Cordoba

[Lavanda]

I am hoping for a few days in Cordoba later this month and am travelling with an old friend from 50 years back. We are going to share a room but want separate beds (two females but not in a double bed relationship, is that PC enough?) Anyway, I made a booking five weeks ago through booking.com with 'Eurostars Patio de Cordoba' but they told me that twin beds were 'subject to availability' and they could not guarantee that we would have two beds. A week later, I asked again and they said it 'might be all right but we will know when you check in'. I'm not happy with that. What if there are no twin-bedded rooms? What do we do then? I asked again yesterday and they said 'twin-bedded rooms are subject to availability'. I cancelled my booking, free of charge, thank goodness.

If I had a hotel with X rooms with X beds and people booked up and the rooms were reserved as we went along, I would know at any given point which rooms were still available and which were not. Yes, people cancel, but I had booked up five weeks ago. At that point the hotel should have been able to say, 'Yes, you can have a twin room or, no, they have all gone'. They seem to be operating a completely hopeless system if you ask me.

Anyway, can anyone recommend a hotel which would have twin rooms, please?

[Wicksey]

Could you have contacted the hotel directly to ask them? Not sure how good booking.com are as an intermediary.

Otherwise what about an Airbnb? We always use them. I have booked apartments for myself and my friend in the past that cost no more than a decent hotel room. Last September we had a very nice apartment near the centre of Seville, 2 bed and 2 bath, well appointed kitchen (with dishwasher!) for 110€ a night (the price of course was split, so only 55€ each pn). We're off to Italy soon and are paying a similar amount for a smart 2 bed apartment in Treviso near to Venice.

[olive]

We liked casa juderia cordoba. Ring direct and specify twin bedded room.

They have parking ( for a fee) just up the road but fiddly albeit secure. There is a multi storey cark park about 300 metres away.

Bags of style, close to old quarter and the bridge and other attractions. No evening meals but plenty of restaurants a stroll away. They do do a breakfast.

If you ring direct you might be able to snag free breakfast as you are saving them the booking .com fee.

I agree, it is outrageous that they cannot guarantee what you have booked!

[Lavanda]

Thanks, both of you. I'll get on to it again tomorrow.

[Lavanda]

Finally got sorted out with a 3-bedroomed apartment in the centre of Cordoba for less than half the price of the hotels that did not have twin beds! Apart from the Mesquita and the Jewish Quarter and the bus out to Medina Azahara, what should we see? Where should we eat? We have four days and looking forward to it very much.

[markwilding]

What my wife does is to lookup itineraries online for places we are going to visit depending on how long we are expecting to be in a place. As you are going for four days, it might be a good idea to look up a 3 day one and leave one day to move around in a more relaxed way. This has meant we have found places and interesting sights that we might have missed had we just wondered around or just relied on recommendations, although that is not to say people previous experiences are not useful.

I don't know what others think about those tour guides that can be seen everywhere in many towns and cities. I have enjoyed the ones I have been on but sometimes I prefer to walk around at my own pace especially as I like to stop for a drink to people watch when I feel like it and take in the atmosphere of the place so finding an itinerary with information regarding the sight which is being visited is also important.

[Lavanda]

That's a good idea, Mark. Maybe a guided tour of the Mesquita and of Medina Azahara and we can explore the Jewish Quarter ourselves. That sounds good, thanks.

[olive]

How about this guided tour.? Four hours duration. No queuing .

https://www.getyourguide.co.uk/cordoba- ... ur-t66289/

From Andalucia.com advertiser.

Might seem a bit expensive but includes entry and guide. Set against cost of travel and accommodation plus limited time at destination, less frustration.

[Lavanda]

It looks good but will we be able to do all that in four hours? My friend and I like to LOOK at things and I like to take photos which means I am always lagging behind and missing the first part of the next bit. I think a personal guide might be best. With another friend I went to Cambodia to see the temples a few years ago and we had a personal guide. Bit expensive, yes, but so worthwhile in every way.

[olive]

Good job you aren’t Amaerican, they can do Europe in a week!

A few more thoughts.

The Roman bridge is nice to walk over at night and there are bars and eateries on the non Mezquite side.

The Medina Azahara is a great excursion. Easily got to by car. Free parking at the museum. Definitely toilets, not sure about refreshments. You are taken to and from the ruins by coach now from the good museum.

The same day you might venture to Castillo Almadovar del Rio. A stunning castle used in films etc. Handy place near the entrance for refreshments.

[Lavanda]

I like the crack about the Americans and their sightseeing schedules!

The tip about the bridge is a must, thank you. Sounds excellent.

