Being accused of blackmail by B&B owner

Being accused of blackmail by B&B owner

Hi all,

Two years ago we visited Madrid. We stayed in a B&B and the stay was horrible - the room was appalling and on top of that we had bugs in our rooms! We took some photos, and in order not to ruin our holiday we didnt say anything to the owner of the B&B during our stay. On our return home, we talked and decided to contact the owner about it as we were very frustrated. It was our custom to write a review every-time we go abroad but this time we decided to send an e-mail to the owner asking them for a small refund to make up for the bad service. They refused and accused us of blackmail! We were very angry and posted a review on this website, stating that we were not given a refund for the bad accommodation and stating true facts. They also said they will report us to the police...

We are planning to go to Madrid again next September... more »

Studying Abroad in Spain

Hey guys, I need some help.
I am planning to study abroad in Spain during the spring 2014 semester.
The thing is I'm having a REALLY hard time picking a city.
I just wanted to see if you guys could give me some advice and opinions on the cities.
These are the things I'm looking for:

-Close to the beach
-Nightlife
-Lots of things to do
-Good weather
-Outdoor Activities (I'm huge on sports, hiking, jogging, etc.)
-GREEN (From Arizona, US so it'd be nice to change it up)
-Easy to travel from

I've been leaning towards Barcelona BUT by going to such a big city I'm worried I'll miss out on experiencing the true Spanish culture.
Oh and I'm fluent in Spanish so the language is not a problem.
Thanks guys :)

7 days in Spain -- Madrid and Barcelona -- itinerary help?!

Rather than spending $735 to fly home from South America to NYC, I'm paying the same to fly from Lima to Madrid on the 27th May (arriving at about 7 PM on the 28th) and from Barcelona to Madrid on the 5th June.

I was thinking this would give me time to enjoy both Madrid and Barcelona. I three main questions:

1.) How would you suggest I divide up my time in terms of an itinerary? (Feel free to list as many details of things to see as possible.)

2.) How would you suggest I get between Madrid and Barcelona? I would definitely prefer to take the train -- what is the difference in time/money between a high-speed train (preferred for the experience) and a slow train?

3.) How can I save as much money as possible on this trip? (i.e. transit passes to purchase, ways to get a cheaper train fare, attraction discounts, etc.).

Thank you very, very much! more »

Quickest way from Valencia to Carcasonne

I'm looking for some advice - I want to go from Valencia to Carcasonne the quickest, most comfortable way possible. I want to leave Valencia on a sat morning and get to Carcasonne as son as I can the same day. Ive done a bit of research and flight don't seems to work. Train from Valencia to Narbonne seems to be the best option and then change train to get from Narbonne to Carcasonne. I don't fancy the bus for such a long trip but maybe from Narbonne to Carcasonne if times were better - I cant seem to find a bus from Narbonne to Carcasonne.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Northern Spain: family hikes, surf camping, and feast days

Our family will be traveling across the Spanish side of the Pyrennees (from BCN to Bilbao via San Sebastian) for two weeks June 22-July 5 in a campervan. We are looking for places to car camp and day hike in the mountains for the first week and then surf and camp by the sea for the other week. We'd prefer not to travel every day, but rather find 3, maybe 4, basecamps for our adventures. Back home in the US we live at 8000 feet and regularly hike and camp. As you might guess, we are middling surfers. Any suggestions for camping, hiking, surfing and/or base towns? Also, if we could find feast day celebrations along our route, that would be icing on the cake. Thanks all!

Walking &/or Biking in Northwest Spain

We've spent considerable time in Andalusia, but are finally heading to Galicia and A Coruna in July/August. I was hoping to do a multi-day bike ride on the Camino, but have learned it's hillier than I like for biking. Hey, I'm almost 60, so I don't have to be a complete athlete.

I have a couple questions: Are there any converted rail trails in Northern Spain that one could do a multi-day ride on?

If you have walked the Camino, what is the most scenic stretch, can you recommend a part that we might spend a few days walking on?

We love staying in hostels, and I've learned that the Lugo IYH has bicycles for rent. Anyone been to that hostel or ridden bikes in that area?

Any other fun hostels in NW Spain you'd like to recommend?

Thanks!

2 weeks from Barcelona to Porto

Hey all, wanted to ask for some tips in planning my trip. Before someone tells me it's a lot in 2 weeks, please know that the ticket is already purchased (it was much cheaper) and we will have to deal with it.

We arrive at noon in Barcelona on a Saturday, we have 16 daysm so my preliminary planning is as follow:

• 3 nights in Barcelona. Fly to Seville on Tuesday evening.

• 2 nights in Seville, bus to Granada on Thursday evening.

• 2 nights in Granada, Alhambra on Friday, bus/train to Madrid on Saturday morning.

• 3 nights in Madrid (one side trip to either Segovia or Toledo), flight to Lisbon on Tuesday morning.

• 3 nights in Lisbon, bus to Porto on Friday.

• 3 nights in Porto, then fly out on the Monday.

Seeing FC Barcelona in Person in La Liga

As an apreciator of the art of futbol (soccer) and former player, one of my favorite things I did in Barcelona was going to see Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona play in person.

Seeing Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona in person (my experience)

If you are a futbol fan, and are on the fence about it, I just wanted to recommend it. The fans are very nice, friendly, and the atmosphere is great (unlike England with their hooligans) ... plus, seeing Lionel Messi play, and how amazing he is, is a treat.
So,just something to add to your list if you're in Barcelona ... cheers