This blog is to share with you some of my enjoyable times of my life. I talk about things I love to do and adventures I have gone through. I take the liberty to recommend places, activities and food that in my opinion are worth to try.
This is just a tool to help you to make your own decisions when you are ready to go to those places (obviously from my own point of view).
Spanish version: http://igotita-disfrutandodelavida.blogspot.com/
Yeaph! This time I´m sharing with you 2 pics instead of just one :D
Both had been taken at the Park Lazienki in Warsaw on August 2005. Warsaw wondered me a lot with magic places like this one. The park is big, beautiful and peaceful. A great place for spending a day! :D
The hotels are surrounded by 68,000 square metres of parks and gardens, with a hidden thermal lake, which is unique in Europe and whose waters flow constantly at 32ºC due to the multiple thermal exsurgences on the bed.
With an average depth of 1.50 m and two peaceful islands on the interior, it is the ideal place for swimming at any time of the year, whilst your body enjoys the virtues of its mineral-medicinal waters.
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS FOR HEALTH
The temperature of the water means that the lake can be enjoyed at any time of the year. The enormous flow volume that comes from its multiple springs means that the water in the lake is renewed entirely every 32 hours. Furthermore, the Thermal Lake is considered as another treatment due to the effects that the mineral-medicinal water produces on our bodies.”
If you see it carefully it doesn´t really explain much about the water properties or why is supposed to be unique in Europe. I searched a bit in internet and I haven´t found those reasons. Anyway, the place is precious. The day I went was cold and no matter it was already 10 am, no one was there, I was there till 11 and came just few people, but they stayed on the sun beds. I swam a bitt. I was really excited with the idea of meeting this place, so not to swim wasn´t an option for me. I didn´t last long, because the sensation of water temperature, it wasn´t really warm enough.
I think the best is going there when it´s not so hot neither so cold. In my case at least, due I can´t manage to swim on it when it´s cold and I think that water when it´s summer time, would be so hot then.
I f you want to enter to the lake without staying at the hotels, you can do, it costs 20 euros per day, but you are not allowed to eat inside the lake space.
They have a lot of spa services, with prices starting from 25 Euros and on. About spa circuits, besides the Aquatherma that I talked about in a previous post, they also offer the termaspa with: aroma shower, warm hydromassage pool, toning pool, humid thermal bath, dry or finnish bath, cauldron, crosscurrent pool. This costs 50 Euros and last an hour and 15 min.
Rosa tried a massage with a cream with pearls. I was waiting her advice to decide to take an herbal massage or something, but finally I haven´t done it.
Something I liked a lot was that they also have a free doctor service. Sil had to go because cough problems and she was so kind, warm and professional.
The pity is that the Price of the room just includes one access to the Aquatherma, I asked if it was possible to exchange it and to have a termaspa instead, no matter if I should pay the difference of the price, but it wasn´t possible.
It´s a bit complicated for me to tell you if I would or not recommend the Termas Pallares Spa. The whole area is nice and close to it is the Monasterio de Piedra (I´ll talk about this place in other post), that place is precious and worth view. So, if you are going to Monasterio de Piedra and you want to stay at the area for several days, then it´s nice to go to this spa as well. Better if you stay at Gran Hotel Cascada. But, to do it as we did, that actually our aim was to have some relaxing days in a beautiful place and to enjoy the spa, no, that´s not something I would do again there. The reason is very simple: for me it means to travel from Madrid, 3 hours going and 3 hours coming back in a car. The prices of this spa are ok, I´m not saying they have so expensive prices, but as far as I already have in Madrid great options with cheaper prices, I don´t feel like needing to go to Termas Pallares for enjoying a relaxing weekend. Also is that I really didn´t like the detail of having included just hour and a half of one of their spa circuits and to have to pay extra for the robe and sandals.
But yes, I would go again, just in a travel where my priority would be to visit the Monasterio de Piedra, to enjoy a bit the whole Calatayud area and maybe to spend a night at Gran Hotel Cascada or at least to go to the Gastroteca to eat and to stay a bit at the thermal lake.
