I can’t believe it’s already been a month since I was sitting in Madrid with a glass of wine. Now I’m back home, still often with a glass of wine, but it’s not the same.
Thursday, May 21
In terms of red-eye flights, this one was easy because it was direct to Madrid. We landed, made our way through Madrid customs (the hardest part of the day), and then hopped in some taxis to reach the Airbnb.
Our Airbnb was excellent. The management company communicated through WhatsApp, making it very easy to meet up and collect the apartment keys. The apartment was huge, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms, allowing for minimal necessary sharing. The floors were a little creaky, but we were all up at the same time anyway, so that didn’t matter.
Once we got settled, we went outside to Plaza De Matute and had some tinto de verano at El Imperfecto before walking around the area and getting dinner at Lamucca de Prado. It was an early night after a long travel day.
Friday, May 22
We had to start our vacation off with an overview of the city, so we did the Madrid Private City Tour by Eco Tuk Tuk. We rode in Tuk Tuk 30 with Julian as our tour guide. We chose the 4-hour tour since we had no other plans for the day. We saw the Royal Palace of Madrid, the Cripta de Santa María la Real de la Almudena, El Retiro Park, the Iglesia de San Jerónimo el Real, the Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, a Starbucks that let us see into Bernabéu, La Rosaleda del Parque del Oeste, and the Temple of Debod. Some locations we got to walk around and explore, while others we drove by, but Julian was very knowledgeable and able to answer any questions we had throughout the day. Sometimes it was hard to hear him in the Tuk Tuk because of the wind and city sounds around us, but he did have a microphone, and we were able to understand the important parts of the tour or ask for clarification when needed.
After the tour, we needed to find some food, so we made our way to Plaza Mayor and got lunch at Cafetería Magerit. Then, we toured some rooftop bars (Sky 44 Rooftop Terraza & Bar Madrid and Capitol Rooftop) before making our way back towards the Airbnb and grabbing dinner at O Cacho do José in Plaza de Santa Ana.
Saturday, May 23
Part of our group went to a wedding Friday night, and didn’t get home until after 4 am, so while they slept in, a smaller group of us went to breakfast at Brunchit, walked around, and then grabbed a drink at La Merecida.
Once the entire group was awake, we went to Hotel Riu Plaza España for lunch at El Edén Gastrobar and drinks at the Sky Bar 360°, which was definitely worth making a reservation for because the food was good and the views were even better.
From there, we walked to the Chamberí neighborhood in Madrid for a Non-touristy Tapas Tour. This ended up being the highlight of my trip because we never would have explored this part of the city on our own, and our guide, Raul, was phenomenal. He’s from the area and, after some time in a corporate job, decided he’d rather show people the highlights of his home. The stops we made were:
- Filito - Chamberí: Beer (I drank white wine), Payoyo cheese with asparagus sauce, and pork belly (my favorite of the day)
- Taberna Alipio Ramos: Sangría, tortilla española (Spanish omelette), and roasted ham
- Bar Restaurante Ponzano: Wine, Ibérico ham croquettes, jamón (ham), and extra virgin olive oil
- Los Arcos de Ponzano: Vermouth, deep fried calamari, and chorizo
After the tour, we ended up at Papaya Destilados Artesanales for drinks, drinks, and more drinks.
Sunday, May 24
The calmest day of the trip. After taking the most unrelaxing walk through the crowds of El Rastro (Madrid’s most iconic and historic open-air flea market), we spent most of the day in El Retiro Park; food and drinks at Heladería El Ancla and Bar Mirador.
After some souvenir shopping, we had dinner at Las Tapas de Juan in Plaza de Santa Ana.
Monday, May 25
Mission 1 of the day: figure out the location of Monasterio del Corpus Christi "Las Carboneras" so we could buy some “Nun Cookies”. Thanks to social media and maps, this was not a very difficult mission, and we purchased some Galletas (lemon-flavored biscuits), which were very good, but would have been better dipped in tea.
We took a lap through Mercado de San Miguel before stopping for a drink at Cervecería Restaurante Plaza Mayor. While in Plaza Mayor, we took our time looking through the shops.
We had lunch reservations at La Terraza del Campo del Moro, which is in the gardens of the Royal Palace, meaning it is absolutely gorgeous.
