an old, old building. Slowest elevator in the world! Very good location (flat, unusual for Granada) in city center near the Catherdral..
DIAMONTES. Strictly seafood. This place has a number of locations in the tourist spots. But everything was fine, no issues
PIMIENTA ROSA. As good as Taberna Zubaren in Seville (high praise). Very solid.
LEMON ROCK. A fun, eclectic venue with solid food - away from the masses.
Trip Tip: after dinner at Lemon Rock, walk over to the Bohemian Jazz Bar.
Cordoba:
We only day-tripped through Cordoba on our way to Toledo.
Trip Tip: Spend a night in this adorable city and definitely see the Mezquita. It was the most emotionally touching building we have been through in Europe.
Toledo:
Pinocchio Hotel - minutes walk to Cathedral. Toledo is hilly. cobblestones, and this place is in an area where cars are prohibited during the day and night. When we departed for train station - we did so around 8:30am so a car could access the hotel.
LA CAV RESTAURANT. Cute place. Food was good.
Trip Tip: Toledo is the first spot in Spain that closes early and dinner is around 7pm.
Madrid:
Hotel; Palacio San Martin. This was a splurge.
CAFE MURILLO. 4 mins fro the Prado. Very nice, beautiful meal before walking through the museum. reserve a table, we got lucky.
EL SOCIAL. Very nice spot - Food was tasty. Small - reservations needed.
Trip Tip: Plan ahead and make your reservations. Restaurants tend to be small and fill up. If we go again we will stay outside of city center, most likely in Charmartin neighborhood. The Metro is very good so getting into the center is easy. But there are soooo many tourists, staying in the city ctr is tough.