In mid-July 2023, Monica met Peter in Madrid, Spain after her Portugal volunteer service ended. We stayed three nights each Madrid, Seville and Barcelona. We chose various levels of hotels – from the most luxurious to the most local. We toured big castles and palaces, and we walked around small quaint neighborhoods. We ate at Michelin restaurants and from food trucks. Based on those experiences, we would plan our itinerary for the massive European Adventure we’d start a month later.
Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá
In Madrid, we stayed at the Palacio de los Duques Gran Meliá. It is a luxury hotel, just a few blocks from Madrid’s most historical sights. We upgraded to Melia’s red-level for the private bar and pampered service, which Peter enjoyed a lot. He was exhausted when he landed in Madrid, after having to leave NYC a day earlier than planned due to storms heading for the US. The hotel’s textiles, high ceilings and wall murals made us feel like we were a king and queen in a Spanish palace!
Swipe through these hotel pics!
Teatro Real
Our first night, we stumbled upon the Teatro Real (“Royal Theater”), which is the top institution of performing arts in Spain and one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe. The inside performance was being streamed on a huge screen in the building’s plaza. It was a surprising and very moving experience. A few days later we saw an opera inside of the theater, too!
Meandering around Madrid
We took a private tuktuk tour and walked around parks and squares. In Madrid’s old town, we felt transported to the Middle Ages! We especially loved all the unique statues and big doors on the former carriage houses.
Spanish Olive Oil
We took a food tour of Madrid and learned about local cuisine like pork sandwiches, custards, Iberian hams and olive oil. Spanish olive oil is delicious! We are now convinced that Spanish olive oil is far superior to that from any other country, including Italy. In fact, some of the world’s best “Italian” olive oil is actually from Spain, but companies get more money putting “Italy” on the bottle.
Connoisseurs may say Italian olive oil is greener and more herb tasting, but to our palates, Spanish olive oil is the bomb!
We ate “shrimp scampi with garlic and olive oil” a lot in Spain. In fact, Monica ordered shrimp scampi (or gazpacho) at almost every single meal. Shrimp scampi just tastes better in Spain, and we think it’s because of the yummy Spanish olive oil.
Restaurant Boutin
Of all the places we ate in Madrid, we liked Restaurante Botin the best. Even though it’s the oldest restaurant in Madrid, the food didn’t taste that way. Monica had delicious gazpacho soup and Peter ate chicken. Often, some of these “oldest” restaurants are overrated and touristy. This was neither, and we enjoyed every bite.
Flamenco
One night, we went to a traditional Flamenco show. It was just like we’d imagined. (There were multiple Flamenco shows in every Spanish city we visited, but we chose Flamenco 1911 in Madrid.) The dancers and musicians were full of emotion, strength and grace.
We liked Madrid a lot. It was much more charming than we expected. We would have stayed longer, but Seville was waiting.