Archive for November, 2011

The Madrid’s Planetary

Published: November 30, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Visiting a city is something that lets you live plenty of new experiences. The traditional way to do it is by following the standard sightseeing tour, but this put you boundaries to find out the most secret opportunities. This is why we like to recommend things to do for your days in Madrid and Barcelona, which probably are not reflected in the published touristic guides.

A good recommendation is to check regularly the agenda of the city you are about to visit, in order to be aware of events and activities that can be interesting for you or your little ones.

Planetary Madrid

Planetary Madrid

One of these activities is the Astronomy Workshop for children, which takes place in the Madrid’s Planetary. In the workshop, the young participants attend simulations in a huge screen where the whole universe is projected: the lunar cycle, the observation of the constellations and the astronomical observatory are some of the parts contained in the event. Moreover, they will learn to recognize planets and stars, and will receive plenty of information about the secrets behind the universe.

The aim of the activity is to figure out a mystery related to the universe. To achieve it, the children will have at their disposal, the Astronomer’s Manual. When the activity finishes, the wish is to have transmitted to the children, the love to the Astronomy.

This great workshop takes place every Saturday from 12.30h to 13.30h, and is free. However, as the maximum number of participants is 15, you need to do a reservation in advance.

Planetary Madrid

Planetary Madrid

This beautiful workshop is a fantastic way to integrate into the Madrid’s day to day life. The city has an end-less list of cultural and familiar activities for their inhabitants that all you can also attend. Another way to integrate into the Madrid’s reality is by staying in a holiday apartment to rent or touristic rental. Our range of top rent apartments in Madrid will surprise you thanks to the incredible decoration, smartness, and their privileged location. All of the luxury flats to rent are provided will all you will need, and are thought to make your days unforgettable. If you travel with children, don’t hesitate in booking a private top rent apartment, as they will give you the freedom, warm and intimacy that a normal hotel cannot have.

 

Christmas lights in Barcelona

Published: November 30, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Everywhere, when the Christmas is coming, the streets turn up their sweet decorative lights, which draw all kinds of winter pictures: snowmen, stars, geometric items, etc. These lights dress the cities with a very special appearance.

Christmas lights Barcelona

Christmas lights Barcelona

This magic atmosphere only exists during Christmas’s nights, considered the time of the family, the holidays, the good food, and the presents. Christmas is also a moment when we can travel and meet different realities that can be fascinating and can seduce us.

This is the case of Barcelon, a Mediterranen and European city with a very special Christmas and lots of interesting and nice traditions. Give yourself and your family the opportunity to find out why, by travelling to the Catalan capital in winter. Walking through the streets become a fantasy experience, especially if you move around Las Ramblas or El Passeig de Gràcia, two centric areas full of people, shops and with an active life.

Christmas lights Barcelona

Christmas lights Barcelona

Barcelona is a city with plenty of colours. The Antoni Gaudí’s buildings are just some of the masterpieces that make the city a huge canvas full of tones and shades. During the end of November, the whole December and the beginning of January, to this colour palette have to be added the shinny neon lights hanging over the cars or over the pedestrian’s in any kind of streets.

This remarks the most characteristic essence of Christmas. Do you want to feel it? Come to Barcelona and book the luxury accommodation you deserve after all the year working. Live your holidays with all the intensity and ensure you can stay in the best flat ever, by checking our fantastic top rent holidays apartments in Barcelona.

 

The white night in Madrid 2012

Published: November 29, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“La noche en blanco” en Madrid, 2012

"Noche en blanco" Madrid

"Noche en blanco" Madrid

Translated to English, this title refers to staying awake all the night, without sleeping. Actually, this is the name of a very interesting initiative which has been organized three times in Madrid and different cities of Europe. The first city to celebrate it was Paris, in 2002. After the great popularity of the event, other places such as Madrid, Bruselas, Riga, Bucarest or Amsterdam, started to follow it too. In Madrid, “La noche en blanco” was born in 2008, and repeated the experience in 2009 and 2010. However, it has been decided to celebrate it every two years, so the next edition will be in September 2012.

