Hi Everyone, I’m back from 3 awesome weeks in Spain and I just wanted to stop in to say a great big thank you to this great Slow Travel Community for the inspiration, resources and help in the development and preparation for my trip.

I absolutely love Spain! It is a beautiful and diverse country with great art, interesting history, amazing architecture, great food and music, lovely people . . . . For perspective sake, I spent a day in Madrid with a day trip to Toledo and the rest of the time in Andalusia (Seville with a day trip to Cordoba, Cadiz, Granada, Ronda and Malaga my fly out city) and totally loved the region!

I wanted to mention a few highlights and observations (on the practical side) somne of which I had on my mind before I left and wanted to share now that I am back:

First, I had no problems using my ATM Debit cards (WAMU included) the entire 3 weeks. I used the ones connected with a bank only and I found them plentiful in all the cities that I visited.

I was really impressed with how organized and efficient the trains are in Spain, especially the high speed AVE trains that I took which were direct and non stop between Madrid and Toledo and between Seville and Cordoba. I can't say enough about them. I used the Renfe site to research my selections and get schedule and stop information. I then purchased my tickets to my next destination when I arrived in each City. With the exception of Madrid where I went to the Station the day before to purchase them and in Ronda where I couldn’t purchase my next ticket upon arrival but there is a convenient RENFE office located in town where I was able to purchase my tickets to my next destination.

Third, I felt very safe (from pickpockets) the entire time I was in Spain. I rarely used my security neck pouch. However, I still remained alert at all times.

I had no problems with using the taxi's in Spain in all the cities I visited. I used them getting to and from the airport/train stations and to my hotel/apartment. I did make sure before I arrived to write down the name and address to give it to the taxi drivers upon each arrival. And I also did some research on the approximate costs (by emailing my hotels and my apartment for tips before I left and asking them when I was there).

The food is very delicious and very reasonable too. I loved sampling their Tapas and Cava…

A tip when you are visiting especially Seville and Granada (I’m sure something similar happens in other cities and countries too, but I wanted to mention it here). . . avoid the women who try to give you this leaf of some sort. I found that they were focused in and around the area near the Cathedrals. I say this from personal experience. As soon as I took it I knew I had been had. I was asked for 2 Euros and then when I gave her 2 euros she asked for five. And no, I didn’t give her 3 more. What can I say? Next time I was approached (which was several more times), I declined and kept walking. No problems.

Lastly, I can’t wait to return! Highlights of my trip include, the Prado, going to my first tapa bar and the Fiesta Almudena in Madrid, the beautiful Sunsets in Cadiz, the Alhambra in Granada, watching my first live Flamenco show in Seville, standing on the Puente Nuevo in Ronda, the Mesquita and 1,200 year old well in Cordoba, the Cathedral and Synagogue Santa Maria La Blanca in Toledo, the Picasso Museum and Castillo de Gibralfaro in Malaga . . .

Thank you once again Slow Travel. As usual, I relied very much on the reviews here and I also used Venere.com and was not disappointed. I've started working on my own reviews and will submit them within the week for consideration.

Again, Thank you so much.
Kathy

Kathy - Welcome Back!! What a great post.

Since you did pretty much what I am planning to do in April 2009, I hope you will let me pick your brain a bit with questions and suggestions.

Unfortunately I will NOT have 3 weeks for this trip, but 12 days total including time in Madrid.

My tentative plan is to fly into Madrid, spend the first night there and take the AVE train to Seville the next morning. Three nights in Seville. That is as far as I have gotten.

I know that I want to visit Cordoba, Granada, Toledo and Madrid (and if time permits I might make a pit stop in the Ronda region). How many days/nights would you suggest in each city? I assume you did not rent a car at all during your time? Did you find that helpful or a hindrance?

Any particular B&B's or hotels you stayed which you can highly recommend? I have already made my reservation in Seville but that is all so far.

Appreciate any insights, thanks!!

Great tips...we just got back and I would concur on what you wrote...the only thing I might add is if one knows ahead of time when they are traveling it is an advantage to buy tickets ahead of time on line and take advantage of the web discount that is often offered...they are the best discounts when you buy them 62 days before needed...you just print them out and use them...if for some reason you can't print them you just swipe your credit card one you get to the station....we saved up to 60% this way and had no problems....

we loved Seville so much we are thinking of a way to live there....

Hi Dorit. Thank you for your comments and I'll try to respond to your questions . . . hopefully I remember how to do the quote right.

quote:

Originally posted by Dorit:
My tentative plan is to fly into Madrid, spend the first night there and take the AVE train to Seville the next morning.

