Lazienki Park, Warsaw, Poland. My photos.

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 building of the old casino at the Spa Thermas Pallares.

According of what people of the staff told me, it was a time when people even lost fortunes at this casino. Now it´s not a casino anymore, its facilities are used for: meeting rooms, game room with pool tables and ping-pong, cafeteria with terrace.

I really liked this building a lot. When you are there is so easy to imagine the ladies with fancy dresses and the gentlemen in top hats.

The terrace really invites to stay there a bit enjoying the sun.

I just felt they could use this space a bit more. I think they could do more activities there… like a dancing space in one of its rooms. Even to have art exhibitions. I also think they could give especial attention to the views from there, in front of it is the parking area and a hotel, I do think they could arrange a bit better the garden no matter if it keeps on being the parking entrance and to give a bit of attention to the part of the hotel that you can watch from the casino, to makeup it a bit. :D

This is an emblematic building of the Spa and it even identifies it. Here some of my photos:

Termas Pallares: the Spa.

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! :)

Grand Hotel Cascada, Termas Pallares Spa.

As part of the tourist complex of the Termas Pallares Spa, they have a five stars boutique hotel that is marvelous!

From their own site:

“Surrounded by 68,000 square metres of parks and lush gardens, including a hidden private thermal lake, this new boutique hotel near the city of Zaragoza offers guests the perfect place to escape and relax.

The 25 spacious rooms are both stylish and innovative and equipped with every modern convenience. The onsite gourmet restaurant is a must as are the soothing treatments of the Termas Pallares Spa. This is truly a place in which to escape the worries of today.”

We went to meet this hotel due they had very interesting tasting announced in different places of the spa.


As far as the county state where the spa is located is huge and they had placed this hotel far away from the road, you find a lot of peace there. The lady of the reception desk was so kind and really concerned about our welfare.

We went inside the bar and I liked a lot the atmosphere. With very comfortable coaches, calm music. Miriel was the one attending us, very kind and nice. We took the sushi tasting and some beverages. The surprise was that the one presenting us the sushi tasting was the chef, Juan José Morales Sanmartín (you can watch this at the video, but is in Spanish).



One of the things you still don´t know about me is that I had the very good luck of having a very well culinary culture from my childhood. A big part of this comes from the culture mixes that are in my blood, but also due my family was always a big fan of the good food. Of course that´s something I had taught to Sil as well… so, when she was just 10 y/o she already said her favorite food was sushi! :D And it still is. So, Sil had tasted sushi in a lot and different places all over the world (ok, of the part of the world she knows, we haven´t been in Japan already). For Sil the sushi that we tasted at the Gastroteca was the second best one of the world! For me it was the best one, but here the point is that she went to a great Japanese restaurant in Dallas where for her they have the best sushi all over the world, I haven´t been there already.

We were that delighted with the sushi experience that we were invited to go to the Italian tasting of the next day. Honestly it was ok but definitely the sushi one was quite better. Again the whole staff was great with us.

That day I felt with confidence enough as for asking them to please show me a room of that hotel and to visit the restaurant, the Gastroteca. I was really impressive about the kindness of everybody; talking with some of them I mentioned that and one person told me that actually they all are very happy with their job and the place, most of the workers are people of the village, of course there are also people from outside, but for the ones that belong to the village, they liked the spa before even thinking about working there. I´m quite sure that when a staff loves their work and is happy with the treat received by their bosses, you notice it and unwittingly they transmit it to customers. The result of this just can be a positive for everybody… but! I´m afraid there are just few companies that take this into account!

Giving a look to the Gastroteca I had the good luck that Juan José was there and he spent some minutes with me explaining me the style of the place and we even talk about his professional experience. You can see part of this talk at the video, but again it´s just in Spanish.

Part of what makes this hotel a charming place is that it´s located in front of the thermal lake. The hotel also has some thermal facilities and a natural thermal waterfall, but most of the treatments and spa facilities are at the other hotels… but they have a car that takes the clients of this hotel to the other ones.

Yes, I liked a lot this hotel, the restaurant and the people that work there. I just have to say it´s expensive, but I do recommend it. :D

Tulips in Keukenhof, Netherlands. My photos.

I took this picture a week ago, at Keukenhof,Willem-Alexander pavilon. A lot of beauties there! :D 

Temas Pallarés Spa. Introduction.

Rosa, one of the friends that shared with us the travel to Canaima, came to stay few days at home. Of course we went together to my favorite places in Madrid and surroundings (at least the ones we had enough time to go). Taking advantage of her stay and Easter, we went to the Balneario Termas Pallares that I had long wanted to meet.

