Back from Spain--quick report
Oct 20th, 2006 | 06:10 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Back from Spain--quick report
This forum was very helpful to me in planning my recent trip to Spain and I wanted to report back in the event I can help any people travelling in the future.
My wife and I travelled from 10/4 to 10/19. We flew into Barcelona, spent three days, took Vueling air to Madrid for three days, then took the AVE train from Madrid to Seville for two nights, rented a car, drove through the hill towns on our way to Nerja where we relaxed for four days, spent one night in Granada where we returned the car, and then took Vueling back to Barcelona for one night and then flew home.
Sounds a bit frenetic in retrospect but for our first trip to Spain we wanted to get a flavor of the different areas and the plane trips made travel quick and inexpensive.
Overall impressions of Spain:
1)Very friendly people, from the metro employee in Barcelona who helped us get to Sagrada Familia to the fellow on the scooter in Granada who pulled over and gave me directions to the train station twice (in French, our only common language) we found Spaniards gracious, patient and accomodating.
2)Addictive, interesting, complex history makes for fascinating travel. From the Moorish Alhambra in Granada to the Sardana dance in Barcelona, to Picasso's Guernica everything you see leads to a story. Every region is worth a trip in its own right, and invites further study/exploration.
3)Strikingly clean, maybe the most meticulously cared for streets and hotels we've run into in Europe, with a few exceptions
4)Very dry--I believe they're in the middle of a drought but overall the land looks parched. They did get a drenching in Barcelona our last night.
5)Lots of construction in the cities--Sevilla, Madrid and Granada all had major construction going on with torn up streets. Didn't detract that much although sometimes alters traffic and wouldn't want to be in a hotel next to it.
Hotels:
Barcelona--Continental Palacete--good location, very friendly staff, 24 hour buffet and free internet make it a good value. Decor a bit gaudy.
Madrid--Hotel Opera--good, convenient cafeteria in hotel
Sevilla--Casa de la Judeira, our most expensive hotel. Very pretty, unique/labyrinthine layout, nice breakfast Nerja--Hotel Balcon de Europa. Stunning setting, immaculately cared for. Nerja mostly filled with British vacationers watching football and eating English breakfasts. I wasn't prepared for the unbelievable sprawl and uncontrolled development of the Costa del Sol, we wound up getting stuck in traffic on the autoroute from Marbella to Nerja. Once we got there however we found it a fun place to lay on the beach and eat paella and relax.
Favorite city--Sevilla. Really a magical place at night. Also loved Barcelona.
Tips:
1)Get a PIN for at least one of your credit cards. Some machines require them--most important is the automatic ticket dispenser at RENFE stations. (see below)
2)Vueling very good value, well run airline. There are tons of ads for other cut rate airlines in the airports.
3)Cars are a PIA--we only rented one for four days and I wish I hadn't done that. Rentals are expensive, driving in the cities is confusing, public transportation is good, taxis reasonable. If you do rent a car, get a small one because the parking spots are miniscule and the garages narrow. I scratched our car and got dinged for 195 euros from Europcar. Consider getting super CDW to eliminate your deductible.
4)Get your Alhambra reservations and RENFE reservations before you leave home if you know the days you need them. At the train station in Madrid, there was a three hour wait to talk to a ticket agent. Fortunately I had a PIN for one of my debit cards that the automatic ticket machine accepted. I wish I had reserved tickets for a daytrip to Toledo ahead also.
My wife and I travelled from 10/4 to 10/19. We flew into Barcelona, spent three days, took Vueling air to Madrid for three days, then took the AVE train from Madrid to Seville for two nights, rented a car, drove through the hill towns on our way to Nerja where we relaxed for four days, spent one night in Granada where we returned the car, and then took Vueling back to Barcelona for one night and then flew home.
Sounds a bit frenetic in retrospect but for our first trip to Spain we wanted to get a flavor of the different areas and the plane trips made travel quick and inexpensive.
Overall impressions of Spain:
1)Very friendly people, from the metro employee in Barcelona who helped us get to Sagrada Familia to the fellow on the scooter in Granada who pulled over and gave me directions to the train station twice (in French, our only common language) we found Spaniards gracious, patient and accomodating.
2)Addictive, interesting, complex history makes for fascinating travel. From the Moorish Alhambra in Granada to the Sardana dance in Barcelona, to Picasso's Guernica everything you see leads to a story. Every region is worth a trip in its own right, and invites further study/exploration.
3)Strikingly clean, maybe the most meticulously cared for streets and hotels we've run into in Europe, with a few exceptions
4)Very dry--I believe they're in the middle of a drought but overall the land looks parched. They did get a drenching in Barcelona our last night.
5)Lots of construction in the cities--Sevilla, Madrid and Granada all had major construction going on with torn up streets. Didn't detract that much although sometimes alters traffic and wouldn't want to be in a hotel next to it.
Hotels:
Barcelona--Continental Palacete--good location, very friendly staff, 24 hour buffet and free internet make it a good value. Decor a bit gaudy.
Madrid--Hotel Opera--good, convenient cafeteria in hotel
Sevilla--Casa de la Judeira, our most expensive hotel. Very pretty, unique/labyrinthine layout, nice breakfast Nerja--Hotel Balcon de Europa. Stunning setting, immaculately cared for. Nerja mostly filled with British vacationers watching football and eating English breakfasts. I wasn't prepared for the unbelievable sprawl and uncontrolled development of the Costa del Sol, we wound up getting stuck in traffic on the autoroute from Marbella to Nerja. Once we got there however we found it a fun place to lay on the beach and eat paella and relax.
Favorite city--Sevilla. Really a magical place at night. Also loved Barcelona.
Tips:
1)Get a PIN for at least one of your credit cards. Some machines require them--most important is the automatic ticket dispenser at RENFE stations. (see below)
2)Vueling very good value, well run airline. There are tons of ads for other cut rate airlines in the airports.
3)Cars are a PIA--we only rented one for four days and I wish I hadn't done that. Rentals are expensive, driving in the cities is confusing, public transportation is good, taxis reasonable. If you do rent a car, get a small one because the parking spots are miniscule and the garages narrow. I scratched our car and got dinged for 195 euros from Europcar. Consider getting super CDW to eliminate your deductible.
4)Get your Alhambra reservations and RENFE reservations before you leave home if you know the days you need them. At the train station in Madrid, there was a three hour wait to talk to a ticket agent. Fortunately I had a PIN for one of my debit cards that the automatic ticket machine accepted. I wish I had reserved tickets for a daytrip to Toledo ahead also.
Oct 20th, 2006 | 04:09 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
We loved Nerja, and a quick stroll up the hill brings you into a charming old town. I would definitely recommend it. There's no need for a car in Nerja, since mostly it's about lying on the beach and strolling. The caves of Nerja are very cool but a bus can take you there.
I would forego the car and skip the villages but I'm probably in the minority on this board. Spain is tough because you have to make choices, but the white towns are tough driving and didn't really do it for me.
However they are probably prettier/greener in May.
I would forego the car and skip the villages but I'm probably in the minority on this board. Spain is tough because you have to make choices, but the white towns are tough driving and didn't really do it for me.
However they are probably prettier/greener in May.
