Kay2

I have visited Alicante several times on business and would agree that it is not a prime destination, especially for people as well traveled as Ekscrunchy. To me, the promenade is nice, museums OK, castle OK, Roman fish ponds, etc. Agreed it is great if your timing matches one of the festivals, but that is true of any of the towns and cities. If you do end up going there, I can check where hosts have taken me for some nice dinners in town but you are more of a foodie than I so they may be unremarkable for you.

The only ferry I have taken there was out to a nearby island, Tabarca, and it was terribly rough with several people seasick, but I am sure it was much smaller than the ferry you are considering. So I can't help there.

Kay2

I am going to ask our friends about visiting the Museo del Turron and factory in Xixona when near Alicante. They usually give us some for Christmas.
https://museodelturron.com/web/en/the-turron-museum/

ekscrunchy

Oh yes..we are still on the fence about Alicante.
So far we have:
Cuenca--2 nights
Valencia--about 9 nights
Denia--about 5 nights

Leaving mid-November.......

WE might also include Madrid instead of Alicante--I guess the choice there is pretty clear!!! Have t get the partner to agree....

mdn

We’ll be in Valencia for just 3 nights next month after which we will be attending a friend’s wedding in Barcelona.

In Valencia, the restaurants I have on my list are Llisa Negra, Casa Montaña, Rausell and Casa Carmela. Maybe I should as Ca Pepico to that list?

Horchateria Santa Catalina, Bar Central and Cafe Madrid for Agua de Valencia will also be some other stops.

La Salita, Restaurante Zacarias for a variety of seafood, Tavella (just north of the city) and Habitual are others on the list, but don’t have time to fit it all in.

Looking forward to see what you have on your list eks!

PS: also wondering about Maribel. She posted on Insta about a month ago during her Madrid and Navarra travels.

welch

mdn
Philip Ross, Maribel's partner(?) and "Director of Iberian Traveler - Maribel's Guide's" has been posting on his FB page continuously. It didn't take much to find this.
I don't know anything about either person but have certainly benefited from Maribel's excellent advice here and was curious. There's no mention of any issue.

ekscrunchy

Maribel is THE expert on Spain here and on other sites. I had the great fortune to meet her after midnight (is that a song title??) in Jerez about a year or so ago..she is a true marvel and so generous with her help to everyone here.

MDN..I will give you my list for Valencia; I booked Llisa Negra but have others thanks to Maribel, On another thread here on this forum she offers the names of the "rice temples" in that region. If I have time I will try to find it or you can do the same..I hate to be unhelpful, butI leave for Sicily in two days and am going through my usual crazy packing panic......but will do my best to give you my Valencia names, thanks to Maribel. The other is Bar Central. We ate in Camarena's now-defunct restaurant last time I was in Valencia.... IF I do not find the list before I leave I willl post it here after I get to Catania....


¡QUE VIVA VALENCIA! Wandering and Eating amidst the Orange Blossoms

ekscrunchy

See if this helps; look at Maribel's recommendations:

VALENCIA/CUENCA in November (?). Hotels and food..

mdn

welch thank you for letting me know. Glad there seems to be no cause for concern about Maribel.

ekscrunchy happy and safe travels!! Your links are indeed helpful for my Valencia planning.

Maribel

Hi mdn,
I´m still alive and thanks so much for asking!!
I just took the month of August off, a little sabbatical from Fodor´s, but now I´m back! Have to post more on my Instagram.

We´re planning a trip next May to Alcoi for the Moros y Cristianos festival and of course, a little detour to Denia and Valencia for great dining! Tiger John on Hungry Onion has some excellent suggestions as well for Valencia. I think you´ve seen this thread
https://www.hungryonion.org/t/3-nigh...encia/35170/11

Do keep Llisa Negra on your list as well as the wonderful Casa Montaña and Bodegas Rausell and Central Bar in the Mercat for esmorzaret, the mid morning sandwich ritual. We´re going out to Ca Pepico on Tiger John´s recommendation.

mdn

Maribel So glad you are back after your siesta!
I have Casa Montaña for our first meal, then Llisa Negra, Rausell and Casa Carmela (ordered the paella Valenciana in advance). Will fit in Bar Central. But that leaves me with 2 more open meals. I think I’ll have had enough paella by then. Wondering if there’s a spot like La Barra de Inchausti in Sevilla that’s a regional seafood place open on Sun/Mon. Marisqueira Civera? Thanks!

Maribel

Hi mdn,
Yes, it was a long siesta!
I wrote a response this morning then lost it, aargh!

Here's the Macarfi guide's rating of Marisquería Civera
https://macarfi.com/index.php/es/val...squeria-civera

I love La Barra de Inchausti in Sevilla! Yes, seafood on Sunday but not on Monday.
The closest equivalent might be la Sastrería in El Cabañal/Cañamelar, just a 2-minute walk from Casa Montaña, but you may not want to venture out there once again.

In the center of the city, in Eixample, there´s La Casita de Sabino, bookable on The Fork. Closed on Mondays.