The place is quite huge, they have:

Tree hotels:

- Hotel Termas 3 stars.
- Hotel Parque 3 stars and remodeled not long ago (but I don´t know exactly when)
- Gran Hotel Cascada, 5 stars hotel –boutique.

A thermal lake.
A park.
The Spa area is part of the 3 hotels.
Two restaurants:

- El Balneario.
- La Gastroteca del Balneario.

Two bars-cafeterias, one of them with summer terrace.
Games salon.
Small cinema.
Tennis and Paddle fields.
Small park for children.

With that many things to experience, even had being there just 2 nights, there´s a lot to tell! So it will take me several posts. As far as I´ll be a bit busy on the next days, I can´t promise to place them following one to the other, but anyway I´ll talk about all what we experienced at this place, including both: nice and not nice things.

(To be continued.)

Los Nogales, Spa & Wellness. My favorite Spas in Madrid.

I´ll base my comment on the Paseo Imperial Spa, which is where I went. Regarding infrastructure Spa itself, this is by far the best Spa in Madrid I know.

In a vast space, with pools with different temperatures and water jets at different heights and strengths, Vichy shower area, walk over rocks area, area with moving jets to massage the entire back. A great place!

A detail that for me makes it extremely valuable is that it has different "routes" color coded, according to the type of problem or pain you have. That is, if you, for example, have back problems, it recommends you to follow the green route. Then, in the various areas of the Spa, have signs with their number in each color, so you know perfectly well for your specific problem you must follow the order established by the color map, in this example, green.Of the 2 Spas of this chain, only the Paseo Imperial has this route. Till now I haven´t met any other Spa (in the world! Hehehe but remember that I know Spas in many countries, but just a few, so I can´t proclaim myself an authority of the subject, I would need to go to maaaaany more ... watch out! Sponsors welcome!) :D ;P So, as I was saying, till now Ihaven´t met any other Spa with the routes method and actually this is a quite simple and highly functional. Not to mention a touch of professionalism that gives to the Spa. As I said in other posts, one of the problems that most spas that I know has as is a lack of information to customers who do not have to be experts in spas or know what is best for them or for how long . Apparently in the Spa of Puerta del Hierro (I haven´t gone, but I think I should!... hehehe), they don´t have this system but it is because the design of the Spa area takes you through a logical sequence.

With all that I like the Spa area at Los Nogales, I must confess that my favorite place in this place is the area for relaxation. With starry night effect on the roof and water beds where you feel float, topped with chill out music, it definitely meets its goal and then the hard part is getting out!

They also have areas for therapeutic treatments, relaxing and beauty ones as well, with prices from 5 to 110 Euros. I haven´t try them yet, so I can´t tell you about the quality but if they match with the Spa quality, should be excellent!!

Seems paddle is in somehow a fashion in Madrid, so, they also have a paddle field, giving classes and even participating in competitions. They also have yoga, pilates and a couple of activities alike (I had seen them but now I can´t find them out at their web). You should pay apart for this.

About locations, they have 2 Spas, taken from their web:

Just, you see, at the map they placed at their web, seems both are closer to the metro station of how they really are, let´s better watch this:

Puerta del Hierro:

Paseo Imperial:

It´s actually about where they are why I don´t go so often to this Spa. You see, for me, going out of that marvelous relax salon to walk that far to the metro station and then make 2 transfers to get home ... just on the trip going back home the relax of being at the Spa goes out! : ( On the other hand, it´s also true that when I went to los Nogales Paseo Imperial in a car, had been easy to find where to park.

Here the prices of the Spa circuit, which is 90 minutes:

For going just one single day, prices are:

So, from my 3 favorite Spas in Madrid, this one has the better infrastructure at the Spa and relaxing zones. Point is if you also appreciate the possibility of having activities as yoga, pilates, etc., then, due quality - price relation and due different options, I prefer Elysium.

Spa Acquaplaya at Hotel Senator Gran Via. My favorite Spas in Madrid.

I start saying that the Acuaplaya Spa is one of my favorites due the excellent, so profesional and warm attention that Mónica and Jesús, the staff, give.

The Spa itself is ok, I´m not saying the opposite, It has a swimming pool with jets at one of the walls, that start from the feet to the neck, in order. At the corner there´s an artificial waterfall for making massages at the shoulders. At the same pool, a small space with jets for the shoulders as well. A big Jacuzzi. A small pool with stones for walking in. Other small pool with warm water and oranges for relaxing. Pools of water at various temperatures. One area where ice is falling and once told me a guy who used to go in the same hours I do, that Paul Newman used to tapping with chunks of ice in the face to tighten the skin. Two saunas, one for naturists (not swimwear) and another to enter with swimsuit.It´s really quite well, just that are more interesting the Elisyum and Nogales.