So! I´m still searching that marvelous place, out of Madrid, with spa, for going to enjoy a fantastic relaxing weekend time to time! :)
After the great experience of walking behind a waterfall, we went back to the camp by the lake, again in canoe; somebody had brought it to the shore close to Salto el Hacha. First we went to the shore in front of the one we were, Ericka wanted to leave us to swim a bit there… but! As we were starting to go out of the canoe, some Germans complained about this idea, they said for them it has no reason to swim again here, as far as we have done it at the river. :( I have no idea why they shouldn´t want to swim there as well, you see, ok, we have already swim at the river and it was great enough, yes, but this time it was at the lake watching the waterfalls! A completely other story! The point was the ones not willing to swim where the majority so, we all had to lose it! :(
Going back to the camp we went again as close as possible to the waterfalls:
Once at the ranch, the food was already waiting us. We had a very Venezuelan menu: grilled chicken that was so delicious!, potato salad, another salad (sorry! I forget which one!), soft drinks and water. We can eat all what we wanted. All this very well seasoned with tropical music! :D When we finish we had time for rest a bit, just that, again, nobody told us how long it would be or if we could go to the shore of the lake or something. We stayed there, got dressed again, went to the souvenir shop but we haven´t buy anything, you see, from my point of view all seemed to be “made in China” and it´s not about having something against it, but when I travel and buy souvenirs, what I want is to buy things made at the country I am. On the other hand, the prices were completely Europeans. Some Venezuelan friends had already told me that Canaima is a place where just tourist can go, due the prices, very high ones for them. You see, the point is that for tourist the price is not so high, and this is a place that deserves to be visited, so…
We had been also talking with a Spanish there that told us he was the owner of the shops there. After a while Ericka told us that we should wait a bit more but we could do it at the shore of the lake if we wanted. We did it and it was a precious moment, we had been reenergizing us watching this wonderful landscape:
It was time for going back to Margarita, flying over Salto Angel… but! It was so cloudy! :( snif! Snif! Snif! And you see, for me the price was worth enough in case we watch Salto Angel as well! Stop! This deserves an explanation! Of course this travel was great! It was impressive enough to walk behind a waterfall and to swim watching tepuis, of course, and I do recommend this travel, but you see, the cost was around 350 US$ and was just a one day travel. And yes, I know, you can´t blame anybody for having a cloudy day, but, I do think the pilot should tried to fly over Salto Angel at the morning as well, maybe we would watch a bit more then. But well! Anyway it was a marvelous experience and this is part of what we saw going back to Margarita:
That night, already in Margarita Island, we din the 4 together and after that Esther, Rosa and me (Curro was so tired), said good bye to the island in “our own way”. We had been playing Scrabble with Esther while Rosa learned a bit how to play pool, we went to dance a bit to the disco, we went to watch the moon from the shore of the beach and finally we were talking a bit, at the side of the swimming pool, with some of the Scrabble friends that were still there.
Btw: somebody asked me why I haven´t comment a lot about the Dunes Hotel in Margarita Island. You see: the hotel was ok. Not excelent. Not fabulous. Just ok. The place in general, ok, a lot of swimming pools, a lot of activities to be done, a nice beach… about the food of the different restaurants, well, it was ok, I wouldn´t remark anything, actually, when the thematic dinners (where they make the food accordingly of different countries), we said it should be the “free version of the Hotel Dunes” of the food of that country, because the dishes weren´t even a bit alike the ones they suppose to be. So, we eat very well, yes, just nothing to remark and when it´s like that, I don´t think it´s worth to talk about that in my blog. Would I recommend that hotel? It depends. First of all I had no time to meet other hotels there, so I can´t tell if you can find better options or if this was the best one. Would I recommend Margarita Island as a tourist destiny? Uf! So difficult to say! Actually not. If this is for the beach: I had seen betters. Resorts: I had seen betters. But Canaima is a great place really worth view, better for going for several days.
That was our last night in Venezuela, the next morning we went back to Madrid.
See you Venezuela! I wish I would go back there again! :D
Since we arrived in Canaima I was levitating! That green! That bright in everything! I even had ask my fellows if it was something that someone else had put in my coffee or if they also have been watching everything more brilliant and with more color… but they said I was right.
