APARTHOTEL ADAGIO BORDEAUX CENTRE GAMBETTA

MODERN BUILDING WITH GALLEY KITCHEN FOOTSTEPS FROM TRANSIT

Pound for pound, Bordeaux boasts some of the best gastronomy and wine in all of France...or the world for that matter.

Code 23, a fabulous bar with live music and a cozy vibe, is less than 15 minutes walk from the property.

Le Petit Commerce, one of the greatest, most unpretentious seafood houses in all of the region, is 15 minutes walk away from Aparthotel Adagio Bordeaux Centre Gambetta.

Boulangerie Jocteur, an outstanding bakery, is a brisk 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Chartrons and its great homes and bistros are 15 minutes by tram.

Cite du Vin is less than 25 minutes by tram.

Bassins des Lumières, in a WWII submarine bunker also to the north of town, is less than 45 minutes by public transit.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO BORDEAUX CENTRE GAMBETTA

MODERN BUILDING WITH GALLEY KITCHEN FOOTSTEPS FROM TRANSIT

Aparthotel Adagio Bordeaux Centre Gambetta Front desk staff was excellent about giving tips on shopping/dining.

It also complied with my standard request to get the room farthest from the elevator and to have an extra flat sheet in the room.

I certainly used the coffee maker, as well as the fridge to store leftover gourmet food -- and the stove and microwave to reheat said food.

St. Catherine Street -- billed as the longest pedestrian shopping street in all of Europe, is footsteps away.

Garonne River, muddy but the spine of the city for centuries, is 10-12 minutes walk away, as is the famous Place de la Bourse with its giant reflecting pond and wondrous architecture. Bordeaux is a great city.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO BORDEAUX CENTRE GAMBETTA

MODERN BUILDING WITH GALLEY KITCHEN FOOTSTEPS FROM TRANSIT

When first considering several properties, I thought Aparthotel Adagio Bordeaux Centre Gambetta might be out of the center.

Turns out it's in the center.

And right on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage part of the city.

It's the best of both worlds -- modern, updated and quiet as it is not near any wine or other bars or nightclubs.

But Gambetta is a great area, flush with hip restaurants, wine bars and grocery stores.

One of the tram lines is 5 minutes away.

Also within a 5 minute walk is the G bus that connected with historic Saint Jean train station, where I arrived from Paris. 

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SUNRISE OVER CENTRO HISTORICO

Plaza Santo Domingo, from La Casa de las Tias, a BnB with a 16th century fresco in the kitchen.

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PLAZA GRANDE

On Monday, the changing of the guards takes place on Plaza Grande at 11am.

--Lonely Planet

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PLAZA GRANDE

Plaza Grande’s benches are great for soaking up the Andean morning sun and watching the bustle all around.

--Lonely Planet

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PLAZA GRANDE

Quito’s cathedral stands on the southwest side of Plaza Grande.

--Lonely Planet

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PLAZA GRANDE

The white building on Plaza Grande’s northwest side with the national flag flying atop is the Palacio de Gobierno, the seat of the Ecuadorian presidency.

--Loney Planet

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PLAZA GRANDE

While wandering around colonial Quito, you'll probably pass through the Plaza Grande several times.

--Lonely Planet

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SUNRISE OVER QUITO

From the rooftop of the 500-year-old Casa de las Tias guest house within the UNESCO World Heritage site on Calle Rocafuerte.

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EL PANECILLO

From the summit there are marvelous views of the sprawling city and the surrounding volcanoes.

-Lonley Planet

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EL PANECILLO

Climb steps up to the base of the Virgin statue for an even loftier outlook.

-Lonley Planet

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EL PANECILLO

El Panecillo is topped by a 41m-tall aluminum mosaic statue of La Virgen de Quito (Virgin of Quito; completed in 1976), with a crown of stars, angelic wings and a chained dragon. 

-Lonley Planet

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EL PANECILLO

The hill to the south of the Old Town called El Panecillo (the Little Loaf of Bread) is a major Quito landmark.

-Lonley Planet

MOONRISE OVER ZOCALO

OAXACA CITY, MEXICO

Fine architectural quality also characterizes the 19th-century buildings in this city that was the birthplace of Benito Juarez and which, in 1872, adopted the name of Oaxaca de Juarez. 

Being located in a highly seismic zone, the architecture of the city of Oaxaca is characterized by thick walls and low buildings. 

The mestizo population keeps alive both traditions and ancestral customs.

--UNESCO