Here I do have done some treatments! You see, in this kind of things I really think twice before letting anyone to touch me, I have to feel really confident… and once I confirm I can trust in someone… why to try more? That was what happened to me here. I started just going to the Spa circuit at midday, 2 or 3 times per week. The one that attended me, no matter if it was Mónica, Jesus or Miriam that was also there at that time gave me conversation and I started asking about things. One day Mónica suggested me to test the pressure therapy ... and it worked! So with confidence enough, I began to ask for treatment for such things and so far everything that they have recommended has worked wonderfully! This includes more than once I've asked for treatment X and they have told me that well, that's fine, but in my case, they would recommend more Y. You see! Now I feel at home there!

Anyway, no matter the confidence I feel with them, I can still be objective and so far, let me tell you the things I don´t like of the Acquaplaya Spa: first, the dresser are both dresser and corridors that connect with the locker room area and you must pass through there to access the area of Spa. There are a total of 3 passages, which is usually to be if you were not the first catching them, you should wait either arriving or leaving. Then, both the locker area which is also the drying area and the dressers are unisex. I already had the experience that a guy simply dress and undress in the locker area not taking care if there were ladies at the same area. The relaxing area is rather ugly, with beach chairs instead of beds.

Talking about prices, this is the cheaper one of my favorites. The normal Spa circuit, which is of 90 minutes, costs 18 Euros. On Wednesday they have a 2 X 1, so 2 people pay just 18 Euros. The session at 14.00 costs just 9 Euros. They open from Tuesday to Sunday from 12.00 to 22.00, but they go “by sessions” and the last one is at 20.00. In the first session kids are allowed.

Something they have that is unusual is the naturist session on Thursdays at 20.00, naturist means nudist.

In resume, the installations are not the best ones but are ok. The prices are quite good, for me the geographical situation is excellent and the attention and professionalism of the spa staff is unbeatable. That's why it´s one of my favorites! : D

Perito Moreno seen from the forest. My photos.

This picture was taken after doing minitreking in Perito Moreno. When you go back to the refuge, you walk in a forest that is amazing. Was a pity not to have more time (and more forces!)for walking there a bit more. The views to the glacier from the forest are priceless!!

Elysium: the Hotel NH Eurobuilding Spa in Madrid. My favorite Spas in Madrid.

Elysium was the second Spa I met in Madrid. Great one!

Very well located, address: Padre Damián, 23, 28036 Madrid Phone: +34.913431680, is close to Plaza Cuzco and Bernabéu Stadium. Opens every day of the year, Mon to Fry from 7.30 to 23.00, Saturdays from 9.00 to 22.00 and Sundays and holydays from 9.00 to 19.00.

The area of the Spa circuit is simply ... excellent! With jets very well located, a well balanced cold, warm and hot water. Vichy shower area very pleasant. Relaxation area with a wonderful view. Very well planned the whole area!

Of course they also have a massage and beauty treatments area. Here you can give a look to the services menu. The prices are from 143 to 247 euros each treatment, but they also include the Spa circuit at the price.

Plus all that, it also has a beach area, a paddle field and a gym where they offer activities such as indoor cycling, aquagym (water gym), Latin dancing, boxing, PowerFit, low-impact workout for people in middle age, yoga, pilates and stretching ... full of options as you can see!

Talking about prices… we´ll see… you know I believe that “quality has its price”. Otoh, the price is also a way to give more or less exclusivity to a service. Taking into account the previous, yes, the treatments price seems for me a high one but I should add that I haven´t try them, so, maybe once I try them I think they deserve the 100% of the price.

Talking about Spa circuit prices, they offer different options:

- You can join as a member with a yearly fee, that could be from 1110 to 1872 Euros per year, depending on if you would like to go to the spa whenever you want or if you prefer to go just from Monday to Friday, or just on weekends and holidays. Whatever option you take, you can stay at the spa with no time limits, also to use the gym and to take part of the programmed activities like yoga, Latin dancing, etc.; to use the beach and to have a locker and to use 2 towels per day plus a 10% of discount to the different treatments.

- Travel fee: this option is for people that come to Madrid just for a specific period of time and would enjoy the spa during those days. The fee is 189 Euros per month having all the rights enlisted above.

- Day fee: if you prefer to go just time to time, maybe the one day fee is your option. It costs 33 Euros for a whole day, including your right of going out (for eating, for example) and coming back later the same day.

