On 29 Dec 2004 09:18:39 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

    >For (relatively) budget accomodation in the places you are mentioning
    >in August I can just reccoment one thing: start booking now, and don't
    >get surprised if the best value hotels are already taken at this time
    >of the year. I personally always stay at one of NH different hotels,
    >but in August they are far from cheap.

My husband and I went to Spain in late April/early May two years ago,
and had a good deal of trouble finding hotels that weren't booked up
solid. Easter was well over, but May 1st is also a holiday. However,
we often travel around that time and have never had as much trouble as
in Spain. There must be a shortage of hotel rooms.

On the plus side, a lot of lodging is reasonably priced. We used Le
Guide Routard to find some of our lodging, and found it very reliable.
We also used the Rough Guide, but got very bad steers twice from them
(more if you include non-lodging advice).
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

B Vaughan <[email protected]> wrote:

[]
    > My husband and I went to Spain in late April/early May two years ago,
    > and had a good deal of trouble finding hotels that weren't booked up
    > solid. Easter was well over, but May 1st is also a holiday. However,
    > we often travel around that time and have never had as much trouble as
    > in Spain. There must be a shortage of hotel rooms.

In the last two years, we've been to Spain each time in late May/Early
June and had no problem. Sometimes our first choice wasn't available-
but usually not. I'd point out that we booked very late- usually a
couple of days before. The most difficulty we had was in Sitges, when we
turned up on a Saturday, and just looked for a room. Still got one!
Hardly scientific I realise, but I wouldn't say there was a shortage of
hotel rooms. There's maybe not a glut of them. We very much book on the
budget end- but usually want (and get) a room with private facilities.

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Don't forget the obvious! Where ever you intend to stop for the night go to
the local tourist bureau! They know what is available at what price etc.

I would limit it to maybe 4 cities at most. Madrid is probably an oven in
August. We dropped Madrid off our list in 2001 when it was over 100F in
June. We had to stay in Sitges when visiting Barcelona as the city was
booked for a Madonna concert and an international convention. We loved
Sitges and is only about 40 minutes on the train from Barcelona. Use the
tourist bureaus for reservations if you do not have them ahead of time. We
rarely travel with reservations outside of the 1st and last of the trip,
Bill

"The Reids" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Following up to The Reids
    > >I would choose something from Grenada, Toledo, Cordoba, Cadiz,
    > >Sevilla, Barcelona maybe, St Sebastian, Santiago de Compostela,
    > >Segovia.
    > and of course southern Spain gets pretty hot in August. Marbella
    > with be packed with Brits and Germans on holiday.
    > --
    > Mike Reid
    > Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can
email us@ this site
    > Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a
spamtrap

chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn wrote:
    > In the last two years, we've been to Spain each time in late
May/Early
    > June and had no problem. Sometimes our first choice wasn't available-
    > but usually not. I'd point out that we booked very late- usually a
    > couple of days before. The most difficulty we had was in Sitges, when
we
    > turned up on a Saturday, and just looked for a room. Still got one!
    > Hardly scientific I realise, but I wouldn't say there was a shortage
of
    > hotel rooms. There's maybe not a glut of them. We very much book on
the
    > budget end- but usually want (and get) a room with private
facilities.

I don't really think that there is a room shortage, just that in peak
times (that August definitively is, specially for locals) hotel
occupation is over 90%-95%. Also, in August, some (specially in
beach-side places etc.) do not accept reservations for less than a
whole week or two weeks, etc.

If there still time, I would seriously consider going earlier just like
chancellor did (late May-early June, while Spanish kids are still at
school) or later (late September). You will (probably!!)still get sun
and temperatures on the 25º range and accomodation will be cheaper and
easier to get.

Regards,

J.

<[email protected]> wrote:

[]
    > If there still time, I would seriously consider going earlier just like
    > chancellor did (late May-early June, while Spanish kids are still at
    > school) or later (late September). You will (probably!!)still get sun
    > and temperatures on the 25º range and accomodation will be cheaper and
    > easier to get.

Indeed. Seville and Cordoba were _very_ hot when we were there- Cordoba
almost uncomfortably so, and I'm pretty tolerant of high temperatures.
As for crowds, some places we stayed, like Nerja and Sitges, were very
busy even then. It was just bearable when we were there, but I really
wouldn't want to be be there during the peak.

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Following up to Calif Bill

    > We had to stay in Sitges when visiting Barcelona as the city was
    >booked for a Madonna concert and an international convention.

Everybody is pointing out the heat. I think the OP should
consider Santiago-San Sebastian-Barcelona/Sitges.

You have got us planning again, we haven't been to Sitges area,
may try Aiguablava.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn

    > Nerja and Sitges, were very
    >busy even then. It was just bearable when we were there, but I really
    >wouldn't want to be be there during the peak.

