It is appropriate that this is my 1000th review…read more A total blast. They kept us busy for 5 hours between shopping, cooking, learning, eating and the graduation ceremonies. Everyone in the class makes a complete Paella. Each student gets to choose whether they want to make a veggie, seafood or chicken/rabbit paella. The facilities are great. The class size is small, so it requires advanced booking. We shopped for our ingredients at the Mercado Central in Valencia: chicken, rabbit, 3 types of fresh beans, roma tomatoes, periwinkles (sea snails), smoked paprika, saffron, fresh rosemary twig and Bomba rice. We were taught ingredient preparation techniques, frying techniques in the paella pan and how to make a paella in any size pan without the need for a measuring spoon or cup. The chef is involved in every step of the process and coaches each student. The process of getting to add all the ingredients is not fast as each ingredient needs to stay in the paella pan until cooked correctly. The last step was adding the water, not stock. While we waited for the water in our paellas to cook down (30 minutes), we were served a fresh salad and steamed mussels with plenty of wine to wash them down. We returned to our paellas and added the rice and cooked for 25 minutes more. When we heard our rice start to crackle, the dish was complete and we then all joined hands and did the paella dance around the kitchen. The result was a paella that could easily feed 4 people, so expect to get a take-home container. The evening ends with a "graduation ceremony" and they sent us home with a cooking apron, our chef's hat, certificate and a paella tasting spoon. A very memorable evening and a good value considering you get a great meal plus the instruction from a seasoned chef instructor who answers any questions.

I for once, did not want to come here. 50euros for teaching me how to make something that was…read morepretty obvious. It's just like an arroz con pollo but shallower right? God, was I wrong. And I am ecstatic my friends made it happen despite me being a total bitch about it. You just can't make a paella unless someone who knows the deal teaches you step by step and you get to see what magnificent chemistry occurs after each ingredient touches that sizzling huge ass pan. What better way to learn the Paella, with Valencians, in Valencia, in a school that specializes in rice dishes. seriously. There is no way around it. You wanna learn the paella valenciana? got 50 euros to eat up? this is your 4 hour tour. 4 hours??? as we have learned, Spanish are not on time. They do things as they come, whenever they feel like it, so even though we were there at exactly 10am, we didn't start until almost 11. So be sure you don't have any plans for the next 5 hours (cushion). We were offered drinks as we waited, cafe con leche por favor, the way to go. We left to the Central Market with a few stops on the way for some fun facts... smallest building in the world? check. Parrot on top of the market. check. oranges all around the market inside, check. The tour person, Lidia, spoke English. Although needs improvement. I think if you have some extreme foreign language, you may not learn or understand everything you should've been. Half a chicken, half a rabbit, saffron, smoked paprika, various beans and off to the school. The experience is fun and they have their photographer take pictures as you go, they email them to you in 4-5 days... The market ingredients are purchased by the tour guide, you don't need to shell anything more than the 50euros and be left with a ton of ingredients. Get your chef paper hat, an apron to take home and you've been inducted to the paella world. Cute. For every 2 of us there was a pan (for 2). My friend is a vegetarian so they had a separate pan and chef for her, loads of veggie action over there. They got points for accommodating her and it was great. Thank you. Each step is done, the teaching chef makes they're own paella as we go, so we could see what happens. Translated as we go. We cut our own beans, prep our own tomato, it is the entire process were you grasp the concept of paella. Lots of work. Magic in the end. If you like the slight burn on the bottom of the pan, slightly crunchy rice, they cranck up the heat at the end, letting the rice crackle. When you hear that, turn it off. They call the crunchy effect, Socarrat. It is beautiful. While we let the paella take a short siesta, we were offered 2 types of wine (both from Valencia) and a salad to start. Then an appetizer. Needless to saay, we were efull by the time the paellas came to our table. As tradition, you are supposed to eat the paellas straight from the pan. So we dug in and i kid you not, it was one of the best paellas we had. Not too salty. Not too saucy. I can't explain, but it was so damn good we nearly ate all of it. I have to admit this was the highlight of the Valencia part of my trip. I loved it. It probably happened for a reason, so glad that my friends made me do it. I am back in NY and have made 2 paellas 4 days after coming back, oh yea, i bought a paella pan, the heavy duty, semi fancy one. Broke my back bringing it back, but it makes me happy to feed people so it was worth every kilo of it. An excellent experience. Worth the money and the time. A new found love for starch. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Gracias a todos en la escuela.