I know, at first sight the monthly fee could seems expensive… but let´s give a deep look on it: let´s suppose you go to the spa twice per week and you are not sure if you´ll go just during week days or just during weekends, so you take the expensive option, 156 Euros per month. In a month you would go at least 8 times. 156 divided 8 = 19.50 each time. Just taking into account the spa circuit that I insist is one of the bests I had seen in Madrid, the price is quite good, but remember that you also can go to use the gym, to participate in the activities such as yoga, Latin dancing, etc., etc., etc…. without paying more! You see, just Latin dancing, the less expensive in Madrid costs 30 Euros per month. And also remember: when you go to the spa, this is with no limited time.

Event to pay the most expensive option, the one of 189 Euros per month…. 189 divided 8 = 23.62 per day… plus Latin dancing, yoga, etc., etc., etc. :D

Yeap! Due Price and quality: one of my very favorites in Madrid! :D

Hotel Atitlan: the best hotel in Panajachel for really enjoying Atitlan Lake.

Hotel Atitlan

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).







I have already talk about this place at the post Atitlan Lake but someone advised me it will be more useful to place them in different posts, so here is it, it contains exactly the same of that post, in case of new comments about this place, I´ll write a new post.

El Ancla: Saying Goodbye to Mallorca with Chill Out. Visiting the Scrabble Club Scrabbalear!

After eating in Ca´s Busso, we went to the Marriott Club Son Antem Hotel, we had some promotional tickets to the Spa… but! We should be there before an specific time and we didn´t knew that, so, this should wait till our next visit!:D

We anyway gave a look to the place and you see… I had been in other Marriott hotels and, for example, the JW of Egypt seems to me to be the best hotel in Egypt, but this Marriott in Mallorca… well… I felt it so plastic… Cris told me that actually the cafetería is very nice, but I haven´t seen it, I just seen the Spa area and part of the gardens plus a small golf camp, and none of them made “click” to me. But we´ll see what I think next time I go there.



Going out fo the Marriott, Pochola led us to a very nice place: El Ancla in Ca´n Pastilla. You see, I do think sometimes what you first think is a bad luck what you really have is good luck, because if we would stay at the Marriot Spa as planned, we would lost to met this nice place but also a great sunset:



El Ancla is a pretty place for take something to drink… that also includes a good tea selection. It has 3 main different areas, very nice them all. I highly recommend this place.





I saw a group playing Jenqa, but I can´t tell you if they have games to lend you or if it was of the group.

After being at El Ancla we went to the airport and back to Madrid… THANK YOU SO MUCH CLUB SCRABBALEAR + FAMILY AND FRIENDS FOR A GREAT WEEKEND!!

Ca´s Busso: the Best Restaurant of Mallorcan Food in Mallorca. Visiting the Scrabble Club Scrabbalear!

Ok, this time the one that says so isn´t me but my friends of the Scrabbalear Club: in Ca´s Busso you get the best Mallorcan food of the island. Right now I just can confirm this due my experience in 3 places (Celler Sa Premsa, Ca N´antuna and this one), yes, definitely this was the best one. But you see… if I have to go to each restaurant to confirm it, I can sacrifice myself! XP

Its situated at the side of a road in Llucmajor, for us it was so easy to get there, but you see, Cris was driving and she knows it quite well, but searching info about the restaurant in internet, seems it´s not that easy to find, so better you to go with a GPS or well written the indications.





This is a countryside restaurant, for going with time to enjoy the Mallorcan food. It´s big, but it´s usually full, so better you to do a reserve. It has a restaurant and terrace areas. We were lucky, the weather was nice, so we ate at the terrace, covered by a ranch-style structure, with antique lamps hanging at various points. The views from the terrace are the countryside and the road.



The food was quite nice. Excellent relation between quality and price, in our case it was a bit less than 20 Euros per person and we even leftover a lot of Brut Rice! A real pity! It was so delicious! Here some examples of what they have at the menu and of what we had ordered:





And the restaurant info: Ca´s Busso: Carretera Cabo Blanco, Km 24, Llucmajor phone: 971123002

(To be continued.)

Walking in… Carrer de la Torre, Mallorca, Spain. Visiting the Scrabble Club Scrabbalear!

After our unsuccessfull seeking of the phantom dog, P Chris showed us a charming little corner of Mallorca: the end of Carrer de la Torre. This is a small cliff overlooking the sea, obviously with a tower. From there you have great views of the beach, Cala Pi and Cabrera Island.

It seems that the tower of the cliff was built due pirate attacks at that area. Now the cove has a lot of visitors, no matter you have to climb a lot of steps to go out of there. The cliff has a lot of visitors as well, no wonder, you have great views and also the tower gives it a special touch. It´s also an area where most ships dock, so it's tempting to go and spend a while watching the creek, views, docked boats and tower.



(To be continued.)

Sailing on the Nile. My photos.

This photo is sailing on the Nile, going from Aswan to a Nubian village, September 2006. It was incredible the peace and harmony with nature that you can felt there.