jo-ann

Hi Can anyone recommend any hotels in Caceres where dogs are welcome, hoping to go for a short break soon. Also any good restaurants and things to do and see would be great. Thanks.

brisca

Hi jo-ann,

I was just about to go to bed, when I saw this post.......................we live about an hour away from Caceres!

I'm not actually aware of anywhere to stay with dogs, but I'll see what I can find out if you can bear with me a bit.
As it's so late now, the old brain cells aren't really working too well

I've just seen your dogs' photos - they're very gorgeous

Where are you travelling from?
Have you been to Extremadura before? (It's a great place)

I promise I'll look for some info, and ask a friend who knows Caceres really well, and I'll get back to you ASAP.

Take care,
Sam.

jo-ann

Hi Sam

Thanks for that, It will be our first trip to Extramadura and we will be coming up from Conil on the CDL, I have been searching around on the internet and so far only found the Sercotel which is OK but a bit modern or Caceres Golf which is outside of Caceres and we would really like to be in the town. Looking forward to hearing from you. Jo-ann

brisca

Hi jo-ann,

Sorry I haven't got back to you before now

I haven't got any revelations for you just yet, I'm afraid!
My friend is poorly at the moment, so I haven't been able to quiz her.
However, I will hopefully be seeing her on Friday, so I can ask her for any tips then (unless your trip is imminent, of course!?)

I found this review of the Hotel Golf, which will probably help to make your mind up once and for all
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...tremadura.html

It seems that its location isn't the only problem!

I'm sure you've probably Googled for info (which is all I'm doing) but I don't know whether you've seen any of these hotels?
http://www.travelrepublic.co.uk/Acco...bility.aspx?qs
OOPs! That link is playing up! Please see my next post. Sorry!

I don't know how you feel about the prices!?
The only hotel I know a bit about, is the "Extremadura."
I haven't been inside, but it is only a 5 minute stroll to the main paseo area - although a bit further than that to the old town (about 15 minutes)
The hotel is situated on a pretty busy road - but then again ALL the roads in Caceres are very busy traffic wise (be prepared!)
We live in a tiny village with very little traffic in the local area - and it's always a shock to the system going to "the capital!"
However, depending what volume of traffic you experience where you live, you might not be bothered about it at all??

Anyway, I notice that the "Extremadura" and the "Barcelo V Centenario" do allow dogs - but only up to 5kg

Ah, have just found this page!
http://www.travel-library.com/hotels...spain/caceres/
There are a lot more hotels (and with more reasonable price ranges, I should imagine!) on this site.
I haven't looked at any of the hotels' details - but if you find one you like the sound of, then let me know and I'll see if I can find out anything about it for you.

Actually, I did just pick a hotel at random - the Hotel Iberia in the Plaza Mayor - and had a very quick look at their website.
They do take dogs..............and no weight limit.

Although these are review pages, not all the hotels have received reviews. However, at least it gives you a direct link to each hotel's website, so it's a starting place for you.

I would say that traffic wise, the Plaza Mayor would be a quieter place for traffic than, for example, where the "Extremadura" is situated.
However, this could be partly because, although traffic is allowed into the Plaza Mayor, it's a one way system....................and we've never managed to find our way into it yet!!
I expect each hotel will have relevant information about parking availabilty and options. Be aware that you may have to pay to park. On street parking doesn't seem terribly expensive though.
Also be aware that many Plaza Mayors prevent vehicular access on weekends, so it would be worth asking the hotel about that.

The old town and Plaza Mayor have a lovely atmosphere
There's also the main paseo avenue to stroll down, that runs right through the middle of Caceres main town. It's all laid to trees, with huge wide promenades and loads of pavement cafes. Perfect for sitting and watching the world go by!
We haven't really explored the area very much at all yet, but we did find that the pavement cafe that is situated on the bandstand (easy to spot ) was very reasonably priced for raciones and bocadillos.

