Spain Thread 1

[spoiledbratinella]

Thank you sis! Been enjoying my stay here in Madrid so far.. Sino nakapunta na sa barcelona??

[inertia]

hi sisses -- what's the most affordable airline from barcelona to manila??? tia :-)

[mama squeak!]

^sis try skyscanner.net or .com to compare fares from different airlines. Just to let you know lang there is no direct/straight flight to Barcelona from Manila. You will have to transit in one of the hubs of the airline you will be taking. For example if you take KLM, you'll have to go via Taipei and change planes in Amsterdam. Or if you take Turkish airlines, you'll have to go via Istanbul.

[letters_to_cleo]

^^from my experience (although from my madrid usually), emirates or etihad usually ang mura, but nakakainis yung waiting time. and sa totoo lang di ko gusto ang emirates.  try turkish airlines too, at the moment mura mga flights nila from europe to manila (just bought my tix for bakasyon, my fare in sept return na ha is only 570 Euros, eh ambaba pa ng palitan ng Euro, less than 30k!).  Pero tama si mamasqueak, try mo muna magcanvass sa skyscanner, then from there macheck mo routes na gusto mo.

[mama squeak!]

^Hello sis, balitaan mo ako how the service of Turkish Airlines is ha. Ang mura nga ng offer nila to Europe ex MNL. What's nice pa they offer free city tours if your connecting flight is more than 6 hours in between. At least makita man lang mga highlights ng city.

[shegie_285]

^ me din mag-turkish airline for  our Seoul - Japan trip this May. Dublin to Seoul €700, sis letters_to_cleo nainggit ako sa pamasahe mo super mura! I checked din Manila prices for same dates of our trip nung nag-book kami, mga €650. We booked last January. Natuwa ako dito dahil i could stay in Istanbul for few days pag umuwi ng Pinas.

I use skyscanner too to check flights.

[mama squeak!]

^Ay sige please, let me know how your experience is with them. I'm considering taking them on our next trip. Thanks!

[letters_to_cleo]

^mamasqueak I used Turkish Airlines na nung nag-Istanbul ako last year :-) 4 hour flight nga lang.  Pero okay naman, maayos ang food. At mas gusto ko sila kesa sa Emirates (most hated airline ko talaga ito haha!) Balitaan ka namin ni Shegie ng long-haul flights nila :-) Nakakatawa nga eh, yung ticket ko noonn Madrid-Istanbul-Madrid 275 Euros, eh yung papinas ko this Sept hindi masyadong malayo ang price haha!  Last month ko lang binili ticket ko pa-Pinas.  Mag Greece sana ako sa summer, pero narealize ko mas gusto kong umuwi at mapamper sa Pinas  haha.  Ang gusto ko pala sa Turkish airline flight ko sa Pinas,a di masyadong mahaba ang layover sa Istanbul, 2-3 hours lang although masaya rin sana magbazaar if ever mahaba ang layover haha!  Pero plan ko mamili ng mga turkish sweets na pasalubong sa Istanbul kasi di kamahalan at kakaiba :-)

[Chili1113]

Hii!! Ill be travelling through Portugal and Spain with my entire family this Sept. I am hoping someone can help me streamline my itinerary, especially in deciding on how many nights to spend in each place.

I will be travelling with 4 senior citizens and 1 kid, and will be in a big group so we cannot move fast and need more time than usual to see the attractions.

Here is what I have so far:

1) Malaga - 1 night --- arrive from Lisbon in the evening. Pick up van rentals early next day
2) Granada - 2 nights --- arriving in the evening on 1st night
3) Seville - 3 nights ---arriving in the afternoon on 1st day
4) Cordoba - 1 night
5) Toledo - 2 nights ---arriving in the evening on 1st night
6) Madrid - 5 nights --- return car rental
-- Day trip to Avila from Madrid
-- Day trip to Segovia from Madrid

Any recommendations? I had initially planned to make stops in Marbella and Ronda, however I am short on time because we have to get back to Madrid by a certain date since some of us will be flying home earlier than the rest from Madrid.

Thank you!

