An Unlikely Bar for Great Tapas in Denia

Led by our appetites, we recently discovered a bar for great tapas in Denia. It would have been easy to overlook it because we weren’t ‘staying’ there. You know what we mean? Many local hotels in Spain have great restaurants and bars, which is what we enjoyed at Denia’s Hotel la Posada del Mar. It was so good, we want to let you in on the discovery!

The Bar with Great Tapas in Denia

After gawking at the glorious interior features of the Hotel la Posada del Mar (read further below), we all three finally made it into the bar area, which has views of the marina right across the boulevard. The service was good and friendly and we enjoyed some of the best seafood croquetas we’ve ever had. They had tiny local shrimps inside them and spinach, served fresh, piping hot and oh-so delicious! We’re still talking about them and the only things that come somewhat close are the croquetas de bacalao at one of our favorite restaurants in Valencia, Casa Montaña. And if that’s not enough, we only took one picture, as you can see – that’s how spellbound we were by the food!

They also gave us the traditional free tapa for ordering cervezas. Don’t forget, in most places throughout Spain this applies to any kind of alcoholic drink you order. Take note that their wine selection looks amazing as well, with local wines featured by the glass for starting around only 2.50 Euros. It’s too bad we didn’t pay attention to the wine board until we were leaving. But we will when we return!

Another small plate we enjoyed sharing was a type of flamed goat cheese with a fig chutney and nuts. We wish we could remember more about it, but as of when this post was written, their website’s restaurant page was not working. The other item we remember and still talk about, is the high-end green olive oil they served, called Esmeralda Verde Imagine. This premium olive oil is part of an award-winning family of Spanish Olive Oils, of which one costs around 179 Euros online! This is not that particular one, but boy – it taste like it could be, and they left the bottle at our table for us! Delicious and amazing, certainly to be savored with fresh artisan bread or a leafy salad, but most definitely not cooked with.

About the Hotel…and Our Noshing Around

We like to eat. So in our travels, it can be like ‘bar-hopping’, but ‘gastronomy-hopping’ instead. We ended up in the hotel because our local friend, Amparo, knows the people here since it is another location where she sells her glass art and jewelry. While she talked to the receptionist about the status of her current items there, we showed ourselves around the incredible lobby and lounge areas.

The hotel is another of Denia’s gorgeously restored historical buildings owned by one of Denia’s long-time families. Located right across from the marina, it looks quite large from the outside, but is still a boutique hotel with 9 suite rooms and 16 double standard rooms, each uniquely appointed. We did not get to see any of their rooms (yet), but I’ve read that most of them have sea views and many of them balconies or even private terraces. And let’s not forget to mention that they have a sauna as well.

Coming into the hotel, you enter through impressively large doors of thick, dark wood, old and looking like the gates to a castle. This foyer and lobby area have high ceilings, thick wood timbers, exposed brick and large sandstone walls. There were plush leather couches and armchairs for relaxing in with one of the many books that sat on numerous antique shelves and hand-crafted end tables. For all the old-world grandeur of the surroundings and architecture, it was warmly welcoming and very romantic. There was one particular area of space past the front desk where the floor of large ceramic tiles were interrupted with thick glass squares. Looking through you can see into a lighted area showing the ancient foundations of the building and what lies beneath from centuries past. We love this kind of feature in buildings!

The Restaurant and Bar have an entrance on the main boulevard that goes along the sea and by the marina. So it’s quite easy to find and at first one might not realize that it’s part of a hotel. There’s also an outdoor sitting and eating area that in the winter is enclosed in a test against the wind and cold. We look forward to returning soon and enjoying the summer sun while eating and drinking out front.

Let us know if you’d stayed at the Hotel la Posada and how it was. And if you go for your first time, whether to stay or just eat, tell them we sent you. And make sure you have those croquetas!