We won't have a car as we are coming from Extremadura by bus. There's a dedicated bus stop for buses to Medina Azahara and we will go there by bus — and take a bottle of water with us. I've already got that located on my Cordoba map.

[Lavanda]

Cordoba was amazing. For me, it ranks up there with Cádiz and Málaga (and Sevilla and Granada). Perhaps I am just drawn to old places that still retain a strong atmosphere of the history of the place? I did like Barcelona, last year, but Cordoba, this year, was incredible.

In the end my friend and I rented a 3-bedroomed apartment just 10 minutes walk south from the bus station (and train station next to it). The apartment was very well-equipped with just about everything imaginable and the whole thing was ours for four nights for a total of €320. Great value, we thought. We were surrounded by cafés and breakfast places and we were just off the main commercial district and quiet at night. The Mezquita, Alcazaba and Jewish Quarter were 15 minutes walk gently downhill. We never got lost as Cordoba is well-signposted.

In addition to the main sights we went into the Arab Baths, The House of the Sefarad Jews, the Sinagoga, the House of the Water, over the Roman Bridge (to eat on the other side as suggested by Olive, excellent, thanks), and we saw the (disappointing) Roman Temple. I write 'disappointing' probably because i am used to Mérida and nowhere else but Rome compares with Mérida. We worked out our itinerary around the Monday closing for monuments and museums and we managed a lot in the time we had.

As fantastic as the Mezquita is, €10.00 entrance fee and no pensioner reduction, it was spoiled for me by the Catholic iconography and idols all over the place and I'm with Carlos V on that. However, it was very impressive. We actually saw a wedding and watched various guests come in including one couple, her in full Spanish Mother-of-the-Bride outfit including a towering Mantilla and her husband in ceremonial Guardia Civil uniform with gold braid everywhere, including his hat and a chest full of medals. Various other male guests were also in full dress uniform. The bride had a beautiful and demure dress and the train would have rivalled any worn by European Royalty over the last 50 years. I wonder who they were. That's enough 'Hello' magazine stuff and now for the highlight ...

Medina Azahara was, for us both, the star event. We did our homework and got the tickets from the Tourist Information Office in Plaza de las Tendilla. The fee was €10.00 and was for the bus out to the Archeological site, plus the Information Centre, video, museum, toilets etc and the bus ride up the hill to the actual site where there is no car parking at all. Return. The bus goes from two stops along the Paseo de la Victoria; 1. The roundabout by the Red Cross hospital and, 2. By the Victoria market. The bus is orange and quite distinctive. The times of the buses are 10.00 and back at 13.30 and at 10.45 and back at 14.15. These times are not interchangeable.

Once at the bus (and car) park and Information Centre there was a further ticket to pay, €1.50 to get in to the site but we were let off as we have grey hair. I did say to the ticket man that I also had wrinkles around my eyes and took of my sun glasses and he told me I had beautiful blue eyes and I did the only thing possible for a lady of my age; I smiled and thanked him for the pretty compliment.

So, on the bus, up the hill, and WOW! If only I could post some photographs! The site is extensive, the ground is uneven in places but there are a few handrails here and there. Lots of information boards, drawings and diagrams in Spanish and English. It is stunning, simply stunning. Although much of the site is ruined and plundered over the years for building materials for other constructions, enough remains to be able to see what the whole thing was like in the time of the Caliph, Abd-al-Rahman III who built the place over 40 years.The story is that his favourite, Azahara, missed the snow-covered hills of her home in Syria. The Caliph built the new city on the side of hills he had planted with almond trees so that every Spring the blossoms would resemble snow. Nice story, isn't it.

As a last word in today's homage to Cordoba, when you get the city map from the Tourist Offices you will also get a double-sided sheet with all the places to visit, their opening times, their entry fees, etc. Each place has a number. This number corresponds to the numbers on the map. It's very well organised and top marks to the Ayuntamiento de Cordoba.

[Wicksey]

What a wonderful trip Lavanda and thank you for all that information. As I said on another thread, doesn't it make a huge difference when there is excellent Tourist Information office and good signage. Glad you also took my advice of renting an apartment. Cheaper and so much more comfortable than a hotel.

We went once, years back, probably 1990s, so you've whetted my appetite for another visit.

[Lavanda]

Yes, thanks Wicksey. Your advice was spot on.

[olive]

Good, interesting account. We took a friend to Ronda recently and we stayed in an apartment rather than a hotel.We are taking the same person next week to either the Alpujarras or Cordoba

[Wicksey]

I like the crack about the Americans and their sightseeing schedules!

We were in St Mark's Square the other week in Venice and overheard an American saying "I can't believe I'm in St Peter's Square"

[Lavanda]

[olive]

Yes, they were probably in Paris doing France that morning before Italy in the afternoon!