[little_princess]

We're FINALLY going to Madrid next month kasi bank holiday sa UK. We'll be there for 4 days lang. Advisable pa ba to take a day trip to Segovia-Avila or Toledo? If yes, which is better?

3 weeks na lang and have not planned anything! Will back read after I get back from our labor day weekedn trip.

[letters_to_cleo]

^I personally like Toledo better, it´s the first out of Madrid day trip I gave to friends when they visited Madrid (back when I lived there, sigh..).  My brother though, when he visited last summer liked Avila and Segovia better.  But to be honest, any choice you have would be great as these cities offer a different vibe from Madrid.

Will finally go back to Madrid this Labor Day weekend (sa wakas matakasan ko ang lamig ng NL!), will update here kung anong bago sa Madrid. But  my plans now is really to do the things I miss the most in Madrid ---eat at fave restos, do a night of tapa rounds, meet up with friends, and go to the Outlet to buy Mango/Strad/Pull&Bear stuff haha! Chill lang, gusto ko lang mag touchbase, sobrang namiss ko talaga ang Madrid, naisip ko nga, wrong decision yata ang paglipat ko ng NL haha. Ang pangit ng weather tssk.

[little_princess]

^ Oh I always thought you were in Madrid  NL is much like the UK, the weather can get depressing.

Hubby and I have been discussing where to go if ever we get a chance to go but might end up in Toledo. Family has been gushing about it since they went to Spain na before.

Worth it ba to go to the outlet shops? I love P&B and there is no Stradivarius in the UK eh. Medyo mahal din sa Manila. I actually want to squeeze in a few hours of shopping..

Oh where to buy cheaper Lladro in Madrid? My mom wants kasi.

[Chili1113]

Are there any outlets near Madrid where I can buy prada/ saint laurant or valentino? Or any luxury shoe brand outlet? Im thinking of getting my bridal shoes in Spain

[letters_to_cleo]

^^I just changed countries this January haha, hmm, maybe I´ll go back to Madrid once my contract is finished here haha.

There are two outlet shops in Madrid that I frequent:

The Outlets at SS De Los Reyes http://ss-de-los-reyes.thestyleoutlets.es/en
Has highstreet brands  - Desigual, Mango, Strad, P&B and mostly Spanish and Eu highstreet brands
*I like going here more, very close to city center ( 45 minutes by bus)


Las Rozas Village is similar to Bichester ( I think it´s part of the same chain) is more chi-chi with Tod´s, Armani, Le Creuset, CHerrera, Burberry, Lacoste etc., MK etc
*About  1 hour from Moncloa station by bus

Both are sulit naman, depende lang what you are aiming for when you go Outlet Shopping :-)

I think for the Italian/French brands Prada/YSL/Valentino better to buy sa French or Italian Outlets,  but I know there´s a chichi outlet store in SS De Los Reyes - Corso Italia which has Valentino sometimes. 

[Chili1113]

Thanks so much letters_to_cleo!! I will check those outlets out for sure

[little_princess]

^^ NL is medyo chill pa din naman compared to other countries but then Spain is so relaxed, very typical of southern European countries.

Sulit ba to go to The Outlets? I can go to Bicester anytime naman so I don't need the chi-chi brands haha though just for comparison, you have any idea how the pricing in Las Rozas is?

[letters_to_cleo]

^I forgot na but tomorrow when I arrive in Madrid diretso ako outlet haha (wala talaga akong dinalang damit haha!)  balitaan ko kayo tomorrow ng ganap sa Outlet shop :-)

[letters_to_cleo]

Girls, inspired by my latest trip to Madrid,  I made a things to do post about Madrid. Check lang my blog for details. It might help in your planned trips.  I also have posts on Barcelona, Salamanca, Toledo, Avila, etc. just in case you want some guidance on what to expect in these cities.  Cheers!

[Chili1113]

^Thanks so so much for all the tips on your blog!! Will definitely do all that this September. I booked Hotel Europa though not the best is right at the Puerta del Sol. So excited!! Thank you!

[little_princess]

Re the markets, is it worth it to visit El Rastra? And which is better food wise - Market San Anton or San Miguel?

Churches, there seems to be a lot! Which is the must see is given 2-3 choices lang?