6/07/2016

Cafe El Fútbol (Granada, Spain)

Plaza Mariana Pineda 6
18009 Granada
Spain
Ph: + 00 34 958 22 66 62
Timetable: Mo-Sun 6am to1am. 
Website (in Spanish)

Located in the charming Mariana Pineda Square, this is a traditional place to eat churros and chocolate (or churros and coffee as it is also traditional) all day long, as well as some simple traditional Spanish food and ice-cream cups in summer.  

This café is really old, with a clear Art Deco that is actually original, not an imitation. The founder was Antonio Suárez Martin, the current owner's grandfather (the owner, an old man, seats everyday in a corner at the entrance these days) and this was a originally a door-to-door fresh milk delivery business turned into the café we know today in 1922. It was originally called Café Football.  

This café is mostly known for his churros, but they are open from dawn to dusk and serve everything, Spanish breakfast, lunches, tapas and dinners, with a main focus on Spanish toasts, bocadillos (rolls), cold meat boards, traditional Spanish tapas and raciones (like tortilla de patatas, piquillo peppers filled with fresh cod, gazpacho, salmorejo, several types of paella, and many other local seasonal dishes that are little known outside Spain). You can also find cannelloni, pizza and crepes but I wouldn't go there for anything that is not traditional Spanish.

Their churros are among my favourites in the entire city, churros as churros should be, golden crispy outside, fluffy outside, crunchy but not too oily, which is what you find in other places. Their hot thick drinking chocolate is the traditional one, too sweet for my taste. 

Their coffee is OK. 

They have gorgeous ice-cream cups in summer, but I am very picky with my ice-cream and I find them good, but a bit too sweet and thick. 

The place can be extremely busy at rush coffee hours in Spain and on Sundays, and especially in winter, even the upper floor, where a large seating area is located and open for those times is packed to the rafters. Their outdoor terrace is lovely, and it is always a favourite in summer and on any sunny day if you don't mind the smoke, as this is the café's smoking area.


 
 


The service is fast but the old staff, some of whom I have seen behind the bar since I was a teen, are totally unfriendly, with a funeral attendee's face, no smile, no niceties, nothing that acknowledges the visitor as a human being unless you are a regular. I understand that sometimes they are so crowded that there is no time for anything that is not getting your order and delivering it to your table; however, the service varies little when the café is quiet and a few customers are in the café. If you are a foreigner, rest assured that is not you, or your Spanish accent or the fact that you speak no Spanish, they treat locals the same and are unwelcoming, something that greatly unnerves me. Yet, this is a classic café, and they do what they do well, how it should be, so you have to grant them that, something that explains that the business is never in decline or empty. 

They open long hours and till late, so you can go there to end you drinking night and finish by putting something solid in your belly, churros and chocolate being the traditional way of ending your outing if you have a certain age and your outing ends around midnight. Most youngsters would be drinking and partying until way later. 

 One of those places that I always visit when I'm in Granada.  

Citybox Hotel (Oslo, Norway)

Citybox Oslo
Prinsens Gate 6, 
0152 Oslo, Norway
Phone: + 47 21 42 04 80
Email: oslo@citybox.no
Website
The head photo is a cortesy of Citibox website

THE GOOD
+ Centrally located, a a short 5 minute walk from the Train Central Station, Bus Station, the main shopping area in Oslo, and the new Opera House, and about 10 minutes walking distance from the main sights in the city. 
+ Very clean rooms and common areas. 
+ Spacious simple rooms, bigger than expected, minimalist and practical, still cosy. Very Scandinavian style indeed. 
+ Bed, desk and chair were really comfortable. 
+ Heated bathroom floor.
+ Many power points in the bedroom to recharge your gadgets. 
+ Common areas are great, with two large seating areas and large flat screens, one showing programs in Norwegian and another in English. They have plenty of small seating areas, really stylish and comfortable, some vending machines, tea and coffee facilities, a fridge, a microwave, sink and rubbish bins. 
 + The staff were lovely and very helpful. There isn't reception as such, but sometimes they get out a sort of stand that works as such. Otherwise, you have electronic concierge in the lobby, and you can always ask one of the guys at the hotel office in the lobby to give you a hand with anything. I found them very friendly, helpful and welcoming, one of the best staff I found in Norway.
+ After checking out, you can leave the luggage in their deposit room and come back to pick it up afterwards. Just ring the button in the checking in area to ask a staff member to open the main door for you. 
+ Environmentally friendly. 
+ Good value for money taking into account the utterly ridiculous pricing of most hotels in Oslo. We stayed in another hotel, two minutes walking distance from this, paid double and it wasn't as good or comfy as this one.
 + A bakery-cafe is next door to the hotel and opens long hours.  


