Cadiz: tapas bars, hotel and photos
by Ben Curtis
Cadiz: surrounded by sea, a city of faded glory conjuring ideas of pirates, bustling streets full of 18th Century traders, and secret assignations in hidden rooms at the top of crumbling staircases. There are kids on scooters with no helmets, white-washed roof tops straight from Morocco, and a regional accent so thick it almost gets stuck on the locals’ palate.
As promised in our Cadiz podcast, we have now uploaded photos of Cadiz, as well as a video blog over at Notesinspanish.com
Tapas Bars in Cadiz: Cumbres Mayors
Terracotta stone floors, wooded ceilings, and legs of ham hanging all over the walls, this is one of the finest tapas bars I have every visited in Spain. As soon as you step through the door a barman finds you a spot at the bar and presents you with a plate of crushed olives while you decide what to eat.
The best thing about eating out in this part of Spain is that you don’t have to buy a huge plate of any one thing. Portions come as Tapas (a small plate), Media Raciones (half a plate), and Raciones (a full plate). So by choosing several Tapas at the ridiculously low price of 1.50 Euros each, you get to try a bit of everything - in our a case fillet of pork with Roquefort sauce and mini roast potatoes, smoked salmon rolled around salmon pate, and Tocino… (more on the last one soon!) A near empty glass promted a ‘No me gusta ver a la gente seca‘ (I hate to see people dry) from the waiter, who quickly refilled our glasses. Heaven.
Cumbres Mayores is at Calle Zorrilla 4, just off the Plaza de Mina (Map)
A good Cadiz Hotel
We stayed in, and highly recommend, the Hotel Las Cortes de Cadiz (Details and Map). A very clean, very friendly 3 star establishment right in the heart of the old town, where each room is named after a famous politician. Internet connectivity in the rooms is excellent if you come with a laptop. Parking however is a bit of a nightmare - speak to the hotel first about getting a place in, and finding, their garage.
Posted: May 15th, 2007 under Spain Travel.
Comments: 6
Comments
Pingback from Cadiz - Notes from Spain podcast 58 - Notes from Spain: Travel, Living in Spain, Podcasts, Forum and Photos
Time: May 15, 2007, 10:26 am
[...] by Ben Curtis Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download It’s been a while since the last Notes from Spain podcast, and Marina and I have spent the last few days in Andalusia remedying that, preparing some great podcasts for the coming weeks. First up is a real Notes from Spain chat in the style of the very first podcasts - and it’s hot off the press, recorded half an hour ago beneath the palms in a warm lively plaza in the heart of old Cadiz. We have also uploaded photos, and Cadiz tapas bar and hotel recommendations. [...]
Comment from Theresa
Time: May 15, 2007, 4:28 pm
You say parking is a nightmare, but where is parking not a nightmare in Spain? This may be the reason for the parking “de oído” phenomenon. Other than that, Cadiz looks like a lovely place to visit.
Comment from Theresa
Time: May 15, 2007, 5:02 pm
Just listened to your podcast. Ozú! Quillo, que bien habla andalú!
Comment from Jon Hundt
Time: May 15, 2007, 6:46 pm
I went to Cadiz three times in 1974. The things I remember are:
seeing Planet of the Apes in Spanish
our hotel room had four different kinds of AC wall sockets (though some of them may have been DC)
Your photos make me want to go back and see some more, maybe I missed something since I was only 19 and not very clever…
Comment from suze Jans
Time: May 22, 2007, 11:09 pm
I have been to Cadiz twice, last time was May last year. And each time the thing I remember most is the food… I also really like the small local beach in town full of spanish families enjoying their day out.
Desfrutaba las photos y el videoblog de vosotros. Soy envideo de la viaje de vosotros !
Pingback from Tocino Iberico - Tapas of the week - Notes from Spain: Travel, Living in Spain, Podcasts, Forum and Photos
Time: May 24, 2007, 7:29 pm
[...] Tocino Iberico, however, the delicate fat that warms the legs of Iberian pigs as they forage for acorns in cork forests, is in a league of its own. The photo above was taken in the wonderful Cumbres Mayores tapas bar in Cadiz, where these inconceivably thin slices of tocino were warmed slightly in the oven and served on curled up bread sticks. The tocino literally melted on the tounge, a smokey, acorney, subtle delight. [...]
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