Now fall for Boston
When you’re rushing to get in your room late at night after a long journey, all you want is to be whisked there with the minimum of fuss. That’s exactly what happened here with the perfectly attentive member of staff at the tower overlooking downtown Cardiff.
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Just metres from the train station at the bottom of St Mary’s Street and the Castle Quarter, it’s the perfect place to enjoy an evening out in one of the dozens of great bars, pubs and restaurants. It’s absolutely buzzing with life so be prepared for the crowds. Everyone descends on the area at a weekend.
THE ROOM
Most business hotels are much of a muchness these days. If you don’t get free wifi, you’re going to complain. But it was comfortable and quiet enough to return to after a night out with the revellers. There was also the added benefit of not having to scramble with the hoardes to grab a taxi to the suburbs.
THE FOOD
We only had the breakfast, but it was a huge cooked breakfast and really tasty. The usual choice of eggs any way you want them. I could have lingered over this hearty meal for hours.
THE SERVICE
First impressions count and we had great all round service from the guy on reception on arrival. He was able to give decent “local’s” advice on where to go to get the best food and drink – as well as storing luggage while wandering around the shops before heading out of the city.
LOVED
Great value and location to visit Cardiff for a night out. On the doorstep of all the action of a real party town.
HATED
Massive logjam trying to get checked out. Just a few staff dealing with dozens of people coming and going was a tad frustrating.
BOTTOM LINE
Cost us £89 with breakfast, but rooms can often be as little as £60.
CHECK IT OUT
www.claytonhotelcardiff.com H GRAB a trip to Boston and Cape Cod in the USA from £1,049 per person this autumn – with savings of £217. Hayes & Jarvis offers four nights, room only, at five-star Boston Park Plaza Hotel and four nights, room only, at Doubletree by Hilton, Cape Cod. The deal includes car hire and return flights from Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic. Ring 01293762 456 or go to www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk. FOR many years Barcelona, Spain’s big city on the Med, has been one of the most popular weekend breaks in Europe. The Catalan capital’s appeal is based on history, culture, food as well as sun and sea. All in one place. THE RAMBLA: This long, mostly pedestrian boulevard shaded by plane trees runs up from the port to the main square, Placa de Catalunya. It is different things to different people – a catwalk of fashion, a gathering place for teenagers, a people-watching spot for t ourists with tired legs… and a hunting ground for pickpockets. At the port end, where Christopher Columbus stands atop his monument (pointing completely the wrong way for America), it is lined with café terraces; in the middle are the florists and the artists creating cartoon portraits and at the top are the chairs for elderly locals, gossiping like birds on a wire. A place to see and be seen but mind how you go. THE BOQUERIA MARKET: About two-thirds of the way up the Rambla is the Boqueria which is far more than just a market. The displays here are mouth-wateringly magnificent, with everything from fruit juices (try the kiwi and coconut) to seafood such as mixed shrimps, prawns and salt cod.
Allow plenty of time and come in hungry because this is a place to graze. And you can be pretty sure that everything is as good as it looks. Besides specialist stalls – one sells just potatoes, another just eggs – there are food bars in the middle, seek out Fish Bar Boqueria. THE BARRI GOTIC: On the north side of the Rambla stands Barcelona’s medieval heart and stepping into its narrow high-walled alleys is a bit like entering the set for Game of Thrones.
There’s glimpses of fountains and patios and stonework bridges, and don’t be surprised to find a dragon or a knight in armour marching towards you. They are moving statues heading for the busker-friendly square in front of the 13th century cathedral, with its hugely decorated façade.
The district’s lanes are worth exploring as there are lots of museums hidden away in old palaces. This is also a place to find hipster coffee house Black Remedy on Carrer de la Ciutat and proper little tapas bars such as La Galera, Carrer del Regomir. THE RAMBLA DEL MAR AND PORT VELL: Not so long ago Barcelona’s port was a raucous no-go area hidden behind customs barriers. Today all the mucky stuff has been moved south, and the water is now mainly a leisure district, with yachts and superyachts, port cruises and even a cable car across the top, plus plenty of places to walk, sit and eat.
The Rambla del Mar is effectively a continuation of the inland Rambla but, across the water, leading out to the Maremagnum shopping and leisure centre and the Aquarium. Only the old customs building, resembling an ornate French chateau right by the Columbus statue, doesn’t seem to have found a new role. BARCELONETA AND THE BEACH: The promontory of land sticking out into the sea which gave shelter to the original port is called Barceloneta, formerly a place of dock workers andan fishermen, and now a cheerful, blowsy, quirkyqu low-rise district thick with cafes and bars.ba On its northern side it is sand-lined, and in summersu a young crowd gathers on these beaches,be percolating through the narrow lanes of Barceloneta and stopping off for tapas en route.ro This is a good place to hire a bike (barcelonarentabike.com,(ba Passeig de Joan de Borbó,Bo £5.50 for two hours) to explore the port. AfterwardsAf just chill on the beach while the sun goesgo down. HOPHO ON, HOP OFF BUS: Barcelona is famous for its modernist architecture – a sort of fantasy art no nouveau – particularly the work of Antoni Ga Gaudi. But his buildings, and those of his co colleagues, are quite widely spread. The best wa way of seeing them is by jumping on and off the op open-topped buses which set out from Placa