Or there´s Bocamada in Russafa (web page under construction. Again, closed for Sunday dinner and all day Mondays. It's famous for its sea bass.
https://macarfi.com/en/val/restaurant-card/bocamada
https://www.instagram.com/bocamada/?hl=en

So many Valencia restaurants have gone to tasting menus only.
Fancier and pricier would be El Bressol, getting a nod from Repsol and Michelin (but not a star), but I believe it's tasting menus only----not even remotely like La Barra de Inchausti.

mike1728

Bookmarking. Although my close friends from London say Alicante is a haven for the lager louts from the UK

Maribel

Hi mike,
Maybe it was where we were based in Alicante, at the Palacio Salvetti Suites on Castaños, just a skip away from our favorite Nou Manolín, but we saw zero lager louts in the city.
Our time was spent mostly dining, visiting the Santa Barbara castle, visiting the MACA contemporary art museum, the Museo de Hogueras, Museo Taurino and wandering around the wonderful indoor market.
We spent zero time on the beach though, as this was post Fallas, March.

TerryLFred

This is a wonderful thread and I got a lot of great information on the posts submitted and links added. I appreciate the wealth of information shared! Just wanted to thank you for all your help! I'm leaving for Spain tomorrow. Looking forward to eating at some of the places I found here!

ekscrunchy

Just found this BBC article on where to eat rice in and around Valencia, according to Chef Ricard Camarena:


https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...la-in-valencia

Maribel

These are all solid recommendations from Camarena.
Another Michelin-starred chef, Quique Dacosta swears that Levante's best paella can be found at RIOJA in Benissanó, but it´s a half hour taxi ride from the Only You. We plan to hit up Napicol and Rioja but we'll have our car.

https://www.guiarepsol.com/es/comer/...tes-favoritos/

As you know, eks, both the IRYO and the AVE to Cuenca both depart now from Chamartín rather than Atocha---just mentioning this for others following along.

On our latest Andalusian romp we chose the IRYO where available because on these Frecciarossa trains the leather seats are nicer, plenty of leg room, more dependable Wi-Fi and the catering seemed a bit better.
The only downside is that riders are instructed not to use the luggage racks at the end of each car, as they're reserved for oversized bags and strollers only. The attendant was very strict about this.
Luckily we were able to lift our bags up to the rack above our seat, but my husband needed to help a young lady across the isle with her very large bag that she couldn't lift.
But IRYO does provide assistance for "old people" that can be reserved during the booking process! (but eks, you already know that!)

The IRYO booking process is also easier for those who don't read Spanish than with www.renfe.com
And I belong to the Club YO, and with my ticket purchases I accumulated some points that I can use for a discount on my next ticket purchase.

ekscrunchy

Thanks, Maribel!

Yes, will book the IRYO with the extra help!

From Chamartin to Cuenca and then again from Cuenca to Valencia, if IRYO offer that leg....will be checking on this soon.
Just booked RAFF in Cuenca.

Maribel

Yes, IRYO offers that leg. It's the same train that leaves from Chamartín with a stop at the Estación Fernando Zóbel in Cuenca (outside of town, you'll need to taxi to the Parador), then on to Valencia Joaquín Sorolla, I believe.
RAFF in Cuenca, good idea. Much better than dining at the Parador. Breakfast is fine, be sure to order freshly made eggs from the kitchen, in any style, but go elsewhere for lunch/dinner.

ekscrunchy

WELL: Cannot find a way to buy an IRYO ticket on their site. I get the page that talks about Cuenca, but no place to click on that offers me the tickets; also tried earlier dates....will try something other than Safari. I just got off the phone with Apple to fix an issue I had and I hope I did not mess up something with Safari!

This is what I am seeing:

https://iryo.eu/en/destinations/train-to-cuenca


I KNOW I am failing to do something, but what??

ekscrunchy

Sure enough, buying tix on Iryo seems to be working with Chrome, but not Safari....

I was able to buy two tickets in the IRYO train from Madrid Chamartin station to Cuenca.
I did this with Chrome, when Safari would not work.

I requested help for "older/senior" travelers, which worked beautifully when I took this train earlier this year from Madrid to Cordoba.

Total price for two tickets with a hot meal, reserved seats in front of train, and extra help, cost 80.58 euro.
There are four choices of meals on board!!!!

Unfortunately, the trains do not run as often as I would have liked, so I will not have time to FINALLY try Casa Dani on the morning of departure! (Train departs Chamartin at 10:45am)

We are both so happy and excited to be returning to Spain next month!!!

We will take the IRYO to Cuenca and, again, as I mentioned, from there to Valencia where we are booked for seven nights.

We will rent a car in Valencia and drive to Denia for a stay of five nights.

Return car either at Alicante airport, or Valencia airport..all opinions and comments most welcome on which would be best..so far I have decided to skip a stay in Alicante altogether but might be persuaded.... (??). Timing is a bit limited for this trip.

Have not yet booked any flights from JFK to MAD.
Would prefer to book with Iberia but again, comments are welcome as to which airline (AA or Iberia) would be more comfortable and efficient for the flight from JFK to MAD.