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Spain in August - Page 3

post #31 of 108
6/29/11 at 3:58am
Thread Starter 
the plan was to fly to Ibiza but then take the ferry to Valencia for the Tomato festival. I am leaning towards 86'ing Ibiza...I go to Vegas frequently so the costs of going out for a night won't be very shocking (I hope). All the big DJs go to Vegas now anyways. The thing I'm thinking about Ibiza is I'll get hosed on housing since its peak travel season and it'll be too crowded to really do much. I'll be looking up Barcelona area beaches and other day trips I can take..maybe spend a week there and chill out. I travel frequently. I'm used to a fast schedule and short trips....and 3-4 days in a city usually is pretty good for me. shit, i was considering hopping over to Rome for 4 days between madrid and barcelona....probably not though. I have the Monocle Spain guide...Girona looks interesting.
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post #32 of 108
6/29/11 at 4:12am
Thread Starter 
Has anyone been to the Oceanografic in Valencia?

http://www.cac.es/oceanografic/

worth going to?
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post #33 of 108
6/29/11 at 8:22am
I'm planning on doing that because Santiago Calatrava did the whole complex, if you care about that kind of thing.
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post #34 of 108
6/29/11 at 12:00pm
If you decide to go to Ibiza, do not waste your time with ferries - they sound cool, and I bet they are, but given the amount of time you have to spend - go for the 1 hour flight. I flew with Spanair, it was super cheap and, well, maximizes your time on the island. Pack a day bag and leave your heavy luggage in a locker in Barcelona.
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post #35 of 108
7/8/11 at 8:36pm
Thread Starter 
Any recommendations on places to stay in Barcelona? looking at these apartments. would like a kitchen for cooking and laundry since we'll be there 5 days. mainly in the born or barri gothic areas. Option 1: 650 Euro http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/...price&pagina=1 It would be nice to have a terrace/deck and view. The apartment includes the following amenities and services: 1 bedroom with double bed, wardrobe & en-suite bathroom A living room / dining room, with a sofa bed (140x200 cm and table with four chairs. 1 bathroom with bath/shower and toilet (en-suite off bedroom) Kitchen washing-machine, microwave, toaster, coffee maker. Terrace with view over Sots Tinent Street (a pedestrianised street) Air conditioning / Electric heating Internet wifi connection TV with satellite Hairdryer Iron and ironing board Towels and linen provided A baby travel cot and baby´s high chair ( upon request ) Maid service for more 8 + nights stay Option 2: 650 euro http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/...price&pagina=1 2 bedrooms. However there is only AC in one of the bedrooms. The apartment offers the following amenities and services: 1 bedroom with a queen-size bed 1 bedroom, on mezzanine floor with stairs leading up, with a hard futon style bed. Dining room with a dining table for 4 people. 1 bathroom with shower and wash-hand, the toilet is in another room with a sink as well. A well-equipped kitchen with fridge, freezer, oven, coffee maker and microwave TV with local channels 1 CD- Player and DVD Player Washing Machine/Tumble dryer Hairdryer Air Conditioning in the main bedroom. Gas heating Iron and ironing board Towels and linen provided Maid service for more than 7 days staying A baby travel cot and baby’s folding high chair Internet WI-FI Option 3: 700 euro http://www.habitatapartments.com/en/...price&pagina=1 This seems clean. the entire building is apartment rentals so it might be run a little nicer. The apartment includes the following amenities and services: 1 bedroom with double size bed. A living room / dining room, with sofa bed (140x200 cm). Bathroom with bath/shower and toilet A well-equipped kitchen (fridge, freezer, toaster, coffee machine, microwave) with washing machine Air conditioning / Electric heating Satellite TV Internet WI-FI DVD Hairdryer Iron and ironing board Towels and linen provided A baby travel cot and baby’s folding high chair Maid service for more than 7 days staying
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post #36 of 108
7/8/11 at 9:19pm
Thread Starter 
also, should i pack a light windbreaker? does it get cool at night?
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post #37 of 108
7/9/11 at 1:00am
it cools down about 10 degrees from the midday heat until about 10 or 11pm... if you are lucky.
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post #38 of 108
7/19/11 at 10:00pm
Thread Starter 
Is the Dali Museum worth a day trip from Barcelona?
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post #39 of 108
7/20/11 at 1:40am
Hey dude,

Sorry I didn't see this thread before! Your overall trip sounds good. It seems like you're thinking about Valencia--I'd say it's worth maybe a day to see some of the Calatrava architecture, including the oceanographic, but the oceanographic itself is hardly worth going out of your way for. It's not as nice as, say, the Monterey Aquarium, but it's OK. I would definitely hit up Girona if you want to get an idea of Catalonia outside of Barcelona, and definitely go see the Dali house/museum in Figueres. There's tons of nice beach towns around Barcelona, but they are totally packed in August. I mean, three hours of stop-and-go traffic just to get to the beach-type traffic. Sounds like you like Vegas--I would go to Ibiza. It's not my favorite place, but I'm 40 years old and married...yes, the douchebaggery will be high, but I don't think it's be any more crowded than the Costa Brava beaches. I think if you want to have fun and meet some girls, Ibiza is worth checking out. You don't have to party every minute you're there--there are nice beaches and lots of places to chill out on the island, too. Consider one of the other islands, too. Menorca and Formentera have some nice beaches and are a lot more mellow than Ibiza. If you're going to go to the islands, try getting a flight instead of a ferry (the ferries are so much slower, they really only make sense if you're bringing a car or motorcycle).

