Thanks to positive guidance from this Forum and other people, I have signed up for the first RS Best of Spain Tour of 2016, beginning April 18. Nothing like seeing "Filling Fast" to get one into action. Very excited now. My next steps are to purchase air tickets, decide how many days to spend near Barcelona before the tour and near Seville after the tour, and to arrange lodging for those additional nights, all of which are inter-related. I could use some guidance on these three things:
(1) Airfare -- I see roundtrip fares now listed pretty consistently at about $1230 to $1350 from San Francisco (or even better my local Monterey, CA) to Barcelona, returning from Madrid. Can anyone suggest a way to a better fare, or a reason to wait to purchase air? BTW I would rather avoid a connection at Heathrow or some longer route and travel time, such as through Istanbul.
(2) Additional nights -- beyond the 13 tour nights, I am thinking of spending up to 7 nights before in the Barcelona area, enough time to settle in, experience Barcelona, and visit some of the great towns and sites nearby, including Girona, Besalu and Figueres, maybe others. Does that sound reasonable to you?
(3) Most useful at this point, making that work would call for affordable lodging in Barcelona for those nights. The tour stays at the K & K Hotel Picasso, which seems very nice indeed, but lists at US $231 or more per night, very prohibitive for me for an extra 7 nights. I have seen listings of guesthouses (= hostal) with nice reviews at US $80 to 100 per night, and then looked under AirB&B for the first time and have even seen private rooms in people's homes or apartments for as little as $35 per night, some very centrally located with positive reviews by guests, very much living like a local. Hmmm, hard to believe, but at that rate, I could afford to leave my baggage in my room and go off and spend a night or two in a town outside of Barcelona, with just a daypack. Can anyone on the Forum recommend from personal experience a good guesthouse, small hotel or private room at prices in this range? My needs for just me, traveling solo, are pretty basic -- location central to some sites and transit, comfortable bed, good shower, privacy, and enough space to move around in a bit. I would really appreciate any good tips based on personal experience.
Thanks so very much!!
Posted by
Port St Joe Florida
513 posts
Hi Larry,
I think that is a great idea that you plan on spending some time in Spain independently before and after the RS tour. In Barcelona I can recommend the Hotel Balmes as a good reasonable place to stay. I stayed there for several days last October and found it to be quite satisfactory. It is located in the Eixample section of the city and is a reasonable walking distance from most major sites. There is also a Metro station a short walk from the hotel. As I recall I paid somewhere around euros 100, which included a very good breakfast. While you are considering day trips from Barcelona, don't forget about Zaragoza which is only a 90 minute train ride away. There is way more than enough to see and do there to fill a full days sightseeing. I spent three days there last October and didn't run out of enjoyable activities.
As for Sevilla, I recommend you get a reservation for a hotel as soon as your air schedule is solidified. April is a tough month for budget hotels there. I haven't checked the dates because I am not travelling anywhere around there next April, but find out when Holy Week is and then find out the dates for the April Fair. During each of these events hotels in Sevilla fill up fast and prices double or sometimes increase even more than that over their normal rates. My recommendation would be the Hotel Abanico which is right near the Plaza Alfalfa. It is a great and economical place to stay in Sevilla.
Enjoy!
Posted by
FL USA
1560 posts
I see the tour begins in Barcelona and ends in seville so highly recommend tou purcahse an open jaw airline ticket arriving in barcelona and departing from seville. Using this type of ticket increases travel effectiveness and often without a real increase in expense (the added cost to the airfare is typically offset by not having to pay travel expense to get from and to madrid. You most likely will fly through madrid on your inbound and outbound flights, but this has never been an issue for us in our use of the open jaw ticket. Google the concept of an open jaw ticket and then peel back the layers of info in order to get comfortable if this tool is adding value to your needs.
To reduce hotel expense we doe the following:
1) we stay outside of the tourist zones and use public transport to/from our destinations. Barcelona and seville offer excellent public transport. By using this tactic we have saved oodles of money in comparison to expenses of staying within the tourist aone. Fyi: take the risk of being around the locals and gaining additional perspective to your visit. Google is your friend to starting learning of safe neighborhoods .
