Apartments in Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Rome, and Marbella

Reopening of the Prado Museum's Central Gallery

The Prado Museum is one of the most famous and impressive in the world. Please do not hesitate to go when visiting Madrid with Habitat Apartments.

On July 18, 2011, the Prado Museum reopened its central gallery, the most symbolic and the most representative part of the gallery in Madrid. There was a rearrangement of the works of this main gallery.

The gallery offers the visitor the option of doing a tour of European art through 59 works by artists such such as Tiziano, Rubens, Velazquez and El Greco. This space is home to some Italian and Flemish masters: Tiziano, Tintoretto and Veronés, who influenced Spanish painters in their works (Velázquez, Rubens and Van Dyck).

The renovation began in 2009 and has led to the recovery of 25 new rooms for exhibition use, leaving eleven more to renovate on the second floor. With the addition of these rooms, to date, the Museum's permanent collection has increased by more than 300 works.

The works found now in the Prado owe their origin to the hobby art collectors during the ruling dynasties over the centuries. The art reflects the personal tastes of the Spanish kings, their network of alliances and their enmities policies. Most works are from the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Carlos III was the man who ordered the building to be erected. He favored the architect Juan de Villanueva and in 1786 a building that was intended to be devoted to science was begun. However, later, Charles III's grandson, Ferdinand VII, was inspired by his wife Isabel to transform the project into a museum of art. The inauguration of this fantastic musem was in 1819. At its inception, it housed the royal art collection pieces. Gradually though, it expanded to other collections as well.

The most important part of this museum is the Spanish painting section that consists of 4900 works of the great masters: Velázquez (Las Meninas), Goya (Tres de Mayo), Zurbarán, Murillo and Eduardo Rosales. The Prado houses the best collections of their works that exist worldwide. In addition to Spanish paintings, we must also recognize the contribution to the museum of paintings from other countries in Europe including Italy (Tiziano), Belgium (van Dyck), Holand (Rembrandt), France (Poussin), etc.

The Prado Museum is located in the Paseo del Prado in Madrid.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday: 9am-8pm

Price: 8€. Reduced Rate: 4€

Plans to visit Amsterdam with Habitat Apartments? If so, when you reach the airport, visit the newest area. Here we'll tell you a bit about it:

Last May, the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport opened the first "park" airport in the world. The new area is "like a city park, with quiet, green places to eat."

One of the most boring part of a trip is having to spend long periods of time in the airport waiting area, especially if we consider those days when we see the dreaded words "Canceled" or "Delayed" pop up on the screen. Generally the airport environment is not particularly pleasant and relaxing, which sometimes causes tension and discomfort.

Therefore, the Dutch authorities have decided to remedy this and have devised ways to relax when you're in the airport waiting for your flight!

Now, waiting for hours to leave on a plane at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam will not be so tedious. They have created a space where the atmosphere is really relaxed and friendly. This park was the first semi-virtual world in which the traveler feels he is in a natural environment, it is a "green zone" within their facilities. As a center-piece, there is the trunk of a tree 130 years old with flowers and plants, visual displays of greenery, and authentic nature sounds. Now the transit passengers can enjoy this area, located in the Lounge I on the boarding area D of this airport.

In this space you can also find a kiosk and a café with organic products. Light is provided by LED lamps that can power themselves when users pedal the stationary bikes, this technology can also allow travelers to at the same time recharge their phones if they are in this area.

Barcelona accentuates the terraces of its hotels with live music performances accompanied by good cuisine.

More and more often hotels are using the roofs of their buildings to breathe life into the summer nights of Barcelona. These terraces offer not only the services of a bar-restaurant, but now they are expanding their repertoire by organizing fun-filled evenings with live music concerts as you enjoy spectacular views of Barcelona.

Cocktails, varied cuisines and live music for all tastes: Jazz, Bossanova, funk, chill, etc, are enjoyed year after year, on the terraces of many hotels in Barcelona which, little by little have been finding their place among the many summer inhabitants. 

Regarding the environment of these terraces, note that you can view some of the most important monuments of the city as they often light up in the evenings. They seem to come alive, making for an inspiring moment, full of magic and wonder.

Here we detail a list of some of the terraces of the most charming hotels in Barcelona:

-    Hotel Duques de Cardona- "Brisa de Mar” or "Sea Breeze" terrace: Live music on Wednesdays and Fridays.
-    Hotel Condes de Barcelona- "Alaire Terrace Bar": considered a privileged landscape of Modernist Barcelona with silhouettes of La Pedrera in the foreground and the Sagrada Familia. Wednesdays: Möet Nights.
-    Hotel Majestic- "Dolce Vita" or "Sweet Life" terrace: Bar has a fantastic Japanese food
-    Hotel W-  "Terraza Wet" or "Wet Deck" terrace:  Terrace on the ground floor with views of Barcelona beaches that are priceless. Highlights: the "Sundays of Copacabana." A proposal in the style of Rio.
-    Hotel Barcelo Raval terrace:  quiet and with background music (not live)
-    Casa Fuster- "Café Vienés Jazz Club" terrace: a space that brings together the best jazz players in the national and international music scene
-    Terraza del Hotel Silken Diagonal:  Live music Thursday through Sunday
-    Hotel Arts- "Arola" terrace:  live music on Thursdays at 10:30pm
-    Hotel Pulitzer- “Visit Up” terrace.
 

