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 ...
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 ...
Advantages: on the beach, very clean, nice staff Disadvantages: busy road cuts the hotel into two
without looking, and the road can get busy. If I had kids that would be my main worry. Also the beds were a bit hard, and I like a softer one. Not too many complaints there.
Before we went the first time I looked at a few online reviews which were not favourable about this hotel, but I can honestly say that this was not the case for us. We found the staff helpful and friendly, the rooms spotlessly clean, and the hotel secure. Everything I look for in a hotel.
Just to finish, we never go anywhere twice, we like to use our holidays to see different parts of the world, but we have been here twice and not regretted it, and would even go back again at some point.
Thanks for reading what turned out to be a long review. ...
