10 Top-rated Paella and Flamenco Spots in Spain

Perhaps you have been looking at vacation rentals in Spain to plan your next getaway. Next is to plan what you want to do and see during your stay. There are lots of fantastic options and many close to luxury vacation rentals in Spain. Rest assured, you will find something extraordinary right outside your rentals’ doors. Two popular attractions for visitors are the beautiful flamenco and the mouthwatering paella.

What Is Flamenco?

Flamenco is Spain’s most renowned art form. Flamenco involves guitar, vocals, dance, and palmas (clapping). Not every flamenco show has dancing, so double-check if this matters to you. There are flamenco shows nearby when you stay in Seville, Barcelona, Madrid, or Andalucia, or at any one of the many vacation rentals in Spain. Many will want to find performances more concerned with loyalty to tradition than appealing to tourists. Usually, the latest showing is the most traditional to cater to native Spaniards.

A big show with bells and whistles may impress you, or you may prefer a smaller, more authentic, performance. Festivals are especially great for the latter. Many can be found near vacation rentals in Spain:

1. El Arenal in Seville is great for those who want to see a big, impressive show. Because this is such a tourist-centered locale, it can afford the best flamenco performers.
2. Madrid’s Suma Flamenca is a phenomenal chance to see flamenco throughout June.
3. Corral de la Moreria in Madrid is one of the best tablaos in Spain. Because Madrid is less famous for its flamenco, the performances tend to be more traditional.
4. Barcelona’s Opera and Flamenco is not traditional flamenco but, like the name suggests, a combination of flamenco and opera. There is no other show like it.
5. For those on a tighter budget, Sala Alvarez Quintero in Seville is a great choice. It is one of the most affordable top-notch shows in the city.

What Is Paella?

Paella is Spain’s most iconic dish, a Valencian pilav. Its ingredients vary by region but often include rice, tomatoes, beans, rabbit, lime beans, and saffron. Some of the best paella also contains fresh seafood. Many varieties can be found within easy distance of vacation rentals in Spain:

1. Casa Carmina in El Saler, Valencia, is located between the Valencian Albufera and the sea. It has some of the most renowned Valencia paellas containing rice, turnips, lobster, artichokes, and cuttlefish.
2. Que si quieres arroz Catalina is in Casa de Campo in Madrid and is among the most popular restaurants in the city. They offer duck stock, rabbit, artichokes, and snails.
3. El Suquet de I’Almirall in Barcelona serves paella made with fresh crayfish and prawns. Nestled next to the sea, it is the perfect choice for delicious seafood.
4. Casas Elias in Alicante is praised by culinary experts and often credited with the best paella in the country. Paella is offered with rabbit and snails with herbs, cooked over firewood.
5. La Sirena, also in Alicante, offers rice cooked in fish stock with prawns and a garlic mayonnaise sauce. Their paella includes ñoras, a dried pepper, the key ingredient in their sauce.