Again, we don't really know much about sights to see - but the Tourist Information place is right in the Plaza Mayor, and basically it's just a case of wandering in and out of all the old palaces and churches, and seeing what takes your fancy.
We stumbled across an excellent 3D film telling the history of Caceres - and the nice man even played it in English for us, seeing as we were the only people there
There was also another excellent exhibition of customs, costumes, fiestas, scenery, musical tradition and so on, exploring all the different areas of Extremadura. It was brilliant..............and free! (As was the 3D film)
You can get lost in all the little streets, but that's all part of the fun!

Personally, I don't think the shops in the main walkway are up to much - very expensive clothes, tourist T shirts and regional delicacies - and that's about it.
There is a great range of supermarkets and hypermarkets, although the majority are just on the outskirts of the city.
There is even a Macdonalds and a Pizza Hut, if that takes your fancy

There is a cinema and a theatre.............but the best bits are the old town and the people watching opportunities

I hope that's been a bit of a help?
Feel free to ask anything you like, and I'll attempt to answer or find out for you.

All good wishes,
from Sam.

brisca

PS Oops!!

Sorry jo-ann, I forgot to check that the links worked OK before submitting the post. Duh!

Anyway, the first and third sites work, but make sure you scroll down a bit, otherwise you won't immediately see what I'm referring to.

The second website actually goes to a homepage, where the Caceres option now seems to have disappeared into cyberspace so try clicking HERE


Good luck!

Sam.

jo-ann

Hi Sam
Thanks for all of that info, the Iberia hotel sounds quite interesting, our dogs are 7 and 14 kg so that will rule out the other 2 hotels. Traffic wise should not be to much of a problem, if we can find our way in and out of Chiclana, and Cadiz, we should be OK anywhere. We are hoping to go 4th Oct for 4 days but we are waiting on friends to see what they can do. So I will now go and have a proper look at all of the links. Many thanks. Jo-ann

XTreme

Hey Sam....can you PM me your number again cos I can't find it! Bloody lost it somewhere!

People are now wondering what's going on......well I'm not telling you!

jdr

Tupperware party ?????

brisca

You never know jdr..............could be something far more "bonding" than that!!

jdr

Stick with him then, you never know where it may goo.

jo-ann

Hi Sam. Just to let you know that we have booked with the Iberia Plaza America Hotel, it was certainly the best one for us and no problems with the dogs. Thanks so much for helping us with that. Can you recommend any really good restaurants in Caceres? and places to visit?
Jo-ann

brisca

Hi jo-ann,
Really glad to hear that you've found somewhere nice to book, and that the dogs are going to be welcome
I was glad to help, but I'm afraid I can't really add any more to my original post, regarding places to eat or visit.
I'm just re-posting that part again, so you might like to re-read it??

The old town and Plaza Mayor have a lovely atmosphere
There's also the main paseo avenue to stroll down, that runs right through the middle of Caceres main town. It's all laid to trees, with huge wide promenades and loads of pavement cafes. Perfect for sitting and watching the world go by!
We haven't really explored the area very much at all yet, but we did find that the pavement cafe that is situated on the bandstand (easy to spot ) was very reasonably priced for raciones and bocadillos.

Again, we don't really know much about sights to see - but the Tourist Information place is right in the Plaza Mayor, and basically it's just a case of wandering in and out of all the old palaces and churches, and seeing what takes your fancy.
We stumbled across an excellent 3D film telling the history of Caceres - and the nice man even played it in English for us, seeing as we were the only people there
There was also another excellent exhibition of customs, costumes, fiestas, scenery, musical tradition and so on, exploring all the different areas of Extremadura. It was brilliant..............and free! (As was the 3D film)
You can get lost in all the little streets, but that's all part of the fun!

Personally, I don't think the shops in the main walkway are up to much - very expensive clothes, tourist T shirts and regional delicacies - and that's about it.
There is a great range of supermarkets and hypermarkets, although the majority are just on the outskirts of the city.
There is even a Macdonalds and a Pizza Hut, if that takes your fancy

There is a cinema and a theatre.............but the best bits are the old town and the people watching opportunities.