"Noche en blanco" Madrid

"Noche en blanco" Madrid

You may be wondering what exactly this night is about. The general idea is to live the night of the city by moving around and participating in different activities organized by different organizations, which take place in the most famous sets of Madrid. Up to 15 points, such as Gran Via, El Retiro, Calle de Alcalá, etc. are in charge of welcome thousands of people who, for one night, prefer being active than sleeping.

Original activities compose the nocturne’s itinerary: a giant playground, poetry shows, performances, art exhibitions and experiments, and collective projects.

People from all the origins, ages and interests share one night and once city to live a very different experience. Besides it is a good way to rediscover a place, it is also a very original manner to find out it for the first time.

This is why we invite you to move to Madrid in September 2012 and prepare yourself for this beautiful celebration. Don’t worry about your accommodation, as we will help you with our range of luxury apartments, located in the most comfortable and cool areas.

Carnival in Madrid

Published: November 10, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , ,

The Carnival is a common celebration in lots of countries around the world. All the Carnivals have all the same popular feeling, fun-mood and festive atmosphere. In some countries, the day when people dress up and transform themselves into another person or character, is the Halloween day, but others still maintain the Carnival tradition.

Carnival in Madrid

Carnival in Madrid

In Spain, for example, where Halloween is still a quite new celebration, the Carnival keeps being the day to change your identity and become a pirate, princess, killer or cowboy.

In Madrid, the special activities of this event are the Custome’s Competition, and the Custome’s Ball, both organized by the Fine Arts Circle. Moreover, small Carnival’s parties take place in private homes, in bars or clubs, and in the streets.

Madrid Carnival

Madrid Carnival

Carnival is, still now, a different way to have fun. Some people work hard during the year to create beautiful carriages that are part of a Carnival’s “Rua”: Each of the carriages is devoted to a specific theme, and the people who have built it are customized with amazing elements related to it. Which is the purpose? To win the competition and have lots of fun following the music and dancing.

The next year’s Carnival will start on Thursday 16th of February 2012, and is supposed to last until the Sunday 26th. During these ten days, all kinds of celebrations will welcome you and your companions, and will invite you to dress with the most original customs. If you want to buy them in Madrid, you can reach some famous shops, such as Menkes (Juan de Olias Street, 21), Cornejo (Rufino González Street, 4) or Vicente Rico (Conde Aranda Street, 3).

The Carnival ends with the “Buriel of the Sardine”, which by bringing this fish to the cemetery, the Carnival is officially closed until the next years’ edition.

The general mood of the Madrid’s Carnival is festive, burlesque and satirical. It is a chance to express all kind of rebel ideas, political criticism and irreverent jokes.

If you want to have fun and meet a different tradition, at the time you become, just for ten days, another person or character, you have to travel to Madrid. You will find out the true meaning of the party, the night and the celebration, in one of the most popular cities of Europe.

If you can’t help staying at home instead moving to Spain, we recommend you to check our accommodation options in Madrid for your Canival’s days: They are luxury flats to rent with all the facilities, where you will be able to celebrate Carnival’s meals with your friends, in a glamorous and exclusive atmosphere. Check our Madrid’s apartments for your holidays and start thinking about your custom!

Manga world in Barcelona

Published: November 10, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , ,

“El saló del manga” in Barcelona

Over the years, this event has been consolidated as the number one meeting point for the manga followers in Catalonia. During four days, they are the stars of a universe that become real.

Barcelona Manga Fair

Barcelona Manga Fair

The visitors of this fair, devoted not only to the manga world, but also to the Japanese culture (which helps them to understand the complete meaning of the stories they read and watch) can find new comics, be in touch with the freshest news, meet other fans, have fun and feed their passion.

Conferences and speeches, exhibitions, shows…everything you can imagine can be found in the fair, which has been celebrated in La Farga of the Hospital de Llobregat, during the last 17 years.