Before heading back to the apartment, we went to La Postalera to buy fun postcards, prints, and fans.
We had dinner at Las Tapas de Juan in Plaza de Santa Ana again.
Tuesday, May 26
Early morning because we needed to head to the airport! We flew from Madrid to Palma de Mallorca.
We stayed at MHOUSE Hotel Palma, which was a lovely hotel and perfect for the one night we were there. We couldn’t check in right away, but we were able to drop off our bags and have some breakfast.
We spent the day at Anima Beach Palma, eating, drinking, sleeping, reading, and testing out the waters in the Bay of Palma. I had a delicious strawberry daiquiri.
By the time we were ready for dinner, we couldn’t find much open, but ended up at Mani Pizza & Cucina Palma De Mallorca, which was really good and had a kind staff.
Wednesday, May 27
To explore more of Plama, we did a bus tour to the other side of the island called Palma: Caves of Drach Entrance, Music Concert, and Boat Trip. We were on the 138 bus with Ester as our tour guide and Tony as our driver. We loved Ester, she ran a tight ship and shared a lot of interesting information without it feeling like she was lecturing us the whole trip to the cave. She also spoke multiple languages, which is always impressive.
The caves were really cool. We looked for shapes in the stalagmites. The concert they performed in the lake at the bottom of the cave was also fantastic. I kept thinking what an interesting brainstorming it must have been for whoever decided to add an amphitheater and a concert to a cave exploration. The boat ride was shorter than I thought, but it was fun to say we did it.
Mallorca is famous for Majorica Pearls. The story Ester told us was that two brothers, both fishermen, were working when one found an oyster with a pearl in it, which he gave to his wife. She told her sister-in-law, who then also wanted a pearl of her own. Her husband couldn't find an oyster, so he used crushed scales and shells that he blew into a glass pearl (slightly bigger than the real pearl his brother found). And now glass pearls are famous, and there is a store right by the caves.
We got drinks and snacks at Benja's before gathering our stuff and heading to the airport.
Thursday, May 28
Another breakfast at Brunchit before starting our day. Our first stop was writing out wishes at Calle de los Deseos. Then we went on the hunt for artwork vending machines, one of which was at Kon Kafé - Specialty Coffee and Cookies.
We made our way to the meeting spot for Madrid: Small-Group Royal Palace Guided Tour (Up to 8). The Madrid Royal Palace is gigantic; 3,418 rooms gigantic. We only got to see a handful of them, but the ones we did see were beautiful. I loved how each room had its own tapestry pattern and colors. Manuel led us through the palace and shared many fun facts.
Afterward, we walked through the Almudena Cathedral before finding something to eat at Cervecería La Plaza.
On our first night in Madrid, we walked past Restaurante Bestial by Rosi la Loca, and knew we had to try it before leaving, so we finally did. A themed restaurant is always fun, and this one was no exception—an under-the-sea experience from the decor, to the drink cups, to the bathrooms.
I ended the night with a KALA Greek Frozen Yogurt.
Friday, May 29
Davis was our tour guide for the Madrid: Segovia and Toledo Tour, Alcazar, and Cathedral. In each city, Davis led us on an overview tour, and then we had a bit of free time to explore. We saw cathedrals, aqueducts, and gorgeous city skylines.
In Segovia, we ate lunch at Cañas y Tapas, and back in Madrid, we had a nightcap at La Merecida.
Saturday, May 30
Our last full day was an early one as we made our way to the train station to go to Seville. Once there, we got some breakfast at Alfonsito.
Laura was our guide all day on the Alcazar and Cathedral of Seville Tour with Skip the Line Tickets. We thought this would be a 4-hour tour; it was closer to 6, and it was hot, but the Alcazar and Cathedral are gorgeous. We did get about an hour and a half break in between for lunch. Laura was knowledgeable and patient with the number of people she had to keep track of.
We had time for a quick drink at Universal People Bar de Tapas before going to Seville: Casa de la Memoria Flamenco Show. The Flamenco show was amazing, there were three dancers and a three-piece band. It was my first time seeing a Flamenco show, and it was definitely the place to see it.
Overall, Madrid was a fantastic city to visit. You could probably cover the major highlights in four or five days, but taking time for day trips to other cities was definitely worth it.
