sábado, 20 de junio de 2009

Porto

The second city in Portugal is Porto, I've been there 4 times and I always love to come back.
It's a city not to be missed, for its landmarks, for its history, gastronomy and much more!

Porto is just a beautiful city with a special light, with great places for unique dinners like port cellars, and special touristic spots like the Sé Cathedral, Jardim da Foz, Jardim de Serralves, the little hilly streets with tiles on the walls and many bridges that cross the Douro river which divides the city in two different parts.
My favourite one is the Ponte Maria Pia was designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1.876, this is really a special bridge!

Port Wine is a sweet fortified wine, exclusively produced in the Douro designated region, named after the city, where it is aged and bottled. "Vinho do Porto" is basically a geographic name of origin.
The following are the main types found in the market:white, red and rubby.
Further information on the Port wine

The city was classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1996.

My hotel reccommendations:
Hotel Porto Palacio
GOOD: Excellent service, great layout of the rooms, amazing relaxing spa area, hugem breakfast buffet, fre wifi
TO IMPROVE: location, the look of the building from outside, prices of the spa, expensive PC with internet

Porto Pestana Hotel
GOOD: location, decoration
TO IMPROVE: variety of the breakfast, more services, free wifi

Further information about Porto

domingo, 7 de junio de 2009

Berlin

I love Berlin, this city has something special, even having no real landmarks or nothing really AMAZING (in capital letters!), it makes me feel alive and enjoy being there.
I went there for the first time in August 1989, before the wall falled, and I've regularly been visiting Berlin and seeing its evolution.

My hotel reccomendations:
Johann hotel
Good location, just straight ahead of the Friedrichstrasse, at Hallesches Tor Metro Station. 33 rooms and opened in 2004.
GOOD: kindness of staff, nice rooms, prices around 100€, variety and good breakfast, they have bikes for guests à 7€, free wifi and computer with internet in the bar.
TO IMPROVE: no hairdrier in the room (they provide it if requested), no dark curtains, no amenities in the bath, no restaurants or bars or supermarkets around.

Lux 11
Design hotel close to Alexander Platz. Opened in 2005.
GOOD: the design, Korres Amenities, location with lots of shops, restaurants around.
TO IMPROVE: the reservation process, professionality of staff, most of the students, curtains not so dark as they should be in a hotel. Tap very unconfortable for washing hands. No computer with internet available for guests and wifi to be paid in the rooms.

Gates Hotel
Great hotel with a computer with internet in all 104 rooms.
(To be checked its new hotel: http://www.hotel-gates-city-east.de/)
GOOD: great breakfast in special room, free bikes for guests, location with great shops and restaurants around, Bus from Tegel stops at 3 min walking distance, big rooms.
TO IMPROVE: nothing bad found.

Cheap good rooms in young atmosphere:
Meininger Hostel (The one at Hauptbahnhof and at Prenzlauer Berg)

Restaurants:
Brauhaus Georgbraeu: typical German food at Nikolaiviertel
Mutter Hoppe: typical German food
Solar: the most in now in Berlin
Restauration 1900: historical restaurant
Aigner: at the Gendarmer Mark
Bonfini: one of the best Italian Restaurants
Borchardt: at the Französische Strasse, best French food in town
Prater Gartern is the greatest Biergarten in the city, in Prenzlauer Berg

To visit:
Wall museum with the story of the escapes from East to West Berlin, very interesting.
A different tour through the underworld of Berlin to discover its history
Hackesche Höfe, one of my favourite corners are the "patios" with nice restaurants, shop and the history bounded to the Jewish

All Berlin Musea:


Discover Berlin by bike: it's flat and it's ready for the bikers with special paths all around.
General information about Berlin