Spain Trip Report – Coast to Coast in 16 Days
Jul 10th, 2005, 01:28 PM
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Spain Trip Report – Coast to Coast in 16 Days
I’ve benefited so much from this and other travel boards, just wanted to give back a bit in the way of a trip report. First I want to say that this was not the first time to Spain for either me or DH. I lived in Spain for a semester in the “olden days” and this was my spouse’s 4th visit. However, it was the first time with 2 teenagers and guest appearances were made by various assorted extended family members in different towns.
Flying Over – Air France. Big Mistake. Delayed flight lead to missed connection and promises of protection on next flights out which never took place. Lost luggage. In fact each of our 3 pieces of luggage eventually arrived at hotel in Barcelona but over 36 hours later and each piece arrived separately on a different flight. Cab driver at airport never heard of our hotel and eventually dropped us off a few blocks away from the hotel (not too much of a problem since we had no luggage to carry).
Hotel: NH Duc de la Victoria. Great location on edge of Gothic Qtr. Hotel basically fine except for deplorable front desk staff. It seems our wish to check in intruded on personal phone calls and virtually no one was ever out front. Service ranged from cool indifference to passive aggressive hostility. Not worth it given the price they charge.
Barcelona: Wonderful! Loved the Park Guell. From there walked downhill to Sagrada Familia but did not go inside. Up and down the Ramblas a few times. The street performers were fantastic. The open air food market an attraction onto itself. Cathedral great and we even got to walk along the roof top. Fun just strolling through the old streets. Based on board recommendations had a fabulous first night dinner at Sr. Pedrayo. Had another wonderful dinner at El Gran Café.
No problem picking up 6-seater vehicle on our last morning there. Having connected with 2 additional families we hit the road early and arrived in Bilbao in afternoon. All of us enjoyed the Guggenheim and were glad to have been there. But frankly it’s more about the building than the collection. Or maybe we’re just jaded from living so close to the original Guggenheim in NYC? Wanted to stop for a coffee and tapas afterward but failed to locate any parking in the old city so we just cruised on.
Spent next two nights at a little Posada overlooking the Mar Cantabrico outside of Santander. Place not much to speak of but the beaches were lovely. Here and elsewhere in Spain (vs. other warm weather countries we have visited) we discovered that people do not bother with air conditioning OR screens OR overhead fans. If you want a cool breeze you must leave your windows wide open and there are insects everywhere, especially mosquitoes. A first for the children was being exposed to entire families playing golf, Frisbee and racquet ball on the beach…in the buff. Water was lovely and the coastline reminiscent of Cornwall. Also checked out Comillas and Santillana del Mar. Not sure what the attraction of Comillas is unless you really need to see another Gaudi construction. Santillana was visited only in the late afternoon and evening. As such, it was basically devoid of tourists and was quite charming and tranquil. Like a trip back in time. We skipped the Tortures of the Inquisition museum however.
Next day we traveled through the Picos de Europa. Took the tram up to the top at Fuente De. The wind factor was awesome. Felt like 100 miles per hour. Only the hardier members of our party went hiking for an hour or so up top. Luckily there was a lovely warm cafeteria with panoramic views for the rest of us. Only time we needed heavy weight jackets for warmth. Leaving the area we had a superb lunch at Hotel and Restaurant del Oso. It was idyllic with a gorgeous garden in full bloom. Charm was reminiscent of Switzerland actually. Uncrowded too with nice staff. I could definitely see staying there vs. the Parador at Fuente De.) Note: bring the Dramamine for this type of driving. Stopped off briefly in Burgos specifically to tour the Cathedral which is unique. (We had made the kids watch El Cid on DVD prior to our trip so Burgos had that connection for them too.)
Spent several days in Segovia. Based on this board and other research, we were very happy with our choice of Los Linajes for our home base. Walked everywhere. Enjoyed delicious food not on the Plaza Mayor but at a smaller square at the edge of town. Our one disappointment was the cochinillo at the much recommended Meson Jose Maria restaurant. Definitely not great food, nor great service and expensive. Actually most of us didn’t finish our orders because the food was so unappetizing. Chacun son gout. One of the highlights of Segovia was a walk over to the Knights of St. John Basilica – Vera Cruz. Really cool place and uncrowded too. As a bonus, it was a local holiday the nights we were in town – for St. Pedro. Live music everywhere, including dozens of brass bands battling for attention. A procession and dancing in the moonlight. Segovia was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
On to Madrid where we stayed at High Tech Gran Avenida Callao. We only chose this place because all 4 of us could share one family room. Very large corner room fronting on the Gran Via. Also free internet access and a computer in the room. ‘Twas absolutely awful driving there however. Once arrived, we returned our 6 seater van as the previously mentioned family members had turned westward in their travels. Made contact with another branch of the family however. This group included younger children. Our time in Madrid was deliberately brief. Visited the Prado, Reina Sophia, walked through old quarter and Plaza Mayor. Some in the group also visited the Royal Palace. Had a fun touristy type dinner one night at Casa Botin. Everyone was happy.
Picked up a pair of sedans in the p.m. and headed out to Toledo. Spent a lovely night at Ho(s)tal Cardenal. Beautiful gardens. No one bothered by any church bells. Kids liked the town escalator near to the hotel. Restaurant not so great but convenient. Lots of stairs at this property! Spent the better part of two days seeing the sights and enjoying what makes Toledo so special. Left town one morning and cruised our way to Granada. Had our 5:00 p.m. Alhambra tickets in hand having previously ordered them online. A few points. Cars with all belongings were perfectly safe in the official Alhambra parking lot. No one asked to look at our entry tickets. Place was very uncrowded. Maybe it was the time of day? It was very very hot and the children did not enjoy it as much as the adults. Cruised out of town at night heading to our villa rental in Casares.
The next week we were based in a lovely hillside villa outside of Casares. No air conditioning. No fans. No screens. Lovely pool. Spent some days lazing around the pool and or on the beach. There is a spectrum of beach experiences along the coastline. One day we spent in Estepona. Easy underground parking. Comfortable lounge chairs under Straw Palapas (umbrellas). Snack bars nearby. Fairly crowded and noisy like any beach resort. Mediterranean waters quite still. Good if you’re not into waves. Another day we went up to Tarifa on the Atlantic Coastline. Skies filled with scores of rainbow colored kites that people were harnessed into while riding their surfboards. Not sure what you call this sport but you have to have terrific upper body strength, that’s for sure. Much less undeveloped and uncrowded beach with few or no facilities. Lots of windsurfers too.
One half day spent in Gibralter. It had a Disneyesque atmosphere. Super expensive and crowded. Took the kids on the tram up to the top to see the Barbary apes. Nice views and the apes were adorable but would never repeat the experience.
Other side trips included driving through the various white villages. Ronda a big disappointment inasmuch as it was swarming with tourists, no parking, lots of souvenir stands. Grazalema much more authentic in terms of a town lost in time and with no crowds. Disappointed that the wool blankets were exorbitantly priced and didn’t buy any. Also visited Ubrique. Not worth it in the opinion of those of us who went. As a charming town, it didn’t really match up to others like Casares or Grazalema. If you go to shop for leather goods you have two choices: expensive stores with high quality merchandise and expensive stores with poor quality. Frankly I am not a big fan of Spanish leather to begin with. Prefer Italian and even Moroccan leather more.
Attended the Royal Equestrian School Dancing Horses show in Jerez de la Frontera. Both my nieces are equestrians and were looking forward to this outing and I don’t believe they were disappointed. We did not reserve tickets in advance and there were empty seats during the performance (first week in July). Although they offer a range of prices for seating, frankly every seat is the same for viewing. No need to pay more for any seating category. Also the museum is a separate and extra ticket. Show lasts about 90 minutes with a 10 minute intermission. It is lovely and sedate. Do not expect to see circus tricks, a Fantasia, or much drama. This is a subtle and elegant presentation.
A pleasant surprise for us was how lovely Cadiz was. First time there for DH and me. Cathedral not as overwrought as others and the ticket gives access to a really interesting little museum. The old section of the city has a different feel from the rest of Andalusia and Spain. Views along the seawalls are nice too.
Favorite restaurants in the Casares area include Arroyo Hondo and Venta Garcia. But our most memorable meals were the ones we cooked ourselves and enjoyed al fresco under the grape arbor. Just like we pictured it.
Happy to answer any questions and thank you again to all who contributed their thoughts and recommendations to making this trip a success.
Winnie
Flying Over – Air France. Big Mistake. Delayed flight lead to missed connection and promises of protection on next flights out which never took place. Lost luggage. In fact each of our 3 pieces of luggage eventually arrived at hotel in Barcelona but over 36 hours later and each piece arrived separately on a different flight. Cab driver at airport never heard of our hotel and eventually dropped us off a few blocks away from the hotel (not too much of a problem since we had no luggage to carry).
Hotel: NH Duc de la Victoria. Great location on edge of Gothic Qtr. Hotel basically fine except for deplorable front desk staff. It seems our wish to check in intruded on personal phone calls and virtually no one was ever out front. Service ranged from cool indifference to passive aggressive hostility. Not worth it given the price they charge.
Barcelona: Wonderful! Loved the Park Guell. From there walked downhill to Sagrada Familia but did not go inside. Up and down the Ramblas a few times. The street performers were fantastic. The open air food market an attraction onto itself. Cathedral great and we even got to walk along the roof top. Fun just strolling through the old streets. Based on board recommendations had a fabulous first night dinner at Sr. Pedrayo. Had another wonderful dinner at El Gran Café.
No problem picking up 6-seater vehicle on our last morning there. Having connected with 2 additional families we hit the road early and arrived in Bilbao in afternoon. All of us enjoyed the Guggenheim and were glad to have been there. But frankly it’s more about the building than the collection. Or maybe we’re just jaded from living so close to the original Guggenheim in NYC? Wanted to stop for a coffee and tapas afterward but failed to locate any parking in the old city so we just cruised on.
Spent next two nights at a little Posada overlooking the Mar Cantabrico outside of Santander. Place not much to speak of but the beaches were lovely. Here and elsewhere in Spain (vs. other warm weather countries we have visited) we discovered that people do not bother with air conditioning OR screens OR overhead fans. If you want a cool breeze you must leave your windows wide open and there are insects everywhere, especially mosquitoes. A first for the children was being exposed to entire families playing golf, Frisbee and racquet ball on the beach…in the buff. Water was lovely and the coastline reminiscent of Cornwall. Also checked out Comillas and Santillana del Mar. Not sure what the attraction of Comillas is unless you really need to see another Gaudi construction. Santillana was visited only in the late afternoon and evening. As such, it was basically devoid of tourists and was quite charming and tranquil. Like a trip back in time. We skipped the Tortures of the Inquisition museum however.
Next day we traveled through the Picos de Europa. Took the tram up to the top at Fuente De. The wind factor was awesome. Felt like 100 miles per hour. Only the hardier members of our party went hiking for an hour or so up top. Luckily there was a lovely warm cafeteria with panoramic views for the rest of us. Only time we needed heavy weight jackets for warmth. Leaving the area we had a superb lunch at Hotel and Restaurant del Oso. It was idyllic with a gorgeous garden in full bloom. Charm was reminiscent of Switzerland actually. Uncrowded too with nice staff. I could definitely see staying there vs. the Parador at Fuente De.) Note: bring the Dramamine for this type of driving. Stopped off briefly in Burgos specifically to tour the Cathedral which is unique. (We had made the kids watch El Cid on DVD prior to our trip so Burgos had that connection for them too.)
Spent several days in Segovia. Based on this board and other research, we were very happy with our choice of Los Linajes for our home base. Walked everywhere. Enjoyed delicious food not on the Plaza Mayor but at a smaller square at the edge of town. Our one disappointment was the cochinillo at the much recommended Meson Jose Maria restaurant. Definitely not great food, nor great service and expensive. Actually most of us didn’t finish our orders because the food was so unappetizing. Chacun son gout. One of the highlights of Segovia was a walk over to the Knights of St. John Basilica – Vera Cruz. Really cool place and uncrowded too. As a bonus, it was a local holiday the nights we were in town – for St. Pedro. Live music everywhere, including dozens of brass bands battling for attention. A procession and dancing in the moonlight. Segovia was definitely one of the highlights of our trip.
On to Madrid where we stayed at High Tech Gran Avenida Callao. We only chose this place because all 4 of us could share one family room. Very large corner room fronting on the Gran Via. Also free internet access and a computer in the room. ‘Twas absolutely awful driving there however. Once arrived, we returned our 6 seater van as the previously mentioned family members had turned westward in their travels. Made contact with another branch of the family however. This group included younger children. Our time in Madrid was deliberately brief. Visited the Prado, Reina Sophia, walked through old quarter and Plaza Mayor. Some in the group also visited the Royal Palace. Had a fun touristy type dinner one night at Casa Botin. Everyone was happy.
Picked up a pair of sedans in the p.m. and headed out to Toledo. Spent a lovely night at Ho(s)tal Cardenal. Beautiful gardens. No one bothered by any church bells. Kids liked the town escalator near to the hotel. Restaurant not so great but convenient. Lots of stairs at this property! Spent the better part of two days seeing the sights and enjoying what makes Toledo so special. Left town one morning and cruised our way to Granada. Had our 5:00 p.m. Alhambra tickets in hand having previously ordered them online. A few points. Cars with all belongings were perfectly safe in the official Alhambra parking lot. No one asked to look at our entry tickets. Place was very uncrowded. Maybe it was the time of day? It was very very hot and the children did not enjoy it as much as the adults. Cruised out of town at night heading to our villa rental in Casares.
The next week we were based in a lovely hillside villa outside of Casares. No air conditioning. No fans. No screens. Lovely pool. Spent some days lazing around the pool and or on the beach. There is a spectrum of beach experiences along the coastline. One day we spent in Estepona. Easy underground parking. Comfortable lounge chairs under Straw Palapas (umbrellas). Snack bars nearby. Fairly crowded and noisy like any beach resort. Mediterranean waters quite still. Good if you’re not into waves. Another day we went up to Tarifa on the Atlantic Coastline. Skies filled with scores of rainbow colored kites that people were harnessed into while riding their surfboards. Not sure what you call this sport but you have to have terrific upper body strength, that’s for sure. Much less undeveloped and uncrowded beach with few or no facilities. Lots of windsurfers too.
One half day spent in Gibralter. It had a Disneyesque atmosphere. Super expensive and crowded. Took the kids on the tram up to the top to see the Barbary apes. Nice views and the apes were adorable but would never repeat the experience.
Other side trips included driving through the various white villages. Ronda a big disappointment inasmuch as it was swarming with tourists, no parking, lots of souvenir stands. Grazalema much more authentic in terms of a town lost in time and with no crowds. Disappointed that the wool blankets were exorbitantly priced and didn’t buy any. Also visited Ubrique. Not worth it in the opinion of those of us who went. As a charming town, it didn’t really match up to others like Casares or Grazalema. If you go to shop for leather goods you have two choices: expensive stores with high quality merchandise and expensive stores with poor quality. Frankly I am not a big fan of Spanish leather to begin with. Prefer Italian and even Moroccan leather more.
Attended the Royal Equestrian School Dancing Horses show in Jerez de la Frontera. Both my nieces are equestrians and were looking forward to this outing and I don’t believe they were disappointed. We did not reserve tickets in advance and there were empty seats during the performance (first week in July). Although they offer a range of prices for seating, frankly every seat is the same for viewing. No need to pay more for any seating category. Also the museum is a separate and extra ticket. Show lasts about 90 minutes with a 10 minute intermission. It is lovely and sedate. Do not expect to see circus tricks, a Fantasia, or much drama. This is a subtle and elegant presentation.
A pleasant surprise for us was how lovely Cadiz was. First time there for DH and me. Cathedral not as overwrought as others and the ticket gives access to a really interesting little museum. The old section of the city has a different feel from the rest of Andalusia and Spain. Views along the seawalls are nice too.
Favorite restaurants in the Casares area include Arroyo Hondo and Venta Garcia. But our most memorable meals were the ones we cooked ourselves and enjoyed al fresco under the grape arbor. Just like we pictured it.
Happy to answer any questions and thank you again to all who contributed their thoughts and recommendations to making this trip a success.
Winnie
Jul 10th, 2005, 02:56 PM
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Nice report, but: in Comillas there's the Archbishop's Palace and the Universidad Pontifical up on the hill. We were there on a Thursday and there's a huge open market not too far from el Capricho. There are many campgrounds along the shore between there and San Vicente de la Barquera ... they attract many European tourists.
The only place I personally recommend in Segovia is el Meson del Duque. One must pick and choose as you did with the restaurant in Potes. Did you get to stop at el Monasterio de Santo Toribio, just outside of Potes?
BTW
A Cable Car (not a 'tram') takes you up the mountain in Fuente De, not a 'tram.'
Sounds like you enjoyed your Spain visit - too bad you had to do so much driving.
The only place I personally recommend in Segovia is el Meson del Duque. One must pick and choose as you did with the restaurant in Potes. Did you get to stop at el Monasterio de Santo Toribio, just outside of Potes?
BTW
A Cable Car (not a 'tram') takes you up the mountain in Fuente De, not a 'tram.'
Sounds like you enjoyed your Spain visit - too bad you had to do so much driving.
Jul 10th, 2005, 04:51 PM
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Thank you for your lovely trip report. We too loved Segovia and had one of the best meals of our trip there at Nazizotas.
A few questions re. Cadiz...was it very crowded/touristy or was it charming and authenic? We've been attracted to it because we're big flamenco and Cameron lovers and would love to know more about it.
A few questions re. Cadiz...was it very crowded/touristy or was it charming and authenic? We've been attracted to it because we're big flamenco and Cameron lovers and would love to know more about it.
Jul 11th, 2005, 02:35 AM
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HI. Yes Cadiz was wonderful. It's a big city but we concentrated our attentions on the older district around the Cathedral and roman ruins1````. The little museum has quite a collection of illuminated manuscripts. It was not crowded at all when we were there. But then we were there in the late afternoon which seems to be the best time in any city/town to avoid the crowds. And yes, our favorite restaurant in Segovia was called Narizotas (big noses?) on the Plaza Medina del Campo. We did marvel at the Universidad Pontifical in Comillas but it didn't seem open to the public. We also walked around a smaller older church mostly in ruins but with a still active cemetery. It was locked up too. We did not get to the monastery outside Potes. Something to look forward to next time. I meant to ask before about the Generalife. It seemed remarkably neglected. Are there budget cutbacks?
Winnie
Winnie
Jul 11th, 2005, 03:17 AM
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Great trip report! And I thougth WE had done a lot of driving! I loved Ronda when I was there but I guess it was low season since I do not remember the place swarming with tourist.
The Picos are amazing
We stayed in Hotel del Oso and would do so again. I agree it is a LOT better than the Parador.
I was also kind of disappointed with Comillas since everything we wanted to see seemed to be closed. We only got to see the university from a distance. I loved Santillana del Mar!!!