The most remarkable change regarding the next year edition is the location: For the first time, the “Saló del Manga” will be hold in the Barcelona’s Fair place, something that will make more comfortable the access to the site, and will let more people to participate.

This is why we want to inform you in advance. Knowing the placement of the fair in Barcelona, we think it can be interesting for the manga followers from all Europe and even abroad, to start preparing the next year’s visit. During the days of the event, Barcelona will surely dress up with curious clothes, as most of the visitors decide to customize themselves with the appearance of their favourite manga character. This, besides allowing them to visit the fair for free, decorates the celebration with fantasy colours and shapes, and provides the manga universe with a more tangible appearance.

Another feature of the “Saló del Manga” is the amount of contents and competitions available. From the presentation poster, to the creation of personal manga stories. The creativity and the participation are two values very linked to this fair, and so they are highly promoted through this kind of initiatives.

Barcelona Comic Fair

Barcelona Comic Fair

To complement the content, every year the fair focuses on a specific subject, such as the samurai figure. This way, the visitors can also enrich their knowledge of the Japanese culture.

The influence of this event in the Catalan and Barcelona’s agenda is amazing. Not only the mass media talk about it, but most of the common people nowadays, are aware of the important role of the “Saló”.

To help you with your journey’s preparation, we want to recommend you to rent a holiday apartment in Barcelona. This is the most comfortable accommodation, and our range of luxury flats in Las Ramblas, Plaça Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, etc. will represent the most exclusive option too. Don’t hesitate, and check now all the apartments we can offer you in Barcelona.

 

Salesrooms in Madrid

Published: November 10, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , ,

Having at your position a masterpiece is something that leaves you speechless. The extraordinary talent of some painters, sculptors, etc. is something that we usually associate with a museum, but some lucky ones, achieve to own the pieces and have the power to protect and admire them. How can you do it? A very good way is by attending an auction and buying those works you really appreciate. The best art collectors choose the pieces accurately, in order to make the collection grow with certain coherence. Moreover, every painting or sculpture use to be an exclusive and highly expensive piece, something that request long deliberations, to ensure that specific work deserves to be bought.

Art in Madrid

Art in Madrid

Another condition to create a good art collection is to have representation from different art styles, countries, origins, etc. This is why in this article we want to talk about salesrooms in Madrid. If you are an art lover and you are starting or in the middle of the construction of your personal collection, you can travel to Madrid and check if any of the Spanish pieces in sale in the salesroom, is interesting for you.

Madrid Salesroom

Madrid Salesroom

One of the most famous salesrooms around the world is Christies. It exists in many countries and cities, and so does in Madrid. You will find this luxury salesroom in Antonio Maura Street, 10. The objects being sold go from jewels to paintings, and nowadays, it is known as the best salesroom of the world.

In the jewellery sector, the most consolidated salesroom is Ansorena. Their prestige has been established through 3 generations, and now you can find them in the Alcalá Street, 52.

If you are sure about looking specifically for art pieces, you should definitely attend the Duran salesroom (Serrano, 12). They are the number one in national and international artists, and organize the auctions around different topics: pop art, photography, etc.

Madrid Art Collections

Madrid Art Collections

The last salesroom we are going to present you is the Retiro Room. It is located in the Menéndez Pelayo Avenue, 3 and 5. The professionals of the Retiro Room not only are in charge of the auctions, but they also organize exhibitions and manage the legal actions below the sales.

For your days in Madrid, and during your auctions, you don’t need to worry about finding a comfortable and smart place to stay, as we have the solution for your accommodation: our luxury apartments in Madrid fit into your demand, as they have all you need, and they are located in the most centric sites, to ensure the best days in Madrid and the top accommodation option.

Christmas in Barcelona

Published: November 10, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , , , ,

Lately, we have been talking about visiting Barcelona during the Christmas time. We have been recommending different options for a perfect getaway in the city. In case you missed some of them, we are going to summarize the principle ones in this article, in order to show you that choosing Barcelona for a different Christmas is something that you are not going to regret.

