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HOTEL NH OBRADORIO
I stayed at the 5-star, 159-room Hotel NH Obradoiro. It had the same trendy feel as a "W." The lobby and rooms
were all designed with modern furniture and dark wood. My room was very comfortable and the bed was cozy. What I didn’t like were the thin walls, the €22 ($28) a day fee for wireless internet, and most of all the fact that my window did not open. I had to keep the air conditioning on at night, even though the temperature outside was perfect for sleeping and it was raining, which would have made the atmosphere that much better. Don’t you love falling asleep to the rain? The nightly rate of €112 ($142) includes a large breakfast buffet (with the best apple kiwi juice), and access to a small fitness center
and pool to work it off. Hotel NH Obradoiro, Av. do Burgo das Nacións, sn – 15705 Santiago de Compostela; tel.: 34-981-558-070.
THE OLDEST HOTEL IN THE WORLD
Because Hotel NH Obradoiro is not located in the city center (it’s a 10-minute walk away), and because it has an international feel rather than a local one, next time I would stay at the Parador de Santiago de Compostela. This
5-star hotel is not only centrally located, but it’s elegant – and it has a ton of history. Did you know that it is considered too be the oldest hotel in the world? It began in 1499 as the Royal Hospital, giving shelter to travelers making their way to Santiago. It opened as a full-service hotel in 1959. Although I didn’t get to stay there, I peeked at the rooms
and ate
in the
luxurious dining room. Parador de Santiago de Compostela, Pza. Do Obradoiro, 1. 15705. Rates start at €200 ($255). Santiago de Compostela , A Coruña; tel.: 34-981-58-22-00.
MORE INTERESTING NEWS: Did you know that Spain has banned smoking in bars and restaurants? Another reason to visit!
DINING
There are plenty of restaurants. Besides the two hotel restaurants, I also dined
at Restaurante Carretas (Rúa das Carretas, 21; tel. 34-981-563-11) and Restaurante O 42 (Rua do Franco 42; tel.: 34-981-57-06-65). Both serve
excellent local Galician cuisine. Note: In Galicia they don’t serve tapas, but "raciones" -- dishes with bigger portions
than tapas, but still not entrees. Here’s more info on tapas.
GARDEN SIDE TRIP
If you want to get out of town and see a remarkable garden located behind a traditional Galician manor house, drive 20 km (12 miles) to Santa Cruz de Rivadulla y Pazo de Oca. Here you will find a marvelous haven that is practically all your own. I saw three other people walking around
the perfectly manicured
Versailles-like gardens, enjoying a wide variety of plants, trees and designs. There’s even a walking maze, but I was too busy admiring the Galician vases, giant sequoia tree and kiwi fruit, and sampling the ripe grapes. I wish they had a place like this in L.A., because it’s the perfect date place. Three kilometers (six minutes) away is another garden, Paza de Santa Cruz
-- but this one
has a totally different feel. These are traditional Galician gardens, which means they were not really manicured (or supposed to be). Certain areas felt like a jungle. Not a great place to go on a date -- but if you’re a garden lover, it might be worth your time. The highlights for me were the waterfall
and the 200-300-year-old olive trees
forming the shape of a cross. Entry to both costs
€3 ($4); reservations are required, and there are no public bathrooms. They are open between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. (and 3 to 8 p.m. in the summer).
VIDEO
Here’s a 2-minute Johnny Jet Video of my trip to Santiago de Compestela. Here’s a link to all JohnnyJet videos ever made. With high-speed the video loads in about one minute; with dial-up, it could take three weeks.
NEXT WEEK
Next week we fly to…? Stay tuned!
Happy Travels,
Johnny Jet
*PLEASE tell us what you think of this week's newsletter!
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SOME OF LAST WEEK'S READER AIR-eMAIL
Great pics! I'm planning on doing El Camino de Santiago next year. I can't wait! Joe S – Venice Beach, CA
Enjoyed your Galicia story. I hope to spend a week in Puebla Ingles next September and then make my way across northern Spain. Ellie S. - NYC
I caught you last weekend on the radio at the tail end of you recommending a
free service that forwards voicemails as an email attachment. But it was at
the end of the discussion and I missed the name of the product or the URL of
the site. I was hoping to find it on your website but I cannot. If you can
let me know what it is I would appreciate it; and maybe as a suggestion if
you have resources you have some part of your site that provides links or
phone numbers or whatever for the various 3rd parties that you might mention
on your broadcasts... this has to happen to more people than just me!
Thanks in advance. Larry R -Clarence, NY REPLY: No problem. The service was called www.GotVoice.com and for now on we will
make a page of recommended links from radio shows. P.S. Don't forget to tell your family, friends and colleagues to sign up to
our free Johnny Jet's Travel News, Tips and Stories newsletter (at
www.JohnnyJet.com) -- and to use our "Booking Buddy" search engines when
booking travel.
Dear Johnny: You are looking good! Nancy and I just finished reading your newsletter on Galicia and it was superb. You know we have a Galicia Restaurant on Wall Street in Norwalk (Connecticut). It’s called Meison Galicia. It is considered one of the finest restaurants in the entire State. Your mother and I were one of their best costumers. Great mussels, too. I suggest you write another book incorporating all of your travels with enough pictures to illustrate and help the readers visualize the various places and call it Johnny Jet's Condensed Pocket Encyclopedia of Many Parts of the World or something to that effect. Dad
I just completed a short 1 day mileage run to Anchorage. Your recommendations from August 2003 made for a great day in the area. Fortunately the weather was cold but sunny. Now I need to go back in the summer! Simon & Seaforts still has the great view and a phenomenal tower of assorted appetizers. From 4-6PM these are all half price. Great deal! Then I went to Moose’s Tooth but was too full for pizza. The local brews are very good though. I had to save the Bear Tooth for next time. Earlier in the day I did the Seward Highway to Girdwood. It is spectacular in the winter too. Thanks for helping make for a great short stay in Alaska, my first visit to the 49th state. Mark S. - West Chicago, IL
Loved the [book] reviews - you should include a link to purchase. Irene D - Anchorage, Alaska
Wonderful [book] review, full of fun and reality and she is a great writer. I hope you will continue this column. Micki R – Norwalk, CT
Excellent! I can't wait to get my hands on those stories. Thanks for a thorough and enticingly amusing summary. Risa Mealus -
I love your web-site and helpful articles. I hope you can point me in the right direction. We will be celebrating my wife's birthday in August 2007. We would like to take our 2 children and their spouses and 2 grandchildren to Hawaii. This is a special occasion worthy of the trip. Should we stop over in California to give the grandkids a breather or should we just go nonstop. If you can give me some insight it would be greatly appreciated. Keep up the wonderful job you are doing. Thank you, John M - Westchester County, New York REPLY: Thanks for the kind words. Be sure stop over in California on the way to Hawaii. The kids (and you) will love spending a night or two in L.A. or San Francisco. On the way back you could do the same but because of the winds it’s a 2 hour shorter trip. If you need a travel agent call John Dekker at 1-800-714-Trav. His email is johndekker@yahoo.com and he will plan it all as he knows Hawaii very well.
Great trip to Spain – I was surprised to see you eating a mussel on the video!
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