The small ranch at the resting place was already ready for the lunch and part of its atmosphere was tropical music at the background.
Ericka, our guide, recommended us to wear the most comfortable cloth we had. It was a perfect day thinking about the light and weather, but as far as it´s at the Venezuelan jungle, we could swept a lot after walking a bit, her recommendation, as far as the plans were including to swim in a river, was about being just in swimming suit. They had small rooms for us to change the cloth and even places to leave our belongings. The ranch had a house in front, with some baths, the mentioned rooms and afterwards I discovered also a shop there. Both buildings were at the middle of the jungle. So, being at the ranch, all you can see was the house, the way to the airport and the vegetation… so! It really wondered me a lot to discover we were just few steps from the lake with the beautiful waterfalls we saw from the plane! :D
We went to the shore of Canaima´s lake and while we were enjoying the view, Ericka was explaining us about the place, its settler, the Pemons and about the laws that protect the place (just Pemons could buy lands there, something that from my point of view is quite good, btw), about the vegetation, the animals, that the color of the lake was due the tannin… just that I was levitating so much watching that marvelous place, that I really don´t remember a lot, I´m afraid.
We navigated at the lake to the other shore in a dugout canoe, going as close to the waterfalls as possible. I like to take binoculars with me to this kind of places, it´s always great to appreciate a bit closer them.
We walk a bit in Anatoliy Island, they, the Spanish people, Germans and Americans were quite impressed by the vegetation, for me it was quite alike Guatemala, which is always great for me.
I would like to start with one the most magical places all over the world: Atitlan Lake in Guatemala.
It´s one of the most tourist places in Guatemala. The things that make it different are:
- It´s a volcano´s crater. - It´s surrounded by 14 Maya´s villages that conserved their own culture and languages. - There are 3 beautiful volcanoes together at the south side. - Even at the most touristic time you can find peace there.
I had been there several times and one of my most courious memories is: We were in total 5 people, we went on January 2008. We stayed in an apartment in San Buenaventura de Atitlan. Edu was part of the group and I´m afraid he has fame of being a jinx… Well, I won´t start to discuss if he deserves that or not, neither how he got that fame, as this is not the point of this post! ; ) but actually we had a lot of exiting experiences during that trip, so, maybe he´s at least a bit! : D
During those days the wind was really wild in all Guatemala, we had seen a lot of rocks, cables and branches at the road, but nothing to be really scared about. Once in the hotel, we went to the lake´s shore. It was more or less 17.00 and the weather, not taking into account the wind, was great. Even there were not really too much wind at that moment. Very close to the shore it was a small terrace with benches and some tables, like for going to play something or to eat/drink something watching the great lake + volcanoes´ view. We were drinking orange juice, resting, taking pics, having a bit of the place´s peace.
That night the wind become worst and we even had a power cut in the whole country (that is really not normal to have…). We were in safety place, but no radio, no tv, no internet (oh my God! No internet!) : ) and not even phone. The sound of the wind outside was terrible; going to the reception desk by a road surrounded by trees wasn’t a real option. But, well, as I said, we were in a safe place, no real risk for us, so we were enjoying the relaxing view of the fire at the fireplace. After something like 2 hours, the light came back and all seemed to be normal.
The day after, we went to take breakfast and there were a lot of branches and leaves all over the place, a clear symptom of what the wind has done there. We went to have a walk again to the lake´s shore… and! The poor terrace was completely down! A big tree situated so close to it had been pulled up from the root by the wind! Surely they had repair it latter, but we have the last pics of that terrace before the winds… and I also think the first ones after the crash!
The wind was still a bit brave, so, we were thinking if having the boat tour was a good idea or not, but the driver said it shouldn’t be a problem, so we did it. At the beginning was really ok, we were playing, laughing, and enjoying the views. The tour was about visiting by boat 2 villages: Santiago Atitlán and Santa Catarina Palopó. In Santiago Atitlán we took another tour in “Tuk tuk” (some kind of motor bike taxies) that was nice and that I recommend if you don´t have so many time to spend there. I also asked them to take us to visit “Maximon” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim%C3%B3n but I think that experience deserves another post! : )
Going to Santa Catarina, the wind became worst and the boat started to do some jumps that made us to be afraid about if our young driver would really know how to handle the situation… at the beginning we were even laughing about it… but after a while, we all was in silence, holding of ourselves to the boat and ensuring that our life jackets were o.k.