SO-SO
= Checking in/ out is automatized, but very easy to do.
= Free WiFi all over the hotel but it was temperamental and the line dropped several times during the day.
= There are ramps for people with mobility problems, that is great, but I found, that the joints between rooms and between the common spaces and the lifts had a metallic sort of elevated lining that were a bit of a hassle to roll the suitcase, but I guess a wheelchair might have no problem. 

THE NOT SO GOOD
# No reception as such.
# No safety box in the room.
# No TV in the room.
# No phone in the room. 
# No minibar in the room. 
# No room service. 
# No toiletries, just soap dispensers. I have no problem with that, but a body milk dispenser and a hair conditioner dispenser would be a great addition.  
# No wardrobe or any storage area, just a hangers rack, which seems to be traditional in Scandinavian hotels. OK if you stay a night, it might be a problem if you stay for several days.  
 # You need to to ask for a hair drier or extra towels, waiter boiler or an extra heater at reception. There was a lonely towel in my bathroom and not especially big.
# Curtains not thick enough for all day daylight. I personally have no problem sleeping with these curtains, but other people do as the material doesn't completely block clarity at night.
# Ugly views depending on the room,  and plenty of construction going on in the surrounding area.  
# The supposed 10% discount in the attached cafe applies just after 11am. 

 MIND
>  The key card also activates the power in the room. When checking-in, you will be asked whether you want one or two keys. Take the two to have the power always operational. 
> If you stay for more than a day they won't clean the room as this is why the hotel is way cheaper than similar hotels in Oslo; it just saves money. There is a visible notice in the lift about this and it is also mentioned in the check-in sheet you get. This policy is very much of my liking, but it might not be of yours. If you stay for several days and want your linen changed regularly or daily you need to arrange this with reception beforehand before arrival by email and discuss pricing. 
> This a non-smoking hotel. If they catch you smoking, you'll be fined 1000 Nok, which is about AU$160. 
> The attached café serves breakfast from 7-10 on weekdays and 8-11 on weekends. They serve lunch and dinner as well.  

 ***
Overall a simple modern comfy hotel in the heart of Oslo at half the price you find for similar hotels in the same area. Lovely hotel and staff. I will definitely go back.   

6/02/2016

Ibis Budget Málaga Centro (Málaga, Spain)

Ibis Budget Málaga Centro
Calle Calvo, 4 
29007 Málaga, Spain
Phone:+34 951 21 38 54

THE GOOD
+ Scandinavian sort of hotel, with a basic stylish functional room deprived of anything that is not necessary, yet very comfortable and with anything you need for a short stay. The rooms are not as small as I thought by reading other visitors' comments, certainly they aren't large, but OK in size. If you have 3-4f XL suitcases it might be a problem. 
+  Zen style decor, minimal but very pleasing to the eye.
 + Bed, desk and chair were really comfortable. 
+ TV in the room.
+ Air-con in the room. 
+ Comfy large hard bed. 
+ Spotless clean rooms and common areas.
+ Free reliable Wi-Fi all over the hotel.
+ Snack and coffee machines in the lobby.
+ Small café area in the lobby. They serve a simple breaky at very cheap prices. You can order some snacks directly from reception, good priced and OK to fill in your belly if you are hungry and there is nothing open around when you get there. 
+ Great location in the centre of the city, very close to the Central Bus Station (walking distance if you have carry-on baggage) and a few minutes away by taxi (less than 10 Euro), just 6 Kms from the airport at a walking distance from some of the major sights
in the city.
 + Unless you arrive on a Sunday, there are plenty of bars, cafes and shops at a very short walking distance and around the hotel.
+ Great hotel for a short stay.  
+ Environmentally friendly. 
+ Great value for money. I have been in similar hotels in Scandinavia and they costed me triple the price. I have been to way worse hotels in Australia and they costed me triple the price.


