Paula's place deserves to be on a 'Grand Designs' program for it's beautifully stylish interior. There is a lovely main bedroom and elegant bathroom, along with a combined dinning area and kitchenette and a separate roomy sitting room. 2 floors up the glass staircase there is a small bedroom with a comfortable double bed, an adjacent study that can be used as a private sitting room, a small but stylish shower room and the entrance to the first terrace. A spiral staircase from first terrace leads to a much larger, very pleasant roof terrace with views of the Giralda tower which I particularly enjoyed first thing in the morning drinking coffee from Paula's Dolce Gusto coffee machine, and in the evening reading a book among the terrace plants. The terraces are both shared with the adjacent apartment but I always had them to myself.
It's a great place for two couples. I had the small upstairs bedroom with my wife but had the compensation of the adjacent study and terrace.
Paula was really helpful and let us book into the apartment early and met us there to show us round. She has great tips for places to eat - we particularly liked Mamarracha which is nearby and which has good food and a modern elegance. Her tip to buy tickets for the cathedral from the nearby church (Iglesia del Salvador) where they are sold at the front door, saved us a long queue. Another tip is to queue for the Royal Alcazar as it opens at 9.30am. If one of the official tour guides walks up the queue offering English guided tours, accept it; for 25 Euros including entrance fee - you get to jump the queue (which looked about an hour long) and get a really excellent tour with about 12 in the group. We also enjoyed visiting the Bull Ring as you get a tour of the museum there and you also get to walk out onto the hallowed sand of the ring itself, and can imagine both the pride and the terror the Matador must feels - even if you disagree with the fight itself.
The hot water went off once but this was easily solved by resetting a fuse, the fuse box being behind a picture by the front door.
The central location almost next to the Town Hall was perfect and we could walk everywhere we wanted to go within a few minutes. I liked having an evening beer on the pretty Calle Betis by the river in the Triana district, which was just over 20 minutes walk away. Not far from here is Casa Anselma which is a little with bar where you can hear flamenco music and see some of the locals dancing - there is lots of atmosphere but no costumes. It starts at 11.45pm. We queued up to get in, although you can book to get the best seats.
There were lots of lovely touches - Paula left us some coffee, tea, milk and butter, and booked us a taxi to take us back to the airport.
All in all it was a lovely four night stay and a holiday we will always remember.