I even started to think about how exactly I will explain to their families that we had trust on a young boat driver to take the decision of going on with that tour even watching the wind! (Yes, I know, a bit dramatic, but at least I was thinking that I´ll be a survivor!) ; D
Finally we arrived in Santa Catarina with nothing but an interesting story and video, making jokes about the travel and Edu the jinx! : D We went to eat to “Villa Santa Catarina” hotel, great food, and went back to Panajachel in a quite most relaxed navigation.
That afternoon we went to visit the Hotel Atilán gardens and to drink a Piña Colada watching the great view from it´s bar...
... as I did again with my friend Alba in March 2009. (Just that at this time I also stayed there to enjoy a bit more the hotel!) : )
My recommendations are:
- A hotel in Panajachel: Hotel Atitlan http://www.hotelatitlan.com This hotel is extremely nice. They have done a great job with the garden, as good as they even charge the entrance to their gardens to people that is not staying with them. Nice swimming pool an d a great outside Jacuzzi with an amazing view. Mayan sauna. Of course they offer all 5 stars hotel services, even massages and other beauty treatments. They use to have very good food at the restaurant, that btw it´s a bit expensive, but the last time I was there (March 2009), was not that good. So, is better to go to the town to eat, but as far as the hotel is not exactly inside the town, sometimes to dress up just for going to eat… well… after all the food is not really bad! ; )(But going for example to "El Tocoyal" could be the half).
- An apartment in Panajachel: San Buenaventura de Atitlan http://sanbuenaventuradeatitlan.com/home.htm If you are thinking about going with family and/or friends, this is your best choice. Situated at the side of Hotel Atitlan, had been done with environmental architectonic design. In some of the apartments you can even find a shower that gives you the impression you are taking shower at the middle of the mountain. The last time I had been there was in January 2008… I should say that it was a bit neglected, but it´s still a nice place to spend some days.
- A place to stop to eat something at the road (going from Guatemala City to Atitlán): Cape Paulinos, address:carretera interamericana Km 87 Tecpan Guatemala (sorry, haven´t found a web for reference). A lot of typical food, quite good quality, great prices, also has a market to buy native items.
- Activities to do: All kind of water sports are allowed. There´s a natural park with a lot of interesting animals and vegetation, worth view definitely. Really good idea to make a tour by boat to different villages, that could be also done in car, but it´s so nice to be at the middle of the lake for some minutes. Really interesting experience to visit Maximon.
This is a place I like a lot. It´s in Girona, Spain. 
They have a lot of spa services, with prices starting from 25 Euros and on. About spa circuits, besides the Aquatherma that I talked about in a previous post, they also offer the termaspa with: aroma shower, warm hydromassage pool, toning pool, humid thermal bath, dry or finnish bath, cauldron, crosscurrent pool. This costs 50 Euros and last an hour and 15 min.
After the great experience of walking behind a waterfall, we went back to the camp by the lake, again in canoe; somebody had brought it to the shore close to Salto el Hacha. First we went to the shore in front of the one we were, Ericka wanted to leave us to swim a bit there… but! As we were starting to go out of the canoe, some Germans complained about this idea, they said for them it has no reason to swim again here, as far as we have done it at the river. :( I have no idea why they shouldn´t want to swim there as well, you see, ok, we have already swim at the river and it was great enough, yes, but this time it was at the lake watching the waterfalls! A completely other story! The point was the ones not willing to swim where the majority so, we all had to lose it! :(
Since we arrived in Canaima I was levitating! That green! That bright in everything! I even had ask my fellows if it was something that someone else had put in my coffee or if they also have been watching everything more brilliant and with more color… but they said I was right. 
Hi there!
.jpg)
Posts
