The Arab Baths of Granada

Sitting huddled around the heater with our vino tinto and Manchego cheese, wrapped in blankets for extra warmth – we hatched our escape plan. We were tired of being so cold! You’d think we were in Antarctica – and not the Costa del Sol.

The Costa del Sol in southern Spain supposedly has over 300 days of sunshine a year – not that it wasn’t sunny. It was just so cold that the town now appeared devoid of people virtually turning into a ghost town overnight. A local bar owner told us that it was just too cold - the Spanish were staying inside.

Our lovely beach weather from mere days before had taken a turn for the worse – plummeting from a pleasant nineteen degrees to a very chilly six. Unheard of for this part of the country, even at this time of the year!

My husband Curtis (of Flashpacking Life) and I had spent the last two weeks in Nerja with friends who were visiting from home. Just as they were leaving, my friend Athena arrived from California, leaving behind scorching temperatures and raging forest fires.

When the cold snap struck, the three of us couldn’t stop thinking about the Arab baths in Granada. We made it our mission to go soak in the hot baths and finally thaw ourselves out.

The Aljibe Banos Arabes must be booked in advance. Each session lasts for an hour and a half; if you pay an extra nine euros, you’ll also get a 15-minute aromatherapy massage. For the baths only, it will cost you 17 euros, so the full deal with massage is 26 euros (if you visit on a weekend or holiday, you’ll pay an extra two euros).

The sessions start every two hours beginning at 10:00 am, with the last session at 10:00 pm (they close at midnight). Towels and lockers are provided free of charge, as are water and the tastiest sweet mint tea ever.

We arrived in Granada hours ahead of our scheduled bath session so that we could wander the streets and enjoy a tasty lunch before our soak. Wandering around the Albayzin – the North African part of town - with its narrow cobbled streets, shops full of colorful clothing and intricate carvings, and the endless choice of restaurants sporting hookahs, we felt like we were in Morocco.

Slipping into one of the restaurants where the smell of incense wafted about, we took a seat at a table tucked into what felt like our own secret nook. We had to duck under the archway (well, not Athena, who’s about the size of a Smurf) to get to the beautifully inlaid table awash in candlelight.

We ordered a delicious pot of Chai tea and the lamb with couscous – which was absolutely to die for!
With full bellies we continued our wander – eventually stumbling upon the perfect spot for a breathtaking view of the Alhambra, with the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background.

And then it was bath time! The free map that I had picked up from a tourist info booth helped us navigate our way to the small street (which looks more like an alley) that houses the baths.

After changing into our swimsuits, we heaved open the heavy wood and iron door and entered a different world.

There are seven different pools: six of them ranging from warm to hot, with one cold plunge pool. The idea is to alternate between the cold and warm pools, never letting your body get overheated. The cold pool sits at the centre of the room, lit from below and backed with a beautifully tiled wall. Marble and tile reign here and the room is designed to provide some privacy in the nooks and crannies of various baths – some of which are hidden by arch ways or columns.

The number of guests per session is limited, which is great. There were eight people in total in the baths during ours, so we never even had to share a pool with anyone else. The atmosphere is tranquil, relaxing and romantic. If you speak, it’s in a hushed whisper.

We were all given a number upon arrival, and when it was time for the massages, the cute masseur wandered the baths, softly calling out a number in Spanish.

When my turn came, I was given a choice between a back/neck massage and a leg massage – so, of course, I chose the back. As I lay on my stomach on the massage table, the masseur untied the strings on my bikini and covered me with beautifully scented oil. Then his big strong hands worked their magic as I drifted deeper into the relaxation. The only thing keeping me from falling asleep was the occasional drip of cool water against my warm skin, the condensation from the ceiling.

Those fifteen minutes were over too quickly – but they were worth every penny. After a quick shower to wash off the oil, I slipped back into the baths as Curtis began his 15 minutes of fabulous pampering.

Twenty minutes later, a man in a white lab coat appeared. He looked very serious and important as he snaked his way through the baths. But then he pulled out a flashlight, flashing each pool of people with his blinking light several times.

We bathers looked at each other questioningly, barely suppressing giggles at this weird sight. After a moment of confusion, we guessed it must be the signal for the end of our session.

The flickering flashlight finished our time in the hammans but we left our newfound paradise of warmth and tranquility filled with a spiritual sense of ahhhhhhhh.

Lindsie and Curtis are traveling the world for a year - follow their adventure on Flashpacking Wife.

Stay Tuned, Folks

In the near future, we'll be featuring a guest post from Lindsie Tomlinson of Flashpacking Wife. If you haven't read about the travels of Lindsie & Curtis, then I can guarantee that it'll be a unique & humorous experience.

Happy Friday!

What Happpened in Vegas is all over Facebook!

I was the second of my 10 g-friends to arrive in Sin City this past Friday and enthusiastically greeted at baggage claim by a Devan – vodka tonic in hand. We grabbed my suitcase and headed for the curb.