2) for stays of three nights we always rent an apt. We find the pricing competitive, the additional space beneficial, nice having a kitchen and it is another way to meet more folks.
3) train and bus service is so good that we will stay outside of barcelona and commute in. Having not needed to stay outside of seville.
Enjoy your travels!
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
Hi Larry, congrats on choosing a wonderful country. 7 extra days in Barcelona will fly by. I stayed at Pensio 2000 this past February for €70/night and plan to stay there on my next visit too. The location was great, across the street from the Palau de la Musica, a short walk to to the metro, and 5-15 minutes on foot to La Rambla, the port, the cathedral and the big markets and more. I just looked on a map, it's about 1 km from the RS hotel.
How long are you thinking of staying on after the tour? I'd recommend 2 days (1 night) longer in Seville, then take an evening train to Cordoba for 2 or 3 nights and then taking the train to the airport (transfer in Madrid).
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
Swiss via Zurich comes in at US$1285 for April 10 / May 5.
LX 39 Operated by SWISS
SFO 19:40
ZRH 15:55 +1
Connection time: 1h 25m
LX 1956 Operated by SWISS
ZRH 17:20
BCN 19:10 +1
Total Travel time: 14h 30m
LX 2021 Operated by SWISS
MAD 10:05
ZRH 12:20
Connection time: 40m
LX 38 Operated by SWISS
ZRH 13:00
SFO 16:15
Total Travel time: 15h 10m
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
This one bedroom apartment is 5 min walk from the RS hotel in Barcelona and works out at US$110 pn.
http://www.vrbo.com/1050765ha
Posted by
OP
Carmel, CA, USA
2456 posts
Thanks to all of you for these ideas! I am still working on this, and am certainly open to more suggestions.
Jack and Chani, thanks for those two hotel recommendations. Chani, Pensio 2000 is considerably less costly, but does not seem open for reservations in April yet, either on their own web site or on Booking.com. I have sent them an e-mail, but no response yet. One idea I've had, if possible, would be to stay 2-3 nights, then store my bags there while I spend a couple nights in Girona or Besalu, then return to Barcelona for another 2-3 nights at the hotel before my tour begins.
Marbleskies, yes open jaws is generally a great idea, and that has been my plan. Into Barcelona, out of Madrid. I think I will spend a couple of nights in Cordoba at the end, then go by ACE train to fly from Madrid, if I can make the schedule work. I am finding that trying to fly out of Seville adds an extra connection, more time, and more expense to the trip.
David, thanks for the Swiss flight information. It is about identical to what I have found on United/Lufthansa that I usually fly on, which connects through Frankfurt rather than Zurich. I am wary of the 40 min. connection time in Zurich in the schedule you list. Also, with a 10:00 am departure from Madrid, that would make it tough to get a morning train from Cordoba, likely requiring a night near the Madrid airport. Trying to avoid that. Also, the apartment you mentioned looks fantastic! Probably more posh and spacious than I need. Have you actually stayed there? While I have often used Booking.com and Expedia.com, I have never used AirB&B or VRBO and am a little unsure of how to connect, book and evaluate the offerings. Don't want to get into a situation of a cancelled reservation, hassle over a deposit, etc. Any tips there?
I will post one last new question on the Forum related to my "end of the tour" days in the Seville area.
Thanks again! Larry
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
No I haven't stayed at this apartment, but along with friends I have used vrbo with only good results.
I am reluctant to try airbnb because of a perception of reduced control, scrutiny, guarantee, insurance.
I would encourage an extra night or two in Madrid before returning home (if you have the time).
The tour includes the Royal Palace and the Prado, but Madrid offers much more if you are willing to look.
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon...Formerly Ventura, CA
2262 posts
Larry, use caution when considering apartments/AirBnB/VRBO, etc in Barcelona. There was a thread a while back about the minor uprising from city residents-and city government-regarding short term vacation rentals, similar to the situation in Paris.
I posted this news story at that time (I see you posted early in that thread, just want to be sure you saw this)
http://www.dw.com/en/focus-on-europe-spotlight-on-people-2015-09-02/e-18643079-9798
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15784 posts
Larry, I don't think they take reservations more than 3-4 months in advance. If you want more information about Pensio2000, send me a PM.