Top Spain hotels
Places To Avoid Barcelona
35 Reviews Poble Espanyol (touted as a "one hour" way to get to know Spain) is just a couple of fake buildings, some with painted on windows, and fake artisan workshops. There is one interesting contemporary art...
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Eating & drinking Madrid
15 Reviews When you are at the Plaza Mayor you may find it nice to have a bite at one of the many terraces they have, they all look so nice and you can be in the sun... beware however that these restaurants are...
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Flamenco Sevilla
5 Reviews Even though the flamenco show is meant for tourists, it features excellent bailaores, guitarists, and cantaores. The food is acceptable. What is not acceptable is that our camera with more than 300...
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Reality check Palma de Mallorca
5 Reviews There's some really irritating thing about Mallorca: "People see tourists as walking wallets". There are lots of really hard to reach beaches, that after some almost suicinding driving experiences...
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The West End, San Antonio. Ibiza
1 Review Great if you like hoards of drunken Brits marauding around the streets looking for members of the opposite sex in a drunk enough state not to reject them, puddles of vomit and urine (I'm not...
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Beaches Majorca Island
2 Reviews Beware of the very tall man 6ft 4" who slowly walks round the three beaches of Palma Nova pretending to look at the ladies when in fact he is looking for the ladies bags. He carries a towel over his...
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Las Ramblas Barcelona
39 Reviews My fiance wanted to eat on las ramblas.....as it was his birthday I gave in....I so wish I hadn't and so does he! We ate at an over-priced mediocre restaurant where they obviously just piled your...
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Monuments & highlights Madrid
11 Reviews It's just a big square plaza with very expensive restaurants, nothing to see, nothing to do. Only 'nice' thing is the Casa de la Panederia, wich is 400 years old, with nice fresco's. walk though the...
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Cathedral and Giralda Sevilla
6 Reviews Giralda is an attraction for itself, in the marvel of the cathedral. It's easy to climb, because it has inclines instead of stairs, and they seem not too steep. That's right. But they are......
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Dodgy deals / scams Palma de Mallorca
7 Reviews The Inca Market is something the tourist board advertizes as something to see. We went. It was nothing more than a large flea market at best. Nothing of real interest was sold here - leather purses,...
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Caves Majorca Island
2 Reviews Wonderful flyer pictures and descriptions which are overrated. Nice enough for those that like caves but very large groups are ushered through the cave system on hard on the feet paths. Very crowded...
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Overrated Sites Barcelona
34 Reviews Poble Espanyol was built for the 1929 International Exhibition as an open air museum that was meant to showcase different Spanish architectural styles and crafts. Today, you pay an admission fee to...
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Flamenco Madrid
4 Reviews This is supposed to be one of the best places to watch flamenco. Unfortunately, the service, food and view were so bad (as well as the stage) that it took the enjoyment right out of the evening. Not...
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Gypsies and Pickpockets Sevilla
5 Reviews Around the touristic places there use to be people (usually gypsis) looking for tourist to read the hand or tell them any other story with the aim only of asking you for money. As everywhere, just...
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Overpricing Palma de Mallorca
5 Reviews Don't go to the Nu-parc bar / cafe beside the lake opposite the Cathedral unless you want to order the most expensive beer or coffee in Palma. The waitresses need a lesson in customer service and the...
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Soller & Puerto de Soller Majorca Island
1 Review In my opinion Soller is almost a tourist trap. It is not an ugly town, but it's not a nice place. Do some shopping, have a rest or a stroll. You coud go to Biniaraix; a small village 1,5 km far from...
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High Prices Barcelona
20 Reviews Although we liked walking along the promenade at Barceloneta beach the target group of all the cafes there is the tourists. This means high prices, bad service (we were waiting 25 minutes to order in...
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Security Madrid
5 Reviews Madrid is very safe and not a place to get violently robbed, but pick pockets problem remains. The fast city has certain locations where you should watch out. These are Sol, Plaza Mayor and El Rastro...
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More tourists than inhabitants Palma de Mallorca
2 Reviews Overall we really enjoyed our holiday to Majorca but we did find it very british and lacking in culture in the resorts.There were british pubs,amusements and everything was in english so it sometimes...
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People to Avoid Barcelona
20 Reviews Be aware of anybody walking close to you and/or behind you. Always keep a strong hold of your valuables. We witnessed people trying to open purses on pedestrian crossings, in railway stations or...
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Shopping Madrid
5 Reviews Wealth Warning: Avoid using Chequepoint to change money in Madrid or anywhere else for that matter. Some of my British and American friends have told me horror stories of the rip-off rates charged by...
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Bullfights Barcelona
9 Reviews The great majority of people from Barcelona and rest of Catalonia not only are against bullfight but also hate it. In fact the Catalan law of Animal Protection will quite probably be modified next...
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Nightlife Madrid
3 Reviews Like all con merchants and charlatans, these Chinese street masseurs can be found at popular tourist spots in Madrid such as Plaza de Santa Ana and Plaza Mayor. My wife and I got conned by them....
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Purchases to Avoid Barcelona
9 Reviews Barcelona is without doubt the city of Gaudi and his many works. You will also find many people trying to sell you Gaudi items, souveniers, photos, whatever. And you will see copies of his works, most...
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Bullfighting Madrid
2 Reviews In Madrid there are 2 places where you can see the bullfighting. The most importand in all Spain is Plaza de Toros Monumental de las Ventas . The another is called Plaza Vista Alegre and is next to...
