At the beginning of the month, my boyfriend and I took a trip to Valencia, Spain. It was his first time in Spain and my first time in Valencia. I’ve been to Spain several times, loving each place I’ve experienced, and I wanted to pick a destination that would be new to both of us. I can now say I love Valencia — as well as Madrid, Barcelona, Pamplona, Ribera del Duero and Murcia.

Our planning worked out perfectly; after an overnight flight from Philadelphia, during which neither of us slept, we dropped our bags at our city center hotel, Vincci Mercat, and strolled across the way to the Mercado Central, one of the oldest markets in Europe. The stalls upon stalls of food, wine and souvenirs were a bit too much for our exhausted brains, so we settled on brunch at a nearby café before heading back to the hotel for a quick afternoon nap.

That evening, we walked to Mercado de Colón; one of the best advantages of the Vincci Mercat was its central location. At Mercado de Colón, we enjoyed pre-dinner drinks — gin and tonic for Scott and sangria for me — before heading downstairs for dinner at Habitual by Richard Camarena. The basil pesto croquette was out of this world.

The next day was filled with paella and Spanish gastronomy — and might have been my favorite day of the trip. We filled the morning and afternoon with a paella cooking class at Escuela de Arroces y Paella Valenciana. Our class included a trip to Mercado Central to purchase ingredients. The entire experience was a blast — full of fun and laughs, and we enjoyed getting to know others in our group, which included people from Hong Kong, Boston and France.

That evening we enjoyed a unique, exclusive experience with Sea Saffron. Our night included a private tour of Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences with Sea Saffron owner Eduardo Aguilar, followed by sunset views over Valencia from the city’s highest building and a private, 10-course tapas tasting. It was one of the most incredible meals I’ve ever had — each bite better than the last. To cap off a wonderful day, we stopped at Café de las Horas for the signature agua de Valencia cocktail. The drink is a blend of Cava, orange juice, vodka and gin.

I say Saturday was my favorite day of the trip, but I remember Sunday and Monday. It’s hard to pick a favorite, honestly, as each day was a perfect pairing of activities. We began Sunday with a private and informative tour of Valencia’s historic city center, including its beautiful train station and its UNESCO World Heritage site, La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia (the silk exchange). I also purchased my own paella pan so I could put to use my skills from the day before at home. That afternoon we moved to Hotel Balneario Las Arenas, to spend our last two days seaside. After lunch at the hotel and a quick walk to the water to dip our toes in the Mediterranean, we visited the hotel’s spa for a couple’s massage.

On Monday we returned to the City of Arts and Sciences to wander L’Oceanogràfic — the beluga whales were my favorite! — before a wonderful lunch of croquettes, patatas bravas and seafood paella at the historic La Pepica, a one-time Hemingway haunt. After a filling lunch, we strolled the Malvarrosa boardwalk and beach.

Sadly, it was time to return to reality on Tuesday, but this time with the memories of a fantastic time in a wonderful city. We’ll certainly return to Spain in the future.

— Kim Krol, editor in chief