Nerja is a package holiday destination, avoid in August!
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

The Reids <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >
    > > Nerja and Sitges, were very
    > >busy even then. It was just bearable when we were there, but I really
    > >wouldn't want to be be there during the peak.
    >
    > Nerja is a package holiday destination, avoid in August!

Sitges is also a package holiday destination- but with a different
clientele. The designer clothes shops as the giveaway! :) Nerja seemed
charming enough in early June, and had some nice restaurants in the
older part of town. Even then though, it was beginning to seem quite
package-y.

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

En/na [email protected] ha escrit:
    > We are starting to plan a trip to Spain (2 weeks) for Aug. 2005.
    > Places of interest include Marbella, Malaga, Valencia, Zaragoza,
    > Barcelona and Madrid. We are 3 and would like to travel on a relative
    > modest budget. We intend to rent a car and move through the listed
    > cities visiting the sites and enjoying the people and the local food.
    > We speak the language but don't have contacts in Spain. Can someone
    > tell us the best way to secure decent and reasonably priced
    > accomodation at the various cities. You assistance would be very much
    > appreciated.
    >

I really think it's too much for two weeks !!!! I 'm agree with you for
visiting Malaga, Zaragoza, Madrid and obviously Barcelona (I live there,
;-) ) But In August Marbella maybe crowded, hottest and full... avoid
them. It's only my opinion, I don't want to dispite anyone. :-)

Albert
Barcelona

Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn

    >> Nerja is a package holiday destination, avoid in August!
    >Sitges is also a package holiday destination- but with a different
    >clientele. The designer clothes shops as the giveaway! :) Nerja seemed
    >charming enough in early June, and had some nice restaurants in the
    >older part of town. Even then though, it was beginning to seem quite
    >package-y.

I found Nerja in summer full of northern european tourists, we
were mistaken for Germans (and interestingly recieved an apology
for that). It does have a certain charm, with its views of the
Sierra Nevada and the sea, but I think its suffered from its own
popularity. We struggled to find spanish food as almost every
places were catering to the tourists with dumbed down menus and
IIRC a Mexican restaurant run by someone from Essex or Essen. Its
the sort of place where they speak English in the supermarket.
After the first day we hired a car and commuted out to the East
where there are both non tourist areas and spanish only resorts.

I had a look at some Sitges photos here
"www.virtourist.com/europe/sitges/Sitges_Photos.htm"
They were taken in August, the beach is crammed as you would
expect and "Sin Street" didnt look classy to me. The small outer
bay and probably the harbour front are probably OK but not
somewhere I'm rushing to be at.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

The Reids <[email protected]> wrote:

[]
    > I found Nerja in summer full of northern european tourists, we
    > were mistaken for Germans (and interestingly recieved an apology
    > for that). \

Lots of Scandinavians!

    > It does have a certain charm, with its views of the
    > Sierra Nevada and the sea, but I think its suffered from its own
    > popularity. We struggled to find spanish food as almost every
    > places were catering to the tourists with dumbed down menus and
    > IIRC a Mexican restaurant run by someone from Essex or Essen.

The trick was not to eat in the 'centre' of the town, though there was
one good spanish restaurant there- a little pricy but good. A bit
further away in some of the side streets were a couple of very good fish
restaurants. Very much local places, with simple menus, but good
produce. I forget where I read about them- I think it was routard.

    > The small outer
    > bay and probably the harbour front are probably OK but not
    > somewhere I'm rushing to be at.

We only stayed there around three days, and that was enough. It had come
at the end of a holiday travelling to Seville, Cordoba and Granada
though, so a little bit of mindless beach time was welcome by then.

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn

    >> I found Nerja in summer full of northern european tourists, we
    >> were mistaken for Germans (and interestingly recieved an apology
    >> for that). \
    >Lots of Scandinavians!

Yes. It was interesting though, it was very much the "sorry, I
wouldn't have peed in your soup if i'd known" type of apology.
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap

The Reids <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn
    >
    > >> I found Nerja in summer full of northern european tourists, we
    > >> were mistaken for Germans (and interestingly recieved an apology
    > >> for that). \
    > >
    > >Lots of Scandinavians!
    >
    > Yes. It was interesting though, it was very much the "sorry, I
    > wouldn't have peed in your soup if i'd known" type of apology.

Did you finish the soup? :)

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

Following up to chancellor of the duchy of besses o' th' barn

    >> Yes. It was interesting though, it was very much the "sorry, I
    >> wouldn't have peed in your soup if i'd known" type of apology.
    >Did you finish the soup? :)

Luckily we were still at ordering stage :-)
--
Mike Reid
Wasdale-Thames path-London-photos "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site
Eat-walk-Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap