Our trip to Spain was wonderful/just returned from Spain.
 

My husband and I just returned from Spain. We visited Madrid, Toledo, Granada, Nerja, Ronda, and Seville by mostly car (train between Seville and Madrid). Every city and town we went was memorable and glad we went. We particularly loved Granada and Ronda. <BR> <BR>Our 12-day trip was quite an experience and adventure. A good portion of the information I obtained came from the Forum and was very helpful. For that I am thankful. I thought I was prepared by not prepared enough, though. So, I wanted to share some of the things with fellow travellers. <BR> <BR>1) Train reservation: We hit 2 holidays, Constitution day and Immacurate Conception (not sure of this spelling). Naturally, tourists towns were packed with Spanish travellers. We waited at Atocha station for our turn to buy tickets for one hour only to find that no tickets to anywhere were available. We asked for many different routes as long as we could get to Granda and said money was not an issue (there we had hotel and rent-a-car reservation), but could not get any. Because people at the station do not speak English, it took a long time for us to get this information. Fortunately, we found a Hertz agency outside the station. <BR> <BR>We found that it is much more quicker to drive to Granda from Madrid (4 hrs to drive as opposed to 6 hrs by train). It was easy, nice drive. It was just expensive (about $100) because we did not have a reservation. <BR> <BR>2) Language: We knew that Spanish people generally do not speak English. But we did not realize how difficult it was to get simply information until we experienced. On the first day, we bought a English/Spanish dictionary in Madrid, which was quite helpful throughtout our trip. The dictionary is cheaper to buy in Spain than to buy in U.S. <BR>3) Meal time: Again, we knew it by reading guidebooks. If you want to go to popular restrants, be there by 2:00 for lunch and by 9:00 for dinner. <BR> <BR>Granada and Nerja still serve free great tapas. Particularly, one place in Nerja, we had good portions of shrimp and clam as free tapas per drink. Seafood is great in Spain. I have some information about eating places if you want. We never got tired of Spanish food. <BR> <BR>4) Hotels: I can recommend two hotels among the five different hotels we stayed. Hotel Reina Cristina in Granada and Hotel Balcon de Europa in Nerja. The Room we stayed in Nerja had a magnificent ocean view with a balcony, at about $80. <BR> <BR>5) Finally, I thought I'd mentioned this. I read in this forum about racial incidents. As we are Asian (Japanese), we were somewhat concerned. We did not have any bad experiences because of being Asian. But we were sometimes tired of being stared at or being told "there, Chinese", particularly in Ronda and Seville. However, I know this kind of things (for Asian) happens anywhere in Europe, particularly in smaller cities and towns. <BR> <BR>This is it for now. Again, Spain is wonderful and we are glad we went. If you have any questions (or comments), please ask me. In addition, I am particularly thankful to Maira and Monica for proving detailed information on Spain. Tomi

I'm planning a 3-week trip to Spain for the spring and thank you for sharing your experiences. <BR>... Do you have any suggestions for the most convenient way of seeing Alhambra (in view of the large crowds there much of the year? I hope it is possible to obtain tickets a day or so ahead of time.) <BR>... Did you stay long in Toledo or just make it a day trip from Madrid?

The most convenient way to see the Alhambra is to join a tour, which we did because we had only 1 1/2 day in Granada, so wanted to make sure we could get in. It costs 3900 pts ($1=140pts)was we felt it was worth it. The guide was wonderful and very informative. The tour group was small (about 10 people) and took plenty of time to explore. In addition, it allowed us to go back and take extra time to see the palace. We did not see any line at 10:30 am, so you could get tickets without taking a tour. <BR> <BR>We took a day trip to Toledo from Madrid. It is a beautiful little city which deserves a overnight. A day trip is convenient. But everything, including museums and other places of interests, closes between 1:30-4:30, at least during the winter time. <BR> <BR>I hope this information is helpful to you. If you need more detailed information, I'd be glad to provide. <BR>

Tomi: I'm glad you had a good time. Thanks for sharing! Great tips!! <BR> <BR>Now is my turn to ask you: Where do you stayed in Madrid? Do you recommend it? What do you enjoyed the most about Madrid? <BR>

Hi Tomi, I'm really glad you enjoyed your trip to Spain. I too loved Ronda and Granada (and the Santa Cruz section in Seville). I hope to return to Spain soon! <BR> <BR> <BR>

Hi,Maira and Monica! <BR>Maira, we stayed at Hotel Ingles in Madrid, which was o.k. The location was perfect, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. At 10,800 pts plus tax, it is an "o.k." hotel. I remember some people recommended Hotel Mora, which looks lovely near Prado and Reina Sofia Art Center. We both loved Madrid very much. Of course, the two musiums I mentioned are must. But mostly we enjoyed just walking around old part of town. Streets are interesting and many good restraurants in Madrid. I am a city person, love New York, San Francisco, and Tokyo. So, you are going back to Spain? How nice!!! <BR> <BR>Monica, I must add that Hostal Goya is excellent for that price, very clear and comfortable. And, we enjoyed San Marco. It was kind of weired in Seville when we were there for two nights. Everywhere was so quiet that at 10:00p.m. there were hardly anyone out. When we stayed at Hostal Goya at night in the middle of Santa Cruz, I did not hear a thing, which was actually nice. <BR> <BR>Again, thank you so much for the information. Love to go back... Tomi <BR> <BR>

Hi Maria, Monica, <BR>My sister and mom just returned from a trip to Spain. They stayed a week at the Hotel Carlos V in Madrid and where highly satisfied with it. It is part of the Best Western Hotel chain, and you can make reservations on-line at www.expedia.com. Have fun in Spain. <BR>Adios!