At the Valencia Arthouse, you are welcome like friends. Margarita, the B&B's owner, actually…read moreensures that you feel good. She gave us many details on the current activities, a real plus. The B & B overlooks a pretty small square: very Spanish, what we were looking for. As its name suggests, its decoration is original and artistic, we would say between Spanish and South American. The rooms are quite comfortable, with a lovely little balcony. We did love the ambiance along with the delicious and hearty breakfasts. The warm atmosphere of the Valencia Arthouse definitely contributed a lot to make us spend a very good stay in Valencia. Monick R

There are three things that make the Valencia Arthouse fantastic. The first is Margarita, the B&B's…read moreowner. Margarita is genuinely a people-person. She loves to chat; she is a smart, creative, interesting person; and she knows the city inside-and-out. When you arrive at the Arthouse, she is waiting for you with drinks, and she takes out a map of the city and spends at least half an hour orienting you. She points out major cultural sites, offers restaurant advice, and tells you how to get around. And she customizes this information - we told her we liked Moroccan food, and she recommended Dukala, which we loved. The second is breakfast. Breakfast at the Art House is an event. Margarita puts out an amazing spread - bread, cheese, crushed tomato, french toast, pancakes, figs, dates, cereal, honey, coffee, tea, juice. It's a decadent, lovely way to start the morning. Breakfast is also served in a stunning room which houses Margarita's art collection (or at least some of it!). It's the kind of room that makes you feel inspired just sitting there. The third is location. The Arthouse is right near the Cathedral, steps to the 95 bus (which transports you to City of Arts and Sciences), steps to Plaza de la Reina and Plaza de los Virgenes. In short, you can walk everywhere if you stay with Margarita. The set up: There are three spacious bedrooms in an apartment on the second floor of the building. One has a private bathroom (this is the one we stayed in) - it's the last room on the right hand side, directly across from the kitchen - and has a comfortable bed, two chairs, and ample storage space. There is a smaller bedroom next door which shares a bathroom with the very large bedroom you see when you first walk in. There's also a communal kitchen at the end of the hallway that has coffee, tea, water, utensils, etc. I think there's another bedroom on the first floor, in what is Margarita's apartment, that also has a private bath. There is free wifi though the connection is definitely better and stronger toward the front of the apartment. I should say, we were there at an unusual time - we were the only guests. And so we had the second floor apartment all to ourselves, which made for a particularly peaceful and easy stay. If you are looking for a really unique experience, check out the Art House. It's not the anonymous experience of staying in a big hotel - it's an intimate, homey experience. I can honestly say that our experience of Valencia was shaped by Margarita's advice and her warmth.

A great place to stay along the beach in Valencia, Spain. All staff very pleasant to engage with…read moreand extremely accommodating without having to ask. Most speak English making communication easy. Recommend 4th floor Executive room with beach view that comes with a complimentary spa. Concierge, reception staff, wait staff, host and hostesses all speak English. Housekeepers kept the room exceptionally clean and would often check-in to see if we had enough coffee, water, etc. Private balconies and terraces.

