Guys Weekend - OBCB

Valencia

Preface:

As big football/soccer fans, we try to visit a big game abroad every year for our guys weekend. This is always an important game with most of the time a lot of history between the clubs. For example, games such as derbies or the games that concern the top position or relegation. These matches are most of the time really important for the city and you can see and feel the atmosphere in the entire city throughout the weekend. We also like to see many different stadiums, so we try to visit games of different clubs. This year Valencia – Barcelona (con Messi y Frenkie) in Stadio Mestalla.

When and how long

24^th – 27^th of January 2020

How many persons

5

Where did we book

KLM and Airbnb

How much

€175,- for the flights (Transavia and return KLM), €36,80 for the apartment and €175,- per person for the ticket for the game. Besides this we spend about €400,- per person in the entire weekend.

Hotel

14. Lonja V Duplex centro

This apartment is no longer online on Airbnb, but it can still be booked through like appartments.

The apartment is very conveniently located in the old town and there is enough space for 5 people. There are 2 bathrooms, which is handy. You do not have to expect luxury with this apartment. We only use it for sleeping (and a drunken pillow fight, but otherwise we have hardly been there). What was also handy is that we could just park our bicycles inside the apartment at night.

Flights

Transavia and KLM

Activities

Football match Valencia – Barcelona. We have arranged tickets through Passion Events. At Passion Events you pay (a little) more for a ticket, but we know that they are reliable and that they arrange the best possible seats for you. On Saturday January 25th MATCHDAY! We went to have brunch at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and then walked a d-tour through the city towards Stadio Mestalla. Like I mentioned, we like to taste the atmosphere in town before an important game. The match started at 4:00 PM and we arrived at the stadium around 3:00 PM. We had a beer there next to the stadium before climbing the steep steps towards our section. Arriving at the roof of the stadium, we found ourselves among several Dutch people, most of whom were fans of Barcelona and especially Frenkie de Jong. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing game for the fans of Barcelona and Frenkie de Jong, as Valencia won 2-1. Nice for the local fans who had a big party outside the stadium after the game.

We also rented a bike and cycled to the beach. Of course, we Dutch like nothing better than renting a bicycle in a city and cycling everywhere. You can just have a drink (We Dutch can do that like no other), you have no hassle with parking and you can easily get everywhere. In Valencia you have many good bicycle lanes and you can cycle all the way to the beach via the park. And along the way you will come across a number of beautiful museums and other buildings.

Restaurants

Usually with a guys weekend we figure out in advance of all the things we can do in the city. But we don’t really do that with restaurants. We just like to stroll through the city and see where we end up. Here is a brief overview of the restaurants where we ended up.

Cafe infanta. On the first night we took the first drinks here and had something to eat. They have a nice terrace and the tapas, cold beers and red wine were fine.

Placa del Reina. On this square you have several cafes and restaurants. Not high quality at all, pretty touristic and you have to wait a bit long for the service, but the terraces are nice very comfortable. Nice little square and easy to meet up if you split up with the group.

Restaurant Bacco. This was the wrong choice of restaurant. Why would you eat in an Italian restaurant when you are in Spain anyway? But it was on a Saturday night after the game and a lot of restaurants were already full. And then a table for 5 is difficult to get. So we went here for dinner. But this is a big no no.

El Rall restaurant. This is one of those restaurants on a little square that you suddenly encounter in a Spanish city. Drop down in your chair on the terrace, relax on the terrace and let the tapas and wine come through. Very nice dinner here. Then we went to the Irish pub opposite this square; The Lounge.

And lastly, I cover the Marina Beach Club here. A must go to when in Valencia. Ok, it is a bit pretentious, there are a little too many Dutch people who want to be seen, it is quite pricey… but you are so comfortable here. And if you just look through the points mentioned, it is a wonderful place. You’re at a lounge club on the beach. Good and tasty cold beers are served by the good and friendly staff. The food is delicious. We cycled here on Sunday morning to get breakfast, but we didn’t leave until about 7 PM. It is recommended to order a large pan of paella here.

Bars/clubs/party’s

Cafe Negrito. This is a nice bar quite close to our apartment. Here we ended up 2 evenings for a nightcap. Bit hip / alternative cocktail bar.

Radio City. Very nice pub to go to after dinner. There is live music and a very relaxed mixed crowd.

And further

Valencia is a perfect city for a boys weekend. And especially if you like football, we recommend combining it with an important game of Valencia.

We also really recommend renting a bicycle. The open roof hop on hop or bus is also a nice afternoon spent where you immediately see the important sightings.