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Sangria is very expensive in Spain--something like 6 euros a glass. Instead, order the Tinto de Verano--it's delicious, and only 1 euro in most bars/restaurants. Sure, it comes pre-made out of a jar, but it's really good! And cheap!
We went to a local restaurant at the main square and ordered a Tapas sampler, which was very good. Imagine our surprise however when the bill came to over $70US! Usually tapas are $5-10US. Check the price before you order one of these "Hello, I'm a tourist" meals.
By and large, tourist traps are uncommon in Spain. The most popular destinations such as Sevilla, Barcelona, Ibiza ect, are the places where you are most likely to encounter inflated prices and low quality psuedo-spanish events and products. There are 2 things you can do to help avoid being "trapped":1. Travel during the low (bajo) season will help eliminate the chances of encountering tourist related problems and price-gouging.2. Going to culturally rich, out of the way places will ensure you have a more authentic experience. Smaller cities that don't see a lot of tourists will be more welcoming and prices will be more affordable. Obviously, there are some tourist places that you have to see while you are in Spain, such as the large museums, a flamenco show, bullfight, etc. But instead of making the big city your homebase, stay nearby in a smaller town, or limit your time there to a...
Roman bridges. Spaniards tend to think that any old bridge comes from the Roman times, so they call it 'puente romano'. In fact, only a few of them are truly Roman, but most of them were built or reconstructed in the Middle Ages. If you insist in finding a true Roman bridge, then my suggestion is that you go to the small Extremadurean village of Alcantara, where there is still a very well preserved one. This picture, however, shows a Medieval bridge in Camprodon (Catalonia).
While in Spain I am sure you want to have at least one Pallea (Spanish Rice Dish)While walking through the streets, you will find many places offering Pallea, showing the sort of Photo-menue outside the place.These Palleas are pre-cooked, frozen ones, cheap, but not what you want to try even they are mostly tasty. They advertise them like ice-cream, big boards. Try going for Pallea at least starting with smoeone. Most places don't do real Pallea for just one. And if you stay at a town for more than one day, find a restaurant and make a reservation for the next day.You will have a great, tasty experience!!Enjoy it!
When traveling the south of Spain and going to the real touristy places, you will meet Roma woman, who will hold up a little green branch and say "una regalo" which means a present for you. You take it, they take your hand and start telling you the future. For that they want some money (up to 10€). They even help you finding the money in your wallet!!! Don't do it! If they come towards you, be rude and say "no". Even they hold you or stay in your way. I've seen them telling tourists the future, while their kids or someone else is going through your pockets and daybag.So, beware!! No alternative there besides being rude.You want to see the major places, so the just beware.
If you are travelling spain and find yourself in need of a drink, whatever you do, don't pull over at the nearest bright lit building, it could end up being more than you expected.I pulled over at a nice looking building, lots of neons, pretty much away from the town, so my friends and I decided to "check it out" and get a drink, to our shock but not dissapointment, it was a brothel, needless to say I didn't hang around.I have since seen a lot of these buildings a lot of them looking pretty similar (big, brightly lit, in the middle of nowhere). So unless you wanna go in, stay clear!
the giralda and cathedral are awesome. hopefully you can visit on a weekday and avoid sharing the view with multiple busloads of tourists. it is a great area and has fabulous history....be sure to be asked to buy lots of stuff. you definitely want to climb to the top of the giralda to see the view of the city. my advice: try to guess how many people are trying to make the ascent to the top of the giralda at any one time. if there are loads of people heading up, it can be an unpleasant experience at the top. it can be nice to watch a mass in the cathedral.
The Cueva de Nerja are a caves system which was inhabited prehistoric times by cavemen. I personally found that it was not worth traveling to as the caves are very dark and you can barely see any of the prehistoric paintings inside. Nor did I find that the rock formations themselves all that interesting. It is also very crowded and for that reason, I found that it had the feel of a tourist trap. For 5 Euros it was not worth the experience.
Many hotels will tell you about a Flamenco show they offer, or can sell you tickets to. I've never been to one, and someday might go just to see why they are supposed to be so bad... I do know they are expensive and that anyone who knows anything about flamenco says they are bad.. These are the made for tourists type of shows that cost 20 or 30 Euros a head if not more... don't go unless you really want to. Realize that this is not the real deal. Real flamenco happens during the Biennal.. coming this fall... and in many neighborhoods that you might not really want to be in. If you're in Sevilla, go across the river to Triana, and you may have a shot at something. On the night of any big football match, go to some local dive bar, preferably on the outskirts of town in a residential area. Watch the locals chant, and clap, and break into Sevillanas during the games.. its pretty cool. I've...
Jazz Barcelona
6 Reviews and 1597 Opinions So it costs a fair bit...but the location is perfect, right in between Eixample and Las Ramblas,...
Hotel Atlantico Madrid
7 Reviews and 1990 Opinions With most four-star hotels in Madrid (and throughout Western Europe) charging US$400 or more, the...
San Augustin Beach Club Canary Islands
40 Opinions
Reviews and photos of Spain attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Spain sightseeing.
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Q: Hi everyone, I really need some help to decide where to bring my young family this year for holiday. I am keen on going to the...
A: all there is child friendly catering to families like yours. Great area indeed. y ou can check on destination above tips by posters like us or the tourist office...
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