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Paris and Barcelona - two days - need help!

Paris and Barcelona - two days - need help!

Old May 11th, 2010, 11:52 AM
  #21  
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Interesting responses. Some of the excursions were done before I had a chance to check them out. '

Some responses to the comments:

I have relatives in Spain who I had never met. My old college roommate and I decided to take a trip to Spain one year and we drove from Madrid, to Segovia, down the coastline to Seville, Granada, Alicante to see my relatives to meet them, to Toledo, Granada and back to Madrid before flying out. Also was at Costa Del Sol for a business trip. The one area we didn't get to was Barcelona, so the fact that the cruise leaves from there worked out well.

But thanks for the advice although it is a bummer that some couldn't find any thing good to say. Look...we had an option to fly into Paris for a couple of days before puddle-jumping over to Barcelona before the Cruise left. And Suzanne...I agree...I have been to many cheesy places and the group made the event fun as we laughed and enjoyed the company. (I was on a vampire tour one year at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, so I get it!!).

My friend booked Versailles, and I really had no idea what it was about. Hey...you live and learn. I told her to hold off booking anything in Barcelona or the other full day in Paris until i had time to look into it. I.E. Paying for a tapa tour is ridiculous, as you can do that on your own! Again, thatnks for constructive comments.
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Old May 11th, 2010, 12:08 PM
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lesliem~~ Well you said "all feedback welcome". So you really can't complain that some people had negative comments about your plans.

You'll see this forum really does work better when the questions are asked before plans are finalized. So you can possible make use of the suggestions, rather than just feel people tromped on your already finalized ideas.

For example, I don't know a thing about Versailles, other than it is quite a distance outside central Paris so pretty much shoots the day going there. so that's why I said to skip it, wasn't paying attention to the fact these things are already booked and paid for, sorry.
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Old May 11th, 2010, 12:29 PM
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suze, I have seen it before...
if everything is booked and payed for , getting negative feedback is no fun.
Best to forget it all together and save everyone's time and effort .
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Old May 11th, 2010, 03:59 PM
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Re: Barcelona: Hispana 7 Suiza has suites big enough for you; there are many postings on trip Advisor about hotels with rooms for 3. Do stay away from Las Ramblas, though whoever opted for Moulin rouge might love it, LOL. Also just wanted to point out that there is much of Spain, actually the entire North, that remains for you to explore on future trips; Galacia, Cantabria, Costa Brava, Navarra, Basque country to name a few places .
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Old May 11th, 2010, 04:47 PM
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Another vote to bag the Moulin Rouge - there could be no greater waste of time and money.It is definitely for the more mature - or dare I say it old - tourist who is about 30 years behind the time.

I would think the younger women would want to go to a club with current music where they could meet guys and dance - while the more mature set might want a nice dinner or evening museum - or even jazz club.
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Old May 11th, 2010, 06:20 PM
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I think a lot of people posting here don't get that the words "Moulin Rouge" mean something to younger people than it does to people your age.

And I do believe the lesliem was asking for help on accommodations more than scoldings about "not having consulted Fodor's before finalizing anything". (If Fodorites don't know anything about a place and confidently tell people to skip it, why on earth shouldn't sensible people make travel plans without their "help"?)

Lesliem,

You can probably save yourself a HUGE amount of time by using Tripadvisor and Venere.com to look for accommodations in Paris and Barcelona. Plug in your dates. Let the search engines work. Both sites have copious user reviews.
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Old May 11th, 2010, 06:35 PM
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My husband and i went in august and stayed at the best western left bank-st. germain. It was perfect. Awesome location, in the heart of everything and we walked everyhwere. The only draw back is because it is in the heart, it can be noisy at night (or early morning depending on what time you went to bed). I loved Versailles, but agree with the others, if you only have two days stay in paris and save Versailles for another trip.

In Barcelona we stayed at a large hotel (dont remember which one) but it was a very short taxi to the ramblas area. Very easy to do.
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Old May 12th, 2010, 10:11 AM
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Suze/danon and others: Please don't misunderstand...I am looking for feedback, but geesh.....there is a way to give input and ways not. There were things booked before I could control them and I am trying to work around them.

I appreicate those who are trying to help. I did book a place in Paris based on tripadvisor and other receommendations and now am looking for a moderately priced place in Barcelona for the 2 days/nights before we leave on the cruise. Seems every time one is found whose reviews say they are central, have a/c, have great hostsm, etc., they are booked. So I am still looking.