On the other hand, I honestly don't think you'll get bored of Barcelona in 6 days. There's tons to do there both during the day and night, and if you take little day trips to beaches (try St. Pol de Mar), you'll fill up the week quickly.

Don't specifically know the places you're mentioning to stay in BCN, but the areas are good. You better have AC in both bedrooms though. And I don't think you'll need a windbreaker. It doesn't get that cool at night compared to, say, L.A.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'd suggest meeting up, but we have a newborn baby to take care of and my social time is basically zero. Anyway, have fun!
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post #40 of 108
7/20/11 at 1:51am

I just got back from the Canary Islands and it was awesome. Way better than doing a week in Andalucia to see castles and cathedrals, which is what I had originally planned. Haven't been to the Balearic Islands, but it seems like they're better for partying while Canaries has more natural sights, which is more my kind of thing.

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post #41 of 108
7/20/11 at 2:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheIdler View Post

On the other hand, I honestly don't think you'll get bored of Barcelona in 6 days.
I don't see how anyone would ever get bored of Barcelona.
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post #42 of 108
7/21/11 at 12:54pm
Thread Starter 
ok...we're going to skip the islands. basically:

madrid - 4 days
barcelona - 5 days
valencia - 2 days
la tomatina - 1 day

As far as I can tell...Madrid is good for bullfights and tapas crawls and valencia is where I should try Paella?

trains, should i just buy individual tickets or should i get a railpass for 3 days of travel? I was thinking of taking the AVE from Madrid to Barcelona and one from Barcelona to Valencia....then we have a day pass maybe take a train to the Dali museum or another town with it....is that how the passes work there?

are the beaches near barcelona...are there other transport methods like a private van hire / tour company /etc that are any good. or is the beach in barcelona good enough?

Also, what is the nighlife scene like in the big cities? Like bars/clubs/etc? want to interact with some attractive women, hopefully some that speak some english....
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post #43 of 108
7/21/11 at 2:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xericx View Post

ok...we're going to skip the islands. basically:

madrid - 4 days
barcelona - 5 days
valencia - 2 days
la tomatina - 1 day

As far as I can tell...Madrid is good for bullfights and tapas crawls and valencia is where I should try Paella?

Sounds good. Remember a good paella place will only serve paella at lunch and will have a minimum order of two people. They should bring out the paella in the pan for you to look at before portioning it out onto your plates.
Quote:
trains, should i just buy individual tickets or should i get a railpass for 3 days of travel? I was thinking of taking the AVE from Madrid to Barcelona and one from Barcelona to Valencia....then we have a day pass maybe take a train to the Dali museum or another town with it....is that how the passes work there?

First, there is no AVE from Barcelona to Valencia. Second, I don't think a pass will work out well for you, if I understand your timing correctly...IMO makes more sense to just buy the tickets individually.
Quote:
are the beaches near barcelona...are there other transport methods like a private van hire / tour company /etc that are any good. or is the beach in barcelona good enough?

Yeah, there's some good beaches that are accessible from barcelona on the "suburban" trains, called Cercanias...that's what most people who live in the city would use to get out of town on the weekend. The beach in Barcelona is good for meeting girls and getting your wallet stolen (srsly), but going in the water in August is kinda uhoh.gif
Quote:
Also, what is the nighlife scene like in the big cities? Like bars/clubs/etc? want to interact with some attractive women, hopefully some that speak some english....

It's awesome. Really. Madrid and Barcelona are two of my favorite cities in the world for nightlife. The one thing I have to say is that IME Spanish women can be very attractive and very interested in American guys but closing the deal is much, much harder than with other nationalities. Total generalization, but if you're really looking to take a girl home I'd focus on other tourists.

Good god these posts look long in the new system.
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post #44 of 108
7/21/11 at 2:31pm
xericx, looks like you and I will be in Madrid at the same time. I am in Cantabria at the moment. You mentioned football--first game is the supercopa in Madrid on August 14th, Real Madrid v Barca. I have some friends trying to get me tickets but am not optimistic.
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post #45 of 108
7/21/11 at 3:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DLester View Post

xericx, looks like you and I will be in Madrid at the same time. I am in Cantabria at the moment. You mentioned football--first game is the supercopa in Madrid on August 14th, Real Madrid v Barca. I have some friends trying to get me tickets but am not optimistic.

nice! I get in on the 19th. not sure what the schedule is, staying at the http://www.hotelh10villadelareina.com/ hotel on Gran Via, hopefully should be good. would love to get in a match down there.
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