The first cab line we came to was completely vacant – which we were beyond psyched about because the airport was a zoo. Unfortunately we were informed that it was a handicap only line and we had to follow the masses to the other end where hundreds (I kid you not) of people were standing around looking buzzed/pissed.

We decided right then that the theme of the weekend was going to be “VIP - no lines” and headed back inside in an attempt to cut (because it’s always a good idea to try to aggravate already irate strangers). Devan got tired of dragging her bag and we took up one of the skycap’s offers to help. BEST move ever because he paraded us right back to the handicap area and quickly tucked us into the first cab for only a $10 tip.

Checking into THEhotel was a smooth transaction, despite the fact that Expedia had incorrectly put my room in the regular part of Mandalay Bay. It only took an additional $90 (on top of the $1000 already paid) to get a room 3 doors down from the other.

The rest of the ladies slowly trickled in while we pre-gamed with a bottle of vodka and mixers (bought at a liquor store outside the hotel for way less than the little bottles you could get inside), and by midnight we were actually ready to go out. We headed to the Palms and up to the Fantasy Tower (Moon and Playboy Club). That’s pretty much where my memory ends.

The next morning I dragged a few of the ladies out of bed at 9am to head down to Moorea Beach Club (the 21+, tops optional pool at Mandalay). Not deterred by the $10 cover, 60 degree weather, or fact that we were the ONLY group at the pool, we actually managed to strip down to our b-suit bottoms and get a few hours of color. The $12 pina coladas were a huge help in tolerating the cold.

Later a group of us headed to the Bellagio to see the early showing of “O” (for which we were lucky to get tickets 3 months in advance). I’d been to 4 other Cirque du Soleil shows so I thought I had a good idea of what to expect but I was still blown away. It’s a combination of synchronized swimming, high diving, circus (contortionists, clowns, acrobats), and opera on acid.. and I would pay $168 to see it again in a heartbeat.

After the show we decided to hang around the Bellagio for a bit and grab sushi at Yellowtail (6 people + no reservation = 10 minute wait) and see the seasonal flower exhibit (very cool). We were on our way out, but got sidetracked by promoters offering to have us cut the line and skip the cover at The Bank (club with entrance up escalator from the casino - used to be Light). Since this matched the VIP theme we decided to try it.

The music was fun, the lingerie-clad go-go dancers and free shots they carried were great, but we were kind of stuck in a corner so we decided to bounce - although not before watching some girls get dragged out of a bathroom stall by security for doing drugs (very COPS).

We jumped in line for a cab and a girl fight broke out right behind us. Security wasn’t too concerned about the hair-pulling and name-calling, but then one girl ended up on the hood of a cab and they stepped in. We eventually made it to the Palms and headed in to Rain (not having to pay a cover because we’d received free vouchers the night before). I was pleasantly surprised to find out Paul Oakenfold was the guest DJ for the evening. The vibe in Rain was much like Ibiza (with crazy performance artists – kind of like in Cirque du Soleil). It was only enhanced by the fact that some random Canadian guys invited us to hang at their table and drink for free all night.

Towards the end of the evening Devan and I hopped into a stretch limo (found in the cab line) with two strangers and headed to another club to meet up with one of her guy friends. At 4am the bouncers didn’t want to let us in (since the club was closed and they were kicking everyone else out), but they did after her friend paid them $200. For that money we got about 15 minutes of club time then headed back to our rooms to sleep.

Sunday morning was a little rougher for me than the day before, but I was enticed out of bed to hit up the buffet (and endless champagne) brunch for $25 each. We made it back to Moorea – where there were actually a few other people – for a few hours. At this point I decided it would be a great idea to get a tattoo (under the influence of 4 glasses of champagne, pina coladas, bud light and a shot of tuaca – from a rando guy at the pool).

Conveniently I didn’t even have to leave the hotel to get said tattoo. We went to Starlight Tattoo (just off the casino – like everything else) and I was able to get an appointment in an hour. I didn’t care that I was charged the $150 minimum for a tiny tatt on my foot. I was going to commemorate the trip in ink. I was allowed to bring one friend into the room with me – and everyone else in the lobby watched through the glass wall.

Post tatt, we all started getting ready for dinner at China Grill in Mandalay. Dinner was AMAZING (family style dishes, delicious food, great décor and staff). We did a little gambling (black jack) and stumbled into a club in the middle of the casino when some rando guy insisted on buying us a bottle of grey goose (no arguments). Then we found ourselves in Forty Deuce (club with burlesque dancers and live music). The go-go dancers were very tolerant of us when we decided WE should be onstage dancing instead of/next to them. More free bottles of booze ensued (I consider it our tip) and then I went to sleep.

Monday was rough.. but the hangover was well worth all the good times, crazy pictures, and silly tatt that resulted.