Sorry I can't be any more help.
A friend told me today that she ate a really nice meal in an "All you can eat" Chinese buffet, which cost her 7.75 Euros (drinks extra)
If you come across Burger King and the Social Security building (which are to the left as you walk down the main avenida/park type strolling area) then it sounded like the Chinese place was down a side road nearby.
I realise that's a bit vague, but I've only been to Caceres about 3 times, and only to go to specific places - so I don't really know it much better than you will!
Still, that's part of the fun isn't it? It's great just exploring and seeing what you can find

I hope you have a lovely time.
It would be nice to hear about your trip and what you thought of the area, if you feel like sharing?

Have fun!
Buen viaje

Sam.

jo-ann

Hi Sam - Just thought I would let you know about our trip, we booked into the Iberia Hotel near the Plaza America for 3 nights, no problems with the dogs and OH was happy as they had a garage for the car. Tom Tom managed to find the hotel but sent us the wrong way down a one way street, still thats life. We loved Caceres and it seemed like most of the people there loved our dogs, the number of people that stopped to look at them was amazing, we never get that here in Conil. The old town is fantastic, great for walking around and lovely to just sit in the Plaza Mayor and people watch. We found some super restaurants, a bit pricey but well worth it, it was nice to sample some different food. I can recommend the Altrio and Oquendo and another restaurant El Figon de ....... cant remember the name off hand but it is just behind the plaza St Juan near the Melia hotel. When you are next there give them a try. Thanks once again for your help. Joan

brisca

Hi there Joan

Well, would you believe it, I was thinking about you all day yesterday (Monday) as I was visiting Caceres myself!
I was showing my Mum some of the sights in the old part of the city, and we had lunch with a Spanish friend as well (sitting outside in the Plaza Mayor)
Whilst Mum and I were looking around the church (co-cathedral) of Santa Maria, I was saying "wouldn't it be funny if the people from the Expats forum were here as well!?"
There was a woman who looked like she might be British, so I was going to ask her if she was you..............but I chickened out in the end!

Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that you had a good time, and that you liked Caceres.
I'm glad your dogs were so popular too
Have you got a photo of them that you could put on here, maybe?
Did you like the Iberia Hotel? I know you said it was good for the dogs, and that it has a garage - but was it the sort of place you'd recommend, or stay in again?
Did you have breakfast there?

Thank you for the restaurant recommendations; I'll look forward to giving them a try
I don't do pricey mind you Yesterday's 3 course meal was 9 Euros a head!

Was there any particular reason you wanted to visit Caceres?
I added my vote yesterday, for it to become the European city of culture in 2016

You'll have to forgive my geographical ignorance, but where is Conil? Hope you had a good journey home?
I've not long got back from taking my Mum to the airport in Madrid today
I'm just waiting to hear that she's safely home in Wales.

Thank you for the update; and I'm really pleased that you enjoyed yourselves
All good wishes to you,
from Sam.

jo-ann

Hi Sam, We left on Sunday morning, we had 3 nights in the Hotel, the hotel itself was very pleasant, not noisy, the breakfast was included and was the normal, rolls , ham,mermelada, etc. It was perfectly OK for a short stay, no problems. The staff were very pleasant there, so I would have no problems recommending it. Conil is in the Costa de la Luz between Vejer and Chiclana, about 4 hours or so away, except on the drive up on Thursday the road works on the new autovia were horrific, around an hour with very little movement so it took us about 5 1/2 hours. No problems at all returning on Sunday. We were interested in visiting Caceres because last year when the tall ships were in Cadiz they had an exhibition about Caceres and it just looked so interesting, I love all of the old buildings and took loads of photo's which I hope I can use at our water colour painting class. I did do a few sketches while sitting in the Plaza Mayor. I have put photo's of my dogs on here when they had voting for the best dog, I was too late to enter the vote but their pictures are on that topic under Siesta Time.
Lovely and sunny here today but expect the Levante later, looks like we have that for all of this week.
Bye for now
Joan