If you are planning to spend your holidays in Barcelona, please visit one of the terraces!  And in case you need an accommodation for those days, we recommend one of the apartments in Barcelona with Habitat Apartments. They are located near areas of interest in the city and many of them near one of the terraces we've recommended.

What to do during your stay with Habitat apartments in one of our  apartments in Barcelona located  close to the beach area?

Along the beaches of Barcelona, there are at least a dozen beach bars known as "chiringuitos." These establishments in the sand on the beach are open all day. They are perfect to relax and enjoy a cold beer or a bowl of fruit during the daytime hours of strong heat. And at night they are perfect to hear the best music and enjoy a good mojito or summer cocktail. Every day of the week both locals and tourists mingle for a good time in the bars and terraces of Barcelona.

You can rent comfortable beach chairs by the sea to enjoy magnificent views and an unforgettable afternoon sunset. Later, the crowd you’ve been tanning in the sun with will start to dissipate and at nightfall some new crowd decides to enjoy the nighttime shoreline.
Most come to hear a local DJ or regular band at the chiringuitos. In these places, the price of drinks increases by about one euro. The cost of beer is about € 3.00 and the glasses vary depending on the chiringuito. However, not all the bars have live music every night, but most weekends, holidays or special occasions, there is lively music. And you can find different rates in different bars that make people excited and want to start dancing in the sand.

Some people enjoy sitting in the sand on bamboo mats, or simply stopping to listen to the waves or chatting quietly with friends. Many of the bars put lights up so that, on a hot summer night, people can go swimming and take a dip. Many people enjoy “la clara” (beer and lemon soda) with a “bikini” sandwich (ham and cheese) at the bar. On the other hand, if you want lunch or dinner, you can also enjoy fantastic and varied seafood dishes or a simple “bocadillo” (sandwich). Most bars are open until 12:00am on weekdays and 2:00am on weekends.

Each bar has different music, there is less music during the day, but at night make sure you know you’re musical preference before choosing a chiringuito. You may have to walk along the beach to find the one that best suits your taste and your mood. Thursdays and Sundays are great and ideal for meeting people, but that does not mean that you won’t randomly run into someone interesting any day of the week.

Here we recommend some ofthe most famous chiringuitos in Barcelona:

Chiringuito Las Vegas : Barceloneta, San Sebastián Beach

Bogatell Beach : Poble Nou, Avinguda Litoral

Xiringuito Escribà :Vila Olímpica, Litoral Mar, 42

Can Costa: Barceloneta, Passeig Joan de Borbó, 70

Mochima Bar: Poble Nou, Marbella Beach

Princesa Beach Bar: Ciutadella-Vila Olimpica L4

Inercia y Cacao Beach.

Mac Arena Mar Beach Club: Beach Port Forum, Sant Adria de Besos

Are you going to spend your holidays in Puerto Banus- Marbella with Habitat apartments? In that case, you will most likely need to know something about typical Marbella dishes as to enjoy the culture and customs of this city.  Take note about our recommendations:

Eating well in Marbella can get a bit expensive. But not everything in the area of Marbella is upscale restaurants and luxury hotels. The authentic “Chiringuitos” (beach bars) provide a great alternative. Marbella chiringuitos overlook the sea and allow groups to have lunch in an informal manner and without the excessive prices that are common from upscale establishments.

In these more casual restaurants, you can also spot famous and beautiful people who want to be in a relaxed atmosphere and eat  popular & typical“tapas” in the area.

Its cuisine is closely linked to the sea, so fish is the basis the typical dishes. “Pescaíto frito,” or fried fish is a star dish of many beach bars and the most sought after by both locals and visitors. Especially tasty are anchovies and sardines. Another traditional food is gazpacho. Typically in Andalusia, they highlight the “ajoblanco” (white garlic variety of gazpacho), which is made the same way but substitutes the tomato with almonds. Other typical dishes of the area are arroces, or rice dishes (all varieties), paella,  jamón serrano (ham), tapas, coquinas (clams) y las ensaladas (salads) seasoned with good olive oil.

The boquerones (anchovies) and espetos de sardinas (skewered sardines) are famous here and very rich, a classic delight for many diners. With your meal, enjoy a good glass of wine with a sweet dessert & make for a perfect afternoon or evening. The vino (wine) of the area is "Denominación de Origen Málaga" ( produced in Malaga) , and is especially sweet for dessert.

Don't forget to try and enjoy new tastes during your stay in this beautiful city!!!

In case you need to find  confortable accommodation don't hesitate to contact us at Habitat apartments. We can offer the best stay for your holidays in our holiday apartments in Puerto Banus.