Christmas in Barcelona

Christmas in Barcelona

If you want to feel the life of Barcelona in the most direct and real way, but still with luxury, comfort and smartness, you should check our range of holiday apartments in the city. These flats to rent for some days will bring to you plenty of freedom, as they will become, during your stay, your Barcelona’s home.

Without worrying about schedules, noises and sharing your accommodation with other guests, you will have time to walk through Las Ramblas and try some hot chestnuts, a very typical product of the Catalonia’s autumn, as well as “churros” with chocolate.

You can also be aware of the decorative “pessebres” of the shops, or of the public spaces, such as the giant one, in the City Hall’s Square (San Jaume Square). The “pessebre” (Bethlehem) consists in creating the nativity scene with little figures: the three kings, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, the Baby Jesus, and the shepherds. Most of the homes in Barcelona and Catalonia have their own “pessebre” during Christmas.

Barcelona in Christmas

Barcelona in Christmas

Besides visiting the most representative tourist attractions of the city: The Sagrada Familia, the Tibidabo amusement park, Plaça Catalunya, etc. you can reach the FCBarcelona stadium and enjoy a funny time skating on an ice rink.

And if you want to buy some presents for the rest of the family, to surprise them with unique Spanish objects, you can go up and down the Passeig de Gracia, full of all kinds of shops, or go to El Corte Inglés, L’illa Diagonal, Diagonal Mar o FNAC, all of them shopping centres, very crowded during these dates.

Renting a luxury apartment in Las Ramblas, Passeig de Gracia, Plaça Catalunya or the beach, has plenty of benefits. One of them is the comfort of living in the centre, something that lets you move without needing the public transport; another one is the tranquillity of a top quality flat for rent, that ensures you have all you need, and you feel as special as you deserve; an another one, is the freedom and intimacy, that only by booking these kind of accommodation, you will achieve.

Photos: Tinou Bao - Carquinyol - Year of the dragon

 

 

Attending a Flamenco show in Madrid

Published: November 10, 2011Posted in: UncategorizedTags: , , , ,

You can attend different Flamenco shows in the Spanish capital. All of them will entertain you and you will have a very good time, getting involved with the Spanish art. The music and the movement, the passion and the pain, will make you breathe the essence of this dance. But if you want to attend not only a show, but live a whole experience in touch with a beautiful site and enriching all your senses, then, you have to discover the Torres Bermejas restaurant and small theatre.

 

Madrid Flamenco Show

Madrid Flamenco Show

This is an absolutely precious place, decorated with fantasy, reproducing the majestic gold ornate of the Alhambra of Granada, one of the seven marvels of the world. It offers regular flamenco performs with an experienced company composed by 24 artists, and gives the possibility to take a drink or even have dinner while attending the show.

This makes the experience, a very complete plan, as it let you try the best of the Spanish cuisine and feel the emotion of the most genuine dance’s style. You can choose among four different menus, which costs from 45€ (Menú Torres Bermejas) to 75€ (Menú Flamenco). All of them will surprise you with excellent delicatessen dishes. Enjoy your meal!

All the dancers taking place in the show are well known within the national and international flamenco’s world, and offer not only flamenco’s performs, but also different Spanish traditional dancing’s styles, to compose a beautiful map of the Spanish history through this artistic discipline.

 

Flamenco in Madrid

Flamenco in Madrid

To reach the Torres Bermejas spot, you have to go to the Mesonero Romanos Street, 11. A good way to do it is by taking the tube to the Callao station. The show longs from 21.30h to 2h, although the restaurant is opened from 20.30h, and the food services closes at 1h. The place has capacity for 140 people, so is good to check by phone the availability for a specific day, if you are part of a big group.

Torres Bermejas is perfect for an intimate evening with your partner. It creates a very special atmosphere you can maintain when you come back to your private luxury apartment, located in the centre of Madrid. All the luxury of the restaurant will still live in your smart flat to rent for days in Madrid. You won’t want to get up from your dream in the city!