My fly in city was Madrid and I stayed in Madrid for 4 nights, and in that time I did a day trip to Toledo. So that is something you could do before you go to Andalusia (Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Ronda). I'm not sure if you already booked your flights or if your Seville reservations are flexible for you to do that. Of if you already bought your tickets and your fly out city is Madrid then you can do it on the tail end of your trip. When you are in Madrid, do a day trip to Toledo at that time. To be honest Madrid had so many things and great museums to see there I would have liked to have tacked on at least one more night. The AVE train is available from Madrid to Toledo. I think one of the things I would have liked to have done was stay the night in Toledo. But I did manage to see most of the highlights during my day trip. I just felt a little rushed. There is so much to see and absorb there. After Madrid I then took the AVE train to Seville.

quote:

Originally posted by Dorit:
I know that I want to visit Cordoba, Granada, Toledo, Madrid, (and if time permits I might want to make a pit stop in the Ronda region).

I stayed in Seville for 7 nights and visited Cordoba as a day trip using the AVE train. So you can also do that. If I wasn't enjoying myself in Seville so much, I probably would have liked to have spent at least a couple of nights in Cordoba, but I was able to see things on my must see list during my day trip. I totally loved Ronda and to see the Puento Nuevo at night was so great. I spent 3 nights there. I went to Ronda after Granada which was a bit of backtracking on the trains but I'm actually glad that I did it that way because Ronda was a nice relaxing little town and it was nice that to visit there towards the end of my trip. I'm not sure but maybe Seville stopping overnight in Ronda then on to Granada might work. Maybe others can chime in on that possibility as well.

How many days/nights would you suggest in each city? I assume you did not rent a car at all during your time? Did you find that helpful or a hindrance?
I used the trains for my entire trip. I traveled solo so it was just more convenient for me and I'm just a big fan of using public transporation whenever possible. The down side is that you can't stop in little towns near your base cities that maybe you would want to visit and also flexibility on time. Still, I worked with the schedule and managed to see the places that were high on my must see list. I book lodgings that are centrally located and have great access to the local transportation system or within walking distance. That also helps.

Any particular B&B's or hotels? I used the reviews on Slow travel and I found my Madrid hotel on Venere (because the one hotel that I liked the reviews for here was already booked). From the list you provided:

Madrid - Plaza Mayor Hotel (My first choice of Hotel Mayorazgo that was reviewed here on Slow Travel (review link) was already booked so I found this hotel on the Venere.com site. I think I read someone else recommending this hotel as well before I left for my trip. I had a single room which was tiny but it was very clean and the hotel staff was very nice. And after only about four steps from the reception desk there is an elevator to your floor. I'm not sure how large the double rooms are? There is a computer in the lobby and they have free wi-fi. The location was 2 minutes away from Plaza Mayor. There was some street noise but not enough to be bothersome to me.

Granada - Hotel America (got this from ST reviews)It is located on the grounds of the Alhambra which made it very convenient when seeing the Alhambra. It is family owned passed on through generation and I found them to be very friendly and nice. The only thing is there is no elevator and I found the walls a little thin which is not really a big concern of mine. But I have to say that at night it is so quite and the view is spectacular from the grounds of the Alhambra.

Ronda - (if you stay overnight) Hotel San Miguel (which was one of my favorites) Found this from ST Reviews. I would highly recommend this hotel too.

Also, I think sometimes it's important to know a little about the person making the recommendation as I think it helps. I did travel solo and my interests are art, music, looking at the different architecture, learning about history and am pretty much a budget minded person but am willing to pay the price for good location. Location is more important to me. I came to slow traveler not as a Slow Traveler but I am slowly transitioning to this style of traveling as I believe it is the best travel experience generator.

Another thing I learned to do at the end of my trip was to book the earliest train out of my cities on to the next so I could reduce the travel time and have more time in my next cities. Also, I found the trains less crowded and it made things less hectic for me.
I hope this helps a little.

If you have any more questions or if I may have not answered specifically to the ones here (still trying to recover from jetlag a little), please let me know.

Have fun with your trip planning. I think you will really enjoy Spain.

Kathy

{edited to fix link}

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Shannon,

Hi Jill, thanks for mentioning the discount opporutnities by purchasing on-line. I wasn't aware of that.

I also loved Seville. I think that is so great that you might be moving that way. I would love to hear more about that when you do. There are two countries now that I wouldn't mind staying in for long periods of time, Italy & Spain!

Thanks for adding your great tips!

Kathy - WOW, thanks for such a long and detailed reply.

The reason I am immediately traveling to Seville after a quick night in Madrid is that I do NOT want to be there during Semana Santa (their Holy Week). Not only are the rates almost doubled for hotels, you have to pre-book and pre-pay a non-refundable cost and that is just not feasible for me.