THE NOT SO GOOD
- Minimal toiletries. If you need more, you need to contact reception.
- No safety box in the room.
- No phone in the room. 
- No toilet brush in the bathroom.
- No wardrobe or storage place, just a hangers rack. 
- Few power points.   
- No minibar in the room.
- The café is just a small dining area for a simple breaky, which is expensive for Spanish standards and has not many options. Make yourself a favour and go to the cafés around and nearby.
- The guys at reception are sometimes overwhelmed by the avalanche of customers, especially late in the evening when there is just one person attending to the cue, the phone an the cafe. It was stressful to witness. 
- Ugly views depending on the rooms. 
 ***
Overall, a good budget hotel that delivers what promises at ridiculously cheap prices. 
  

5/31/2016

Norwegian Airlines

I had an inter-European flight recently and the flights I could find in Australia were too expensive for my budget and the departure times too early in the morning to be convenient. I browsed the net and came across this airline on one of Expedia international sites. The company also sells tickets directly through their website. I searched forums because, truly, the last thing I want is to expend my money on a flight with an unreliable airline, but the reviews were good. So, I dived in and flew with them.  

My experience with NA was good taking into account that his is a low-cost airline. It was a 4-hour flight, and the plane was as good as those I have frequently taken with Suiss or Luftansa, tiny space even in Business Class, therefore, nothing anybody in Australia would get excited about.

The flight was punctual regarding departure and arrival.

Like Jetstar they don't give you anything free, not food or water, but they sell some hot and cold snacks and drinks. They are dreadful and very expensive, so avoid. On the bright side of things, they allow you to take your own water and food aboard, so you don't need to buy anything unless you really want.

Some of the staff were really helpful and friendly, while others did their best not to interact with customers and, when they did, they were like robots and unhelpful. So I experienced both sides of the Norwegian coin.  

The only in-flight entertainment was shown in those TVs that hang from the plane's ceiling -- a mix of cartoons and funny videos. Thank Gosh for my tablet.

Overall, Norwegian Airlines is good value for money. I would have paid way more for the same flight with a normal airline, get similar or identical seats, get (at best) a free snack and service would vary as well. So it was worth flying with Norwegian Airlines, despite some of the unfriendly staff being aboard with us humans. I will certainly fly with them again if the occasion arises.

Norwegian Airlines specializes in flights to/from Scandinavia, with regular inter-European flights and with some destinations in the USA as well. 

Cathay Pacific Airways


7/10
I had never flown with CP until recently, but I was excited because a friend of mine has had a great experience with this airline. 

To be fair, my flight was an overnight flight, and most airlines have the dreadful practice of downgrading the service for overnight flights, so my first experience with CP might be affected by this practice. 

The plane looked modern, and it was pretty and clean, but the space in Economy Class was just tiny. First Class looked really as a million-dollar-buck First Class, but most people seat elsewhere. 

I thought the staff were friendly, ready to attend any request and help. However, I also witnessed some abruptness, like staff asking customers to let them pass when there was no need for them to ask that as they weren't passing with a trolley nor there was any turbulence. 

Other airlines have the staff running the aisles all night with trays with water and juice, while others have trays prepared in the crew area for you go and pick up a glass without having to ask for anything. Neither of this happened with my CP, flight until we were very close to destination, so you have to go and ask for a glass of water when you want one.

Food was surprisingly good, that always excites me when flying, although meals were not as bulky or complex as in other airlines, Qantas for example. 

The in-built entertainment program had very good digital screens and a good selection of Western and Asian movies. However, it was behind Qantas and other Asian airlines regarding volume and currency of the movies shown. 

Their duty free shopping catalogue is, perhaps, the best I have ever seen. I have flown with many airlines, and these days all of them seem to sell the same products, at the same prices. Corporations selling their thing. CP distinguishes themselves by selling luxury, really innovative expensive products, at prices that can be 1000+ bucks. Nothing I would or could buy, but at least they know what they want to sell and the products in their magazine are really amazing. 

CP is a decent good-priced airline, just not comparable to Qantas, Thai or Singapore Airlines in the quality of the service. Things might be different for day flights, so I will report back when I happen to take a day flight with them.