Casa dos Caracois da Esperança

Advantages: One of the best examples of Catalan Modernism
Disadvantages: Very expensive

...My husband has a job, which more often than not requires him to work on Christmas day and through most of the Christmas period. Whilst this is the perfect reason to turn down all invitations to spend Christmas with family, it's not the greatest way to celebrate the big day with a 14 hour shift. So last Christmas I decided that we'd have our very own Christmas but just a few days before the rest of the world. And so I booked a long weekend in Barcelona. Our hotel - The Gallery (review already posted many moons ago) was just off the Passeig de Gracia, one of Barcelona's key boulevards where you can find my favourite of the buildings designed by Antonio Gaudi - the almost impossible to pronounce, Casa Batllo. Earlier in the year I had attended a big industry conference in Barcelona and we'd had the conference 'gala' dinner in the Casa... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent service, nice quite location
Disadvantages: No lifts or ramp for those with walking difficulties

...~Introduction~ During our holiday to Maderia recently we stayed at a very nice little hotel called Quinta da Casa Branca. It is part of the Estalagem hotel chain and is included on a list of small luxury hotels of the world. Our travel agent Expedia had this hotel down as four stars so we were surprised when we turned up to see that the hotel had five stars on the gate. So who was right Expedia or Estalagem? ~Location~ Madeira is off the coast of West Africa, it is an steep sided granite mass sat out in the Atlantic ocean. The capital of this small island is Funchal in a bay on the southern coast. Quinta da Casa Branca (QCB) is located in the relatively quiet holiday apartment area of Casa Branca. QCB is north of the main hotels along the cliffs and west of Funchal's city centre. The hotel is on a crescent shaped parcel of land... Read review

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Advantages: A five-star stay…
Disadvantages: …with just three-star facilities

...simplicity often trumps ritzy ostentation. Attentive service matters, but nothing is nastier than the kind of smarmy obsequiousness that always seems to mask a sneer. And so on. Maybe it's simply down to that indefinable essence known as character or personality. These inconsequential musings are prompted by my trying to pinpoint what it was about the Casa San Blas at Cusco that I liked so much. The hotel is certainly not without its limitations and even its failings, but it's a nevertheless a charming and delightful place to stay. Let's try to summarise what it has to offer. * Location * The Casa San Blas is situated just a few minutes' walk from Cusco's Plaza de Armas (central square), and is therefore convenient for all the main sights of the ancient Inca capital, such as the Qorikancha (Sun Temple), the Cathedral... Read review

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