andresolo

My girlfriend and I are planning two weeks in southern Spain in the low(ish) season—late October. Once we reach Seville we plan to rent a car and travel around. We both like the idea of simply driving without an itinerary, and popping into B&Bs or hotels wherever we like. I've done this on past trips to Ireland, but never in Spain.

Will this "drop in" approach mean we pay exorbitant prices? Or, will the prices be the same (or even possible discounts)?

Will it be hard to find last-minute places in October?

Thank you for all advice

ribeirasacra

No one can tell you about prices. That is down to owner or management.
Travelling without knowing where you sleep sounds fine,but sometimes signs for accommodation is not so good.Turn and and then think that it is too expensive and having to move on,maybe even after dark, is not any fun.
Been there, done that and got a t-shirt.

StCirq

Sure it can be done, but you have to evaluate how much time of each day of your vacation you want to devote to finding accommodations and what price you're willing to pay if choices are scarce (which they probably won't be at that time of year). And be prepared for No Room At The Inn at a price you want to pay. Why?

I prefer to make reservations ahead of time, cancellable ones, and have options for others if my plans change.

massimop

I have done it many times in Spain and it is no problem. I use Booking. com. I typically booked a room less than 24 hours from arriving, from the hotel I was staying in. If I went to a place and liked it, I would stay as long as I liked, then when I wanted to leave, before I went to bed that night, I looked at a map to determined the next town where I wanted to be (a reasonable driving distance away, well situated for attractions) and then I looked at booking.com for rooms with wi-fi, air con, parking == whatever I wanted.

In less than 30 minutes I found what I wanted and booked and got a confirmation. I never paid beyond my budget, the rooms looked exactly like what I saw in pictures. Only once did I end up in a place where I would have hesitated to return because the wifi only worked well in the lobby, not in the room.

I have done this within the last 5 years. I travel with an internet connection. The days when it ate up your time to find lodgings are long gone, or that you would end up only finding something expensive, blah blah. In October that risk is ridiculously low-to non-existent.

massimop

By the way, if you prefer to pick a place by eyesight, rather than the internet, you can hedge your bets by checking availability for the area where you are headed the night before, or you can even wait until you arrive. It will give you some picture of availability, although hotels often keep some rooms off of booking websites, so if you want to knock on a door, up to you. But I'd ignore the scare stories, especially if you traveled that way in Ireland and it suited you rather than booking in advance (and spending time on the internet or the phone cancelling).

Alec

Spain is receiving a record number of visitors last year and this, so it may be different this October.

danon

Oct . 12 is a national holiday....that weekend is usually very busy.
Later, less so.
As suggested , look ahead a day or two...you can easily move around.

ribeirasacra

***Spain is receiving a record number of visitors last year and this, so it may be different this October.***
As usual the figures Spain produces do not mean a figs-thing.
Do they mean those who stay in all inclusive? do they mean that those who wish to go to camp site, those who use a caravan an sleep in parking lots, do they included cruise ship passengers.
How long does this forecast cover until the end of summer,the end of the new year.
These sorts of Statistical announcements are often made in Spain but the basics are never explain on how they got to the final amount.

IMDonehere

I have not done it years, but I assume you are flexible in the price and the quality of accommodations.

About a month before you leave I would check Booking.com for a town or two that you intend to visit just to see what is going on.

Spain does not have a B & B tradition, but it is growing due to the demands of tourism. There are casa rurales, paradores, hostels, and traditional hotels. American chains are rare although there are some Spanish and European chains. The type and quanity vary substantially from location to location.

Do not rent a car until you leave Sevilla, it is a burden to keep a car there and almost all cities.

Alec

I don't know the statistical basis for the assertion, but my experience last year and this bears it out. It seems a lot busier in the shoulder season of Sep to October than on previous visits. The resort I stayed out was claiming 96% occupancy in July/August 2016, a record high, and this year seems even busier. Spain, and Portugal, are popular because of perceived safety from terrorism that has afflicted some other countries, as well as value for money and reliable Mediterranean climate.

Christina

I cannot imagine why you would pay exorbitant prices just because you didn't book ahead, I've never seen anything like that. After all, it would be a weird approach for a place that had a vacancy to fill to discourage someone from filling it on that day when they needed it filled. Hotels have std policies, not these arbitrary things. Of course you may not get the advance booking or prepaid discounts in hotels, if they have any, but that's not the same as paying "exorbitant" rates. Those are usually around 10-15 pct (the advance discounts).

I have never been there end of October, but I was curious on the effect on rates from August until then at a std big hotel I stayed at in Malaga (a chain, NH). The rates for the rooms were exactly the same in mid-August as end of October, EXCEPT the last week in October you could not book a single night, there was a 3 day stay minimum. So something is going on. You could book one night in AUgust.

This may not be the kind of place the OP is thinking of, a city like that, though. I couldn't find any local festival that week, so not sure what that is about. Maybe it's not as low season as people think, at least on the beach.

In Seville, I checked a couple places I stayed at, one a mid-level hotel and you can book one night both periods, but the same room is only 88 euro in August and 110 euro last week in October (same day of week). I checked a cheaper nearby hostal and the room was 52 euro in August but 80 euro last week in October. At the upscale B&B Amadeus in Seville, a std room was 185 euro last week in October but only 92 euro at the end of August.

so the theory about low season may not be true, although October was a little cheaper than end of September.

lincasanova

August is not high season in Andalucia. But the wonderful Fall is.

kja

I’ve taken trips like the one you propose with mixed success. From my perspective, time spent looking for a hotel – whether on the ground or on-line – is time I’d rather spend in other ways; YMMV. And I have definitely paid dearly a few times, not because I was being charged more than a hotel would otherwise charge, but because no rooms were available at hotels that were in my price range. I think it really depends on your preferences, including your risk aversion and budget.