During an excursion to Guadalest from our cruise, we were taken on a scenic drive from Alicante to…read morethe beautiful mountains. Guadalest was a highlight of our visit to Spain and would love to come back to see more of this neat town at our own pace. Guadalest is not wheelchair accessible due to the climbing steps, so be prepared to be physically active during your stay. There are plenty of shops in the town with local vendors and it didn't feel overly crowded during our quick stop. Enjoy the 360 views of the sweeping mountain tops as you walk around the village. Guadalest is truly a wonderful place to see in Spain and I highly recommend going!

Guadalest is a very small village of half-hour drive from Alicante. The whole village can be…read morevisited in 20 minutes. It's full of tourists who probably have come from the beaches close to here. In this beautiful village that is located on top of a little mountain, you can walk and enjoy the breathtaking views on every side, or sit down at a bar and have a drink - which is very reasonably priced. The green/blue marsh (Pantano in Spanish) that is covered by a yellow/white mountain range is probably the greatest attraction of Guadalest. However, if you wish to spend more time, you can visit one of the few museums around the village. There's one that is a traditional house. The entrance for this one is free, but photography is not allowed.

This is one gorgeous museum, inside AND out- and the people here are so friendly and helpful. We…read moregot here only 50 minutes before closing, so we had to see it fast, but we would not have missed it for the world. First, the exterior is amazing. Then the interior! Glass and crystal chandeliers. Gorgeous period rooms (carriages on the first floor!) Fabulous paintings- both framed and on the ceilings. Tiles, Vases, Mantel Clocks, Statues, kitchen ware- you name it, you will see it here. If you are familiar with the Decorative Arts Museum and the Romanticismo museum- this is like a combination of those two Madrid museums. It's 5 euros, but free if you have the National Museum Cards for Spain- which can be bought at many of the National Museums of Spain, and which we found to be a good deal, since we love museums. You can take pictures here- but NO flash. We were so happy to be able to take some pictures away to help us remember our experience.

Don't miss this absolutely amazing palace/ceramics museum. What's great about the Museum is that…read morethe price of admission includes a free fifty-minute guided tour in one of many languages - Francesco was our tour guide, and he was fantastic at contextualizing the building, and walking us through the important pieces in the collection. And make time to wonder at the beauty of the building's exterior.

You should visit even if you are not really interested in dolls (I'm really not)…read more BUT... I love exploring the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, the 90s etc. and Museo de la Muñeca is a great place to do so. Dolls manufacturing is what the town of Onil is known for. The Nancy doll history goes back to 1968 - right, 50th anniversary this year! Her numerous versions that were in manufacturing over the last 50 years can be seen here: different fashion styles, various countries' and Spanish regional versions, black, white, Arabic, Asian you name it! They also have old molds, tools and machines on display here. AND... Kings are cooler than Santa :) I love the Reyes Magos (The Three Magi) holiday. As you probably know in the future all holidays will be celebrated non-stop all year round. The town of Onil is in line with the trend. The preparations start long before January, when the holiday is celebrated. The kings are already hanging out here (October!). Museo de la Muñeca offered a room to stay. The kings bedroom (probably the only one in the world) can be found here - three beds and three chests to drop a letter to Melchor, Gaspar or Baltasar. The most famous Parade of the Reyes in Spain will take place in Alcoi, a town nearby, in January: https://yelp.to/qTKq/kY3W9GqR2Q I visited last time but, shame, didn't review. First thing to do on Yelp in 2019! ALSO... There are lots of Playmobil toys (a German toys manufacturer) on display in the museum. I guess they have an agreement with Playmobil or does Playmobil own them now? I didn't ask. If you are a fan of Playmobil (there are many of them on Instagram) you will probably find the Playmobil exposition entertaining. All that from an adult's point of view, no doubt kids will enjoy the visit a lot more! If any of the things I mentioned sounds like fun why not go visit? P.S. Entrance is free. Honoured to review this place first (aka FTR) :)

I was surprised to discover well after Jamie W and I came here that this massive complex was built…read morearound the turn of the millennium. Given the retro vibe of the swooping, skeletal design of the entire layout, I would've guessed it was designed in the middle of the 20th century when the Jetsons ruled the Saturday morning airwaves. Designed by local architect Santiago Calatrava, it was actually built over a 13-year period between 1996 and 2009. We knew the City of Arts & Sciences was a must-visit in Valencia, and we took a local bus to disembark at the most visited component, L'Oceanogràfic (Photo 7). It's Europe's largest aquarium, and by far, we spent most of our time here (review: https://yelp.to/WiK7NyEDnr). Our experience with the other key structures basically consisted of strolling the expansive grounds and appreciating the sophistication of Calatrava's organic design. We walked the length of the science museum, Museu de les Ciències (Photo 2) which was followed by a look at the eye-shaped L'Hemisfèric, which houses a planetarium and an IMAX theatre (Photo 3). On the opposite side of the reflecting pool was El Umbracle, an elevated open-air garden (Photo 10). We ended our urban hike at the striking opera house, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Photo 9). One man's unique vision of Valancia's future. RELATED - Exploring Valencia? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/LLaHiolznn

Beautiful architecture. Worth visiting for this alone. I happened to be visiting during a Leonardo…read moreDaVinci exhibit. Just incredible the breadth and depth they went into. Very informative. I really appreciate the cleanliness of the building, the attention to detail within each exhibit, and most notably, the interactive experiences. Each exhibit I visited had multiple interactive opportunities to help engage the audience. Great way to capture the attention of young and old alike; not just walking through looking and reading copious amounts of explanations on the art presented. One star off because some of the exhibits felt disjointed between one another, signage could be better.