RSS
It requires a certain amount of bravado to vie with the Westin and the Palau de la Mar for the title of Valencia’s prettiest (and priciest) hotel — especially when you’ve only got three rooms. But then showing off is Vicente Gracia’s business. Having established himself among the most exclusive jewelers in town, he’s now opened La Casa Azul, converted from a tiny 19th century townhouse that was once a cod-fish shop. The jewel-box lodging is set out with one guestroom per floor, each individually conceived by a different designer — the antique baroque room, Los Borgia, gets my vote — and capped with a rooftop terrace that may just boast the best views in Valencia. That’s because it peers about 10 meters across from the Mercado Central, Spain’s most exquisite food hall. More of a conceptual nexus than a conventional hotel, Casa Azul greets guests with a ground-floor wine shop in place of a reception desk (they produce their own label). And with no restaurant to speak of, the staff encourages you to simply handpick whatever you fancy from the mercado next door. The hotel will then arrange for the adjacent café to whip you up something nice from the ingredients — and no, that’s not included in the $340 room rate.
 del.icio.us |
 digg |
 facebook |
 reddit |
 yahoo buzz |
 stumbleupon |