And one last note (please) on the Moulon Rouge. I am going to see if I can get the group to cancel the tour with the restaurant/seine river/moulon rouge package. I have a feeling it is non-refundable. Sooooo...we will have to make the most out of it. I am confident the younger kids will still be up to going out and a I am young at heart, I will lead them to some fun places. And again...I think the whole thing was based on them seeing the movie. So whatever....it is, what it is. As a poster put (and who is in the same frame of mind as I)....you can have fun no matter what life throws your way if you are with people you love. If we can cnacel and they are OK with it, I will certainly take all your advice.

Finally, I really DO apprecaite your input, so don't think negative replies are not asked for. But certain things like time we have, etc., can't be changed as flights are booked. We just thought we can get a couple of days in before the cruise. Have a great day and thanks for the comments.
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Old May 12th, 2010, 11:09 AM
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Hi Lesliem,

If you want to go to the Moulin Rouge you should go to the Moulin Rouge. It is YOUR trip and YOUR money and you should do what makes you happy.

A suggestion to get the most out of the rest of the time you'll have in Paris is to walk. Just walk around--walk along the river, walk to Notre Dame, walk down the Champs d'Elysees, walk to to the Eiffel Tower, you get the idea. You can see and experience so much of Paris from just wandering the streets.

I hope you'll come back to the Forum after your trip and post a report!

Have fun!

Patti
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Old May 12th, 2010, 11:22 AM
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I am not scolding anyone. Just saying, if some of the plans are set in stone (plane tickets purchased, teens who want to see Moulin Rouge, nonrefundable tours paid for, etc.) it's helpful to be clear about that in the Original Post.

She/you said "our thought was..." and told about some plans. So call me crazy but I asssumed nothing had been booked yet.
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Old May 14th, 2010, 08:23 AM
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I will certainly post a trip report.
Having a hard time finding the right place to book in Barcelona, but still trying.

Thanks again all!
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Old May 18th, 2010, 05:52 AM
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hi lesliem,

I will be doing a longer version of your trip in July - 4 nights Paris, 5 nights Barcelona. I was pretty overwhelmed by the number of hotel choices in Barcelona but a few weeks ago I finally made a decision and booked Hotel SixtyTwo. It seems like it is in a good area (pretty sure it is in the Left Eixample) and I got a rate of $132/night including breakfast. I booked it on 1800Hotels but I used TripAdvisor to get there. Tripadvisor is great because it simultaneously searches a number of websites. Great way to compare prices.
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Old Jun 7th, 2010, 11:44 AM
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Your trip sounds great. I saw Versailles many years ago and know my daughters would love to see it, too. Question: we're planning a similar cruise from Barcelona but wanted to take advantage of a couple of days in Paris. I don't know, though, the best way to get to Barcelona and if it's worth the logistics to even go to France on this trip. Any thoughts?
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Old Jun 7th, 2010, 12:32 PM
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Versailles is great, so I think that is a great idea. You can easily spend half a day in the garden and the other half inside the palace. The Louvre is a bit tough even when feeling great, so not sure you will all enjoy that, as it really is hard work.

It is finally warming up in Paris. I would take advantage and enjoy the Cafe culture a little (though Barcelona also has a nice cafe culture). If you are unlucky enough to be in Paris when it is raining, then perhaps plan B could be the Louvre. Otherwise enjoy the sites you can see from the outside, as some of the others have suggested. Two and a half days are not really much for a city the size of Paris, however I am sure you will all enjoy yourselves no matter what you decide to do!

You may be stuck with staying in a hotel as most if not all the apartment rentals require a minimum of more than a couple of nights.
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Old Jun 7th, 2010, 02:41 PM
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There are a lot of rental apartments in Barcelona. I have used Habitat Apartments at http://www.habitatapartments.com/.

I do not know whether they will rent for just two nights, but you can find out. Many of the rental apartments are in the Eixample or in El Born, and both neighborhoods would be fine. Checking your dates, it appears that there might be a three night minimum. But depending on the price, it might cost less to rent an apartment for three nights than two hotel rooms for two nights.

You might want to check out the excellent information about Barcelona at www.maribelsguides.com.
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Old Jun 7th, 2010, 03:32 PM
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The Habitat apartment we stayed in last month in Barcelona was the "Banys" in the Barri Gotic and easily slept 5. Great location for everything and everyone.

Also, the Moulin Rouge was one of the highlights of a trip to Paris, a couple of years ago. It was touristy and cheesy and everything that's been said here ... but we thought it was hysterical (in a "I can't believe we're here") sort of way and the champagne probably didn't hurt at all. (I still have the complimentary ash tray, which I use as a soap dish in the guest bathroom.) Good memories ... especially getting back to our hotel at 0-dark-30! Have fun ...
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