The Picos are amazing
We stayed in Hotel del Oso and would do so again. I agree it is a LOT better than the Parador.I was also kind of disappointed with Comillas since everything we wanted to see seemed to be closed. We only got to see the university from a distance. I loved Santillana del Mar!!!
Jul 11th, 2005, 07:34 AM
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Thanks for the report and sorry for your outbound flight segment problems.
By the way, did you both actually check THREE pieces of luggage? What happened to the "two checked bags" deal????
By the way, did you both actually check THREE pieces of luggage? What happened to the "two checked bags" deal????
Jul 15th, 2005, 10:45 PM
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Hi Winnie, You wrote "Alhambra tickets in hand having previously ordered them online" and I wanted to know if you actually had printed tickets when you arrived. I too booked on line many months ago for a September visit, but only have my online printed reservation form. Wondering whether I should be doing more to ensure our reservation.
Really enjoyed your report. We will be driving a leased Renault for 6 weeks through France and Spain come August 25th. Can't wait! Many trips to France over the years, but the first back to Spain in exactly 35 years. Should be quite a different experience going 4 star this time, although I wouldn't trade my hitch-hiking hippy $1/night European adventure of 1970 for anything.
Really enjoyed your report. We will be driving a leased Renault for 6 weeks through France and Spain come August 25th. Can't wait! Many trips to France over the years, but the first back to Spain in exactly 35 years. Should be quite a different experience going 4 star this time, although I wouldn't trade my hitch-hiking hippy $1/night European adventure of 1970 for anything.
Jul 16th, 2005, 09:41 AM
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One member of our family had a print- out of her original online order. I had simply jotted down on a piece of paper our confirmation number. That's all the friendly gentleman at the reserved ticket window needed. He just looks up the reservation in his computer. Yes, we enjoyed the accommodations much more this time vs. back in our "Europe on $5/day" trips. Things are very expensive in Spain nowadays. The only good deal is wine. Restaurants don't mark up their bottles like they do in the States. We really favored the Riojas on this trip. The other big surprise no matter where in the country we went: the amount of development. Even the smallest hillside towns were filled with huge construction cranes. Quite a building boom!
Jul 16th, 2005, 11:02 PM
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Hi Winnie,
Thanks for the tips - especially about the vino! Good to know that my computer reservation sheet will be sufficient for the Alhambra. We've watched the building boom from a distance for these last few years. Sounds like 1/2 of England lives there now. We too will be snooping out places for a possible future winter spot in the sun. We had hoped the smaller hill towns wouldn't be so popular, but sounds like that assumption is totally wrong. Oh well, one can dream
Thanks again.
Thanks for the tips - especially about the vino! Good to know that my computer reservation sheet will be sufficient for the Alhambra. We've watched the building boom from a distance for these last few years. Sounds like 1/2 of England lives there now. We too will be snooping out places for a possible future winter spot in the sun. We had hoped the smaller hill towns wouldn't be so popular, but sounds like that assumption is totally wrong. Oh well, one can dream
Thanks again.
Jul 20th, 2005, 07:21 AM
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todays price of gas (Barcelona city)
gasoline 95 octans 1,02 euros litre
gas oil(diesel) 0,96
you can see the prices in the web page (sorry only in spanish)
http://www6.mityc.es/energia/hidroca...ntes/index.asp
Regards
JOsep Maria
gasoline 95 octans 1,02 euros litre
gas oil(diesel) 0,96
you can see the prices in the web page (sorry only in spanish)
http://www6.mityc.es/energia/hidroca...ntes/index.asp
Regards
JOsep Maria
Jul 30th, 2005, 09:34 AM
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I was intrigued by you comments on the bugs. I live near Houston, TX so I'm quite familiar with them. However, we have AC plus I don't want to contend with them on vacation.
Does anybody know if this is a problem only in the summer or year round? We are thinking of visiting Spain and Portugal in May 2006. Thanks.
Does anybody know if this is a problem only in the summer or year round? We are thinking of visiting Spain and Portugal in May 2006. Thanks.
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