We love Spain so much we created this short video to share a bit with you about the many wonders to be found there.
Travel along with the Hip Guide to Spain and visit Barcelona, Calpe, Moraira and more!
Hip Guide to Spain (Video)
Reply
Category Archives: Hip Guide to Spain
Barcelona Super Hotel Deals!
Spain is one of the most fun and exciting countries in the world to visit. From snowcapped peaks and ski resorts down to the palm treed semi-tropical shores of the blue Med, Spain will delight your senses and keep you coming back.
Cosmopolitan cities like Madrid and Barcelona are rich with art and culture. The extraordinary coastline along the Mediterranean hosts dozens of resort towns where guests from all over Europe stay for weeks on end in high rise hotels, condos and villas. It’s not hard to find the sun, sand and surf in Spain. Yet hundreds of quaint villages in the interior wait to be explored far from the hustle of cities and tourist destinations.
This site will help you explore all Barcelona and Spain have to offer the visitor including 1000+ Hotels, restaurants, museums, shopping, Spanish Recipes, Tips for Tourists, Spain Forum and our Spain Photo Gallery. We even have a Bookstore with a good selection of travel books about Spain. Browse around our site and let us know what you think!
Gandia Wines
These are my favorite Spanish wines, from the Utiel-Requenna area northwest of Valencia. Smooth, deep, and delicious, they produce reds, whites and rosés.
Founded in 1885 by Vicente Gandia Pla, the more than 100 years of experience as a family-run winery shows in the beautiful wines they make.
According to their publicity, “the passion, effort and care that we put into making high-quality wines are the result of knowledge passed down from father to son for four generations.”
Thanks to this spirit of constant growth and renewal, Bodegas Gandía is one of the leading Spanish producers of bottled wine, doing business in more than 75 countries on four continents.
With more than 200 hectares at the Hoya de Cadenas estate and other facilities in Valencia, the firm employs more than 100 professional winemakers. All of their wines are aged in American oak casks for that special flavor.
The grapes they produce and make into wines are Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Tempranillo and Bobal. I can attest to the fineness of the Tempranillo from drinking many, many bottles of this wine during the winter of 2004-2005 while staying on the Costa Blanca. The wines produced during the year 2003 are exceptionally fine, and two years later are quite drinkable, and enjoyable, indeed. Good thing it was a majorly prolific year for the grape harvest in Spain, in 2003. They say global warming is only making the European wines better and better. Small consolation I suppose.
So when in Spain, be sure to visit Valencia for the Feria, some Paella, and then venture into the mountains to the cool heights of Utiel-Requenna, and visit the Hoya de Cadenas estate of the Gandia family winery. You won’t forget it. And I guarantee you’ll enjoy the wine.
Info:
From Valencia drive northwest to Utiel, then on to Los Coralles. From here continue to the town of Las Cueva, and you can find signs to the Finca Hoya de Cadenas from here. It takes about one and a half hours to get here from Valencia.
Cafe Masala
Cozy breakfast cafe near the Placa Catalunya.
Alpujarra, Granada, Spain
the Alpujarra is a series of beautiful white-washed Andalucian-moorish villages high up in the mountains, producing loads of crafts like ceramics, rugs and strange little herbal tinctures and liquers. There’s a magical mix of influences in this area – the Arab touch from the previous Moorish settlement, a Buddhist monastery and retreat near Trevelez, open to visitors, a Mongolian gentleman selling yurts on the roadside…and near the village of Orgiva is a tipi community in a hidden valley, stop-off point for many new age travellers and home to many a full moon gathering. Alternative spirits are drawn to this area because of the beautiful mountains, valleys and springs, and the rich history.
I have some photos from la Alpujarra at the following site: https://community.webshots.com/user/joannahruby
Info:
Address:
Granada
Phone:
San Pedro, Almeria, Spain
San Pedro is apparently the remnants of what was once a port nestled in the cliffs of Cabo de Gata, Andalucia. It was discovered and is now the home to several permanent residents and many, many other travellers from all over Europe and the world, who may pass by. It is completely unreachable by vehicle – only accessible via a 1hr walk (scenic is an understatement) along the cliffs from the nearest village, las Negras.
Its a piece of paradise and a place where nature leaves you awed and humbled, by day and by night. Its also a place where, if you come with the right intentions, strangers will give you what you need. San Pedro welcomes those who like to leave without a trace.
La Semilla, Tarifa, Spain
La Semilla “the seed” is a little hippy haven tucked away in stunning mountains on the coast of Andalucia, with views to Morocco. It is a cultural association hosting several music/art workshops throughout the year, as well as being open at weekends in the summer as a vegetarian and organic restaurant. Prices are moderate, but if you love quality vegetarian food you may just find the meal and the views over the mountains and ocean to Morocco an overwhelmingly wonderful experience.
Wagons or a tipi in the surrounding land can be rented very cheaply per night, but also people from all walks of life come to volunteer at La Semilla for months at a time helping with building, vegetable growing, cooking, artistic contribution etc etc. If you are in the area of Tarifa on a summer weekend make it your mission to come here ; follow signs to Playa de Bolonia, follow the road up past the beach into the mountains, take the right at the fork, and follow the little signs, some on the road itself.
Enquiries: grahola@yahoo.es
See my Semilla photos: https://community.webshots.com/user/joannahruby
Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
A magical blend of starlight nights, mountains, and sea. Trust me, lying under the stars will make no other starry sky seem quite as black and as speckled with stars as this vision. White washed houses trail the mountainous paths where the winding roads travel high on cliff edges. The vegetation here is so green.apparently anything grows on this land, after all, it’s known for it’s Spring climate all year round ( Gotta taste the warm rain and smell the moist ground.delight! )
There’s an upcoming mix of African and Spanish culture due to its geographical location. Whether you’re in the North ( the place to be for natural beauty ), down South ( where the parties kick off hard ), or up in the mountains of the Teide ( watch out for those scorpions! ).I guarantee immense energy to align even the most stressed of people. The beaches stretch with volcanic black sand that soak up the sun for the ultimate tan. The clouds linger around the villages on mountain tops.a mist like in heaven.
Don’t forget to catch "Rastro" market in Santa Cruz for good deals on Shaman drums, guitars.etc. Quite a good number of camping sites. A friendly environment where people feel a freedom to talk. It’s great feeling the vibes of some of the travellars who so often come back-packing in search for this peaceful vibration. A must.
Map of Spain
Visit Spain with this map. Double-click to zoom in, click and drag to move it around. Change from satellite view to road map to combination maps. Fly into Barcelona, drive to Madrid, then south through Grenada, and up along the Mediterranean coast and up to Girona and Figueres using this map.
La Sagrada Familia Barcelona
A visit to the famed La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. This is considered to be Anotonio Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece, a grand cathedral still under construction. This is truly one of the most wonderful pieces of architecture I have ever visited.
Street Entertainers Las Ramblas Barcelona
Visit Barcelona’s Las Ramblas and enjoy some of the colorful street entertainers that line the walkway to the sea.