I thought of Toledo as a day trip from Madrid but now you have me thinking of maybe a night there as well. On the other hand I will have less time to spend on this trip than you so maybe I will have to keep it just as a day trip so as not to hassle with luggage and changing hotels too many times in these almost 2 weeks.

If we decide to visit Ronda and those small towns in the area we may try and rent a car just for those two days since I know that is an area where public transport is just not available, or unreliable at best. I am still thinking about this and have not made a final decision on this area yet.

Thanks for the info on the hotels. I am also thinking about Playa Mayor in Madrid but just now found a B&B called Abracadabra (I kid you not!!) for a great price. Now just checking on location and whether they have availability. Also thinking of Hotel America in Granada, along with another possible choice. Glad to read that it was still good since tripadvisor has some negative reviews as well. Price is good and location can't be beat so it might be the one I choose.

I am also a traveler who enjoys slow travel (and it has been getting slower and slower as the years go by and I love that!!), art, museums, history, architecture, mostly the same as what you wrote about yourself. I do travel though with my husband so am not a solo traveler.

Thanks again for taking SO much time to answer, have an easy transformation back to "normal routine life" after such a long and wonderful vacation, and I will come back to you if there is anything further as times goes on.

All the best

Welcome home Kathy! You did such an awesome job blogging while you were in Spain and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your trip (and seeing all your amazing photos!). Thanks!

You've put Spain on my travel radar in a big way (if I can ever tear myself away from Italy!).

Welcome home Kathy! I also loved reading your trip report - I am so impressed that you did this on your own!

You should put a link to your blog in your profile but for now, if anyone is interested in reading Kathy's trip bloggging, here is the link:

Trekcapri's blog

So, when's your next trip?

We stayed at the hotel guadalope in granada and i would recommend it if all you wanted to see is the alhambra(it is across the street) but if you wanted to see the town too i would stay in the town...

trecapri...if we move there i will post it on this site and you can get in touch with me then.. it really depends on the economy and the dollar which we are tied to...but i really loved spain....

Welcome home Kathy. I loved traveling along with you via your blog. It was great. It brought back a lot of memories from our trip to Spain 25 years ago. My goodness was it 25 years?

Hi Dorit, sounds like your plans are beginning to develop very nicely. I love that B&B's name. If you stay there I'll have to watch for your review since I know I'll return to Spain sometime in the future. Also, if you are interested in seeing a Flamenco show in Seville, I would recommend a place that María recommended to me called Los Gallos located in the Barrio Santa Cruz. I shared that little nugget with another couple I met while in Alhambra since they were leaving for Seville and they found it in their guide book and plan to go. If you do go early as seats are first come first serve. I'm glad you're thinking of still stopping by Ronda. It's such a cute town. Actually, I'll have to share a funny story about Ronda. While there I was walking back to my hotel and saw a crowd in front of the famous bullring and so I asked one of the residents who was visiting and they said the King of Spain! And then within a few minutes he and his escort drove by. And to think when I was visiting the bullring the morning before I thought they were building a Christmas market thing. Just one of the many reasons I love traveling! Never know what you may come across. Enjoy your planning and definitely feel free to let me know if you have questions. Happy planning . . .

Annie, thanks so much for your comments and for coming along on my Spanish adventure. I think you would enjoy Spain a lot too, but I can understand about Italy as I love Italy too, especially Venice! Have an awesome time in beautiful Venice! I can't wait to read about all of your new discoveries there.

Thanks so much Shannon! I learned from the best! Maybe when I get over my shyness I'll add the link . . . As for my next trip, I'll have to start reading the forums again for my next inspiration! It'd be hard to top Spain, Venice and Prague/Salzburg, but I'm sure that I'll read something that will sound exciting to do, I always do here on the boards.

JilM, great point. Thanks for mentioning the distance to town and your logding recommendation as another option. I have to say that at first I was concerned that the hotel although convenient to the Alhambra was far from the center of town (which I usually prefer), but I found out later that there is an Alhambra bus (# 30 or # 32) and for $1.10 euros I took that into town and back. And if you stay out later than 10:00 or the last bus I took a taxi back to the hotel. It even takes you to El Albaicín and St. Nicolas Plaza for a very beautiful scenic view of the Alhambra. The reverse also applies, so Dorit if you find great place in town you can use the Alhambra bus to get up to visit the Alhambra. I think if I were to return to Granada again, I would probably next stay in town which I really enjoyed too! Another possibility would be to split your lodging, the first part while visiting the Alhambra and the second to be in the center of the action in town. That would be kind of cool too! JilM that would be great to hear about your plans. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Marta, thanks so much too for your comments. The great thing about our travel memories is that they never seem to go away. And I find that the ones that are the most meaningful and memorable are the ones that last forever and are in such vivid detail. I think my memories of this trip to Spain is definitely in that category.