Absolutely gorgeous property overlooking the city and right on the beach! Las Arenas has a number…read moreof services worth taking advantage of including several pools (one with a diving board), lounge chairs, an outdoor bar, a spa, gym, and an indoor bar and restaurant. They also have an on-site parking garage (priced around 18E a night). The staff was friendly, helpful, and provided great recommendations. The rooms were large, luxurious, and very comfortable. The location was great for a beach getaway as you open right up to a stunning fountain as you head to the beach. There are a number of restaurants all within walking distance and many of the main stops are a quick taxi or drive away. Las Arenas can be expensive, but it is certainly worthwhile in the offseason (we went in early October), where you can still get beach and pool weather, the property is less crowded, and prices are a steal!

We took a private tour with Johan in Janurary of 2022. He was extremely prompt at coordinating our…read morelast minute tour. He picked us up at Plaça de la Verge and drove us to the first stop, Murviedro - Bodega Historica. The drive was very enjoyable and went by quick in a clean, comfortable vehicle. On the drive he was friendly and knolwedgeable communicating in perfect English about Valencia in general and started giving basic background about wine in Spain. The history and touring of the wine caves was interesting, and the wine tasting that followed was amazing with delcious wines and Johan's commentary. We purchased several wine bottles and were given two as gifts to bring home, as well as the glasses we used for tasting. We then took a quick stroll through the old town before contuning on our journey to Bodega Vera de Estenas. Here Johan showed us the grapes and vines in the field, the entire production set up, then more wine tasting. We had a nice drive back to Valencia talking more with Johan and learning about life in Spain. We handed Johan the money, and went on our way. Johan reached out and said we had overpaid (we misunderstood the cost in an email) and met us later that evening to return the overpayment! We would highly recommend this tour with Johan. His knowledge and the amazing wine was the highlight of our trip. Click on this link for more information on Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/AttractionProductReview-g187529-d20783473-Private_Morning_Wine_and_Winery_Tour_and_Tasting_from_Valencia-Valencia_Province_o.html

Our little group had a great time learning about three Spanish wines from Johan. Our family of four…read morewas joined by two tourists from Sweden for this English tasting in the Cava Siglos space. Johan was happy to answer all our questions from random Valencia facts, the differences in wine regions, and even how Cava is made. In fact, we learned so much from our time with him that we were able to understand some of an all spoken in Spanish winery tour we took a few days later! I would definitely recommend you snap up Johan for your time in Valencia if you're into wine.

I've been here for a wedding, amazing location in the middle of the countryside but few minutes…read moreaway from Valencia, very easy to reach. Food and wine was delicious.

Excellent surprise, very unexpected! My original dinner plans went south so we decided to roll the…read moredice. I reservations needed and plenty of seating . For the beach lovers outside seating is awesome with ceiling fans, we opted for inside which has a view of the beach . Waiters are bilingual and can assist with recommendations if needed. Meal was not fast but, that's European so sit back and enjoy. One appetizer was phenomenal and the other left much to be desired. From the pictures you can guess the good one ( scallop....) duck was very tasty. Steak was very delicious and monkfish/ shrimp was a winner. Next time we come to Valencia I anticipate this restaurant will get a return from me and my brood of weary travelers

Great view and setting, the service was good, but the Lobster Paella was Awesome highly recommended.read more

Went for lunch just before the 2pm rush. Beautiful table with a beautiful view and really nice…read moreservers who were quite attentive and friendly. ...and yes am a tourist. It was the food I found underwhelming. I had the shrimp in garlic oil followed by the sea bass with veg. Shrimp was cooked fine but garlic oil/sauce has been superior elsewhere. Almost watery? Sea bass tasted fishy - unlike other seabass I have had on the trip. Vegetables were nicely done. Recommend other than these two dishes. Patrons were mostly local and were very happy with their food. I saw a lot of paella coming out. If you get there about 1:45 for lunch they will have time to be patient with you as a newbie/tourist. It's worth a try but don't order what I did.

Very delicious seafood, right in the water in Valencia. My friends and I were visiting from…read moreBarcelona for the weekend and were able to stop in for drinks at Panorama before going to eat here. Highly recommend the grilled Seabass, Rabbit Paela, and Calamari. All were amazing and it was my first time trying Rabbit.