There is no time like the present to visit southern Spain, especially because Club ABC Tours is offering some of the most affordable packages to the Costa del Sol. The gateway cities are Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Seattle, and St. Louis. Optional tours to other areas of Andalusia are also featured, including Ronda, Granada, Córdoba, Seville, and Jerez de la Frontera.
In Seville, the best food and wine tours are being offered by A Question of Taste, which features one-day excursions, cooking lessons, wine-tastings, and tapas tours. Both Gourmet magazine and Travel & Leisure have recommended these tours to their readers.
Academia Hispanica has burst on the scene, offering first-rate Spanish language courses. Courses combine Spanish language instruction with cultural immersion, including flamenco dancing and gastronomy.
Lying only a block from the Murillo Gardens in Seville's Santa Cruz neighborhood, Apartamentos Murillo offers 16 air conditioned apartments complete with kitchenettes. Prices are reasonable for these two-bedroom, two-bathroom units, which are ideal for families
In the dining arena, the new Abades Triana features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Guadalquivir River. In the Triana district, it can hold up to 400 diners. The architect designed the place so that the restaurant appears to be hanging in the air. The meats are tender and succulent, and the fresh fish arrives daily from the port of Cádiz in the south. If you'd like to consume your prawns or Módean beef to the sounds of a serenading drag queen, head for Le Madame-Ego Restaurante, whose margarita list and 30 premium tequilas contribute to its popularity.
More and more visitors to Seville, especially in the hot summer months, are shunning the heavy menus of traditional Spanish restaurants and seeking tapas bars where lighter fare is served. Many have outdoor cafe seating and small portions. Near the cathedral, Bar Campanario serves delectable small pizzas. Other good pizzas are offered at La Cosa Nostra, where kids delight in watching the chefs flip the pies.
Across the street, more formal meals are served at La Primera del Puente. As you dine on a tree-shaded terrace, you can watch the boat traffic in the Guadalquivir River.
Artists, musicians, and university students are developing a trend-setting near the area of Alameda de Hércules, lying just north of the city center. The area is especially alluring at night, when young Seville shows up at all the newly opened cafes and bars. This district is also the center of Seville's neo-rock scene. Try Taberna del Corto Maltés or the pocket-sized Sala la Caja Negra.
In the heart of Córdoba, close to the narrow lanes of La Juderiá, a lovely nine-room hotel has opened, Hospederia de El Churrasco, which is associated with the famous restaurant El Churrasco, specializing in charcoal grills. The inn is new but the restaurant has a long-standing reputation. Each room of the inn is named after an artist and decorated with typical Andalusian furniture and antiques. The rooms are spacious, air conditioned, and have Internet access. From the terrace/solarium, there are vistas of La Mezquita.
Museo-Restaurante Oleocultura is a modest restaurant in a museum. It serves good, affordable regional food, and is decorated with old black iron hydraulic olive presses.
Britain and Spain have long debated the claim of the Rock of Gibraltar's sovereignty. The problem of ownership of this British colony of 30,000 residents has yet to be solved. However, the two countries have reached an historic agreement to resolve the conflict.
One of the key aspects of the deal is to open Gibraltar to airline flights from Spain and the rest of Europe. For many years, Spain has denied use of its airspace, forcing Gibraltar-bound planes to leave from Britain and perform dangerous approaches to the Rock.
In the Pueblos Blancos, Medina Sidonia has always been one of the best preserved medieval towns in the area. You can stop for the night at El Molino, a modern, bandboxy hotel that has a first-rate regional restaurant and coffee bar. Bedrooms are beautifully kept with good furnishings, and all of them boast individually-controlled air conditioning.
Planning
- Club ABC Tours (tel. 888/TOURS-ABC; www.clubabc.com) is currently offering affordable packages to the Costa del Sol.
- A Question of Taste, Calle Alcazar 12, 41807, Espartinas, Seville; (tel. 95/4713710; www.aqot.com) is a food and wine enthusiast's best bet for themed tours.
- Academia Hispánica, International House Córdoba, Calle Rodriguez Sanchez 15, 14003 Córdoba; (tel. 95/7488002; www.academiahispanica.com) combines Spanish language instruction with cultural immersion.
Accommodations
Seville
- Apartamentos Murillo, Reinosa 6; (tel. 95/4219959; www.hotelmurillo.com) now offers reasonable prices and spacious apartments.
Cordoba
- Hospederia de El Churrasco, Calle Romero 38, 14003 Córdoba; (tel. 957/294808; www.elchurrasco.com) is a new nine-room hotel associated with the famous restaurant El Churrasco.
Medina Sidonia
- Hotel El Molino, (tel. 95/6410300) is a new, beautifully decorated hotel in one of the best preserved medieval towns in the region.
Dining
Seville
- Bar Campanario, Mateos Gago 8; (tel. 95/456-4189; https://campanario.wordpress.com) serves delicious small pizzas.
- La Cosa Nostra, Betis 52; (tel. 95/427-0752) is a particularly kid-friendly new tapas bar.
- La Primera del Puente, Betis 66; (tel. 95/427-6918) offers a more formal dining alternative on the Guadalquivir River.
- Abades Triana, Betis 69A; (tel. 95/445-68-22; www.abadestriana.com) is a large new spot in the Triana district.
- Le Madame-Ego Restaurante, Calle Calatrava at Calle Fresa; (tel. 95/490-87-32) is located in the emerging Alameda de Hércules district.
Cordoba
- Museo-Restaurante Oleocultura, 29 Calle Baena, Castro del Rio; (tel. 95/737-40-05) serves affordable, regional food.
After Dark
Seville
- Taberna del Corto Maltés, Alameda de Hércules 66; (tel. 95/438-04-71) is a popular spot in the emerging Alameda de Hercules district
- Sala la Caja ner Negra, Calle de Fresa 15; (no phone), though tiny, is a hot addition to the Alameda de Hercules area.