Thanks so much everyone,
Kathy

Change in my travel plans and I will only have one week for this trip

So we have decided to devote the entire week to Madrid (this IS slow travel after all right ) with some day trips maybe to Toledo and Segovia.

So we will probably book with Plaza Mayor which seems to be the best for what we are looking for. And now I wonder whether anyone knows of a good place to see a flamenco show in Madrid. I understand that Seville is THE place for this but since we are not going there this trip, I have to compromise.

I think leaving the Andalucia portion of our trip for another time was the smartest thing we did.

Awaiting any tips or info please. And thanks much !!!

Hi Dorit, it's too bad you can't visit Andalusia on this trip, but with one week it's probably a good idea to save that region for when you have more time because there is so much to see there.

I have to say that I did not see a show in Madrid so I am unable to make any recommendations for a Flamenco show there, but I did find THIS thread and THIS thread. Maybe it will give you some good ideas or maybe others can also make other suggestions for you.

Enjoy the rest of your planning and have a wonderful trip!

Hi Dorit,

When will you be in Madrid?

I will also be in Madrid this March and have been looking at options for flamenco. A very knowledgeable poster in Fodors (Maribel) recommends Casa Patas. BTW, I recommend anybody traveling to Spain to check her travel guides, which can be downloaded www.maribelsguides.com
Years ago I went to Cafe Chinitas.

Kathy - thanks for the links, I shall check them out.

Maria A - I will be in Madrid the very first week of April. I guess we will not overlap? When are you planning?

I know very well the advice of Maribel at Fodors (she has been extremely useful in answering my questions on that board and indeed has suggested Casa Patas!!) and have indeed seen and downloaded many of her brochures. She is such an expert and always comes up with great answers. Thanks again.

FYI there is also some very informative people on TA in the Madrid forum for Flamenco suggestions...I enjoyed using some of them as well as Maribel's guides...

We spent a week in Madrid and had no regrets...we alo did a day trip to Toledo and to Segovia...personally we liked Toledo better..

Hi Dorit,

We will be in Madrid 3/19-3/24, then we'll fly and stay 4 nights at Santiago de Compostela and then back to Madrid for one last evening to pick our flight home the next day.

As others have suggested, Toledo and Segovia are very good daytrips to make. Another one would be Avila and even Valladolid. But if you have never been to Madrid, there is a lot to see there of course.

Hi Maria,

Too bad we shall just miss each other in Madrid. Have you been there before? And have you chosen your hotel already? I am having quite a discussion with myself in trying to pick the one I like best, I have several options that sound good and seem to fit our requirements but just can't decide (seeing that we will be there an entire week the decision is even more important). An apartment, if anyone is thinking of suggesting that, is not an option.

Thanks.

Hi Dorit,

My husband, my son and I have all been to Madrid before. It is the first trip to Spain for my daughter and that is why we are spending some days in Madrid. We decided to go with an apartment (first time we rent!) because for the four of us it seemed as the most practical solution. In Santiago, we are staying at a B&B with very reasonable prices, so we got 2 rooms there.

I read somewhere that you are considering the Hotel Plaza Mayor? I haven't stayed there but I have seen Maribel recommend it and I highly trust her opinion. We have stayed at the Villa Real, but their prices in March/ April are very high.

What other hotels are you considering?

Hi Maria,

The other hotel I am considering is called Hostal Gonzalo. It gets a very high rating on tripadvisor under "specialty lodging section" and has many good points going for it, as does also the Plaza Mayor, which is my other option.

They BOTH have many people recommending them and so it really is a toss-up to decide on which one. The Hostal is closer to the museum area and might be in a quieter area. While the Plaza Mayor is reasonably medium-priced at about 90 Euros per night for a double, the Hostal is even less at about 60-65! So really I am torn between this decision.

I coule even decide to split my week between the two places but I think that might be a little silly.

Wow, the rates at the Hostal Gonzalo are great! And I can tell you the area is very good. Sounds like you have two very good choices!

Hi:
We stayed at that Hostal Gonzalo. It is a clean budget Hostal. We were satisfied with it as it was a place to sleep. The owner/manager brothers speak English; other family members don't. They were helpful with itineraries, lending an umbrella and arranging taxis. The biggest plus for us was the proximity to all the museums and to the rail station. Interior rooms are dark as they are centred on a light shaft. I don't believe there was airconditioning but as we were there in off season I didn't look for it. It has a lift.

At the T junction at the head of the street there is (was) a good Galician restaurant and the Cerverceria Cervantes on the corner heading towards museums has good tapas, beer and wine. It was always crowded but staff were accommodating.

Dennis