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Accomodation
Hotels
Paradors
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Accomodation
Hotels in Spain are numerous and high in quality. Nowhere in the world
will you find more truly grand accommodations, or more delightful inns
at modest rates. Service is excellent and cleanliness exemplary, with
very rare exceptions. In almost every case, you receive more for your
hotel dollar than at home.
Virtually every public accommodation in Spain is listed in the annual
Guía de Hoteles, published by the Secretaría General de
Turismo and available at National Tourist Offices of Spain all around
the World, as well as at ALTUR. You can purchase one by sending us
your Credit Card Information and address. The Secretaría General de
Turismo rates establishments with a system of stars based on measurable
features such as the percentage of rooms with private baths, air-conditioning,
etc., though not for such immeasurable qualities as comfort, efficiency,
and friendly service. These ratings provide only a rough guide to price
and quality. A white and blue metal plaque outside the establishment
will indicate its official rating and type:
"H"....... a Hotel (from 1 (worst) to 5 stars (best))
"HA"...... an Apartment-Hotel (Aparthotel)
"HR"...... a Residence-Hotel (residencia)
"P"....... a Hostal (Pensión) (from 1 (worst) to 2 stars (best))
"CV"...... a Tourist Complex (Complejo turístico)
"AT"...... an Apartment (Apartamento) (from 1 (worst) to 4 keys (best))
Hotels
If you're looking for a hotel room in person, remember that Europeans
frequently ask to see their room before they register, so hotels expect
inspections. Simple English will generally be understood. If not, a
single room is una habitación individual, a double una
habitación doble. Con baño means with bath.
Few double rooms contain a large bed for two (cama de matrimonio),
though you could ask. A single room should be no more than 80 percent of
the price of a double. The quoted price for a room in Spain includes
taxes and usually, though not always, a surcharge for service.
At Hotels and Apartment-Hotels classified between five and one star,
guests will receive upon their arrival an information form indicating
Hotel name, grade number or identification code of the establishment,
rates, and check-in and check-out dates. This form will be signed by
clients. Guest must pay the total amount of services received on being
invoiced, as well as abide by Hotel internal rules for the use of services
and facilities.
Comfortable double rooms in moderately priced hotels in tourist areas and
resorts cost about 60 euros (72 euros in Madrid or Barcelona).
The same room in a town less frequented by tourists will be a quarter less.
Count on 12 euros per person for an adequate dinner with wine.
Museums charge 2 euros or so, and gasoline in Spain is a significant
expense, as you will discover when you peal off almost 30 euros to fill
up the tank. Thus, the current budget for a couple to travel modestly in Spain
averages a daily minimum of 120 euros. Hotel prices vary with the season.
Charges peak from July through August and during Christmas and Easter. If a given
city hosts a special festival, such as Seville with its April Fair, top prices
will also be charged at that time. During any other time of the year, significant
savings are possible. In general, a hotel will charge one-third of its high-season
prices in off-season.
With regard to tipping in hotels, the custom is to return some bills from
your change for the staff. It is gracious to leave the equivalent of 1
euro per night in the room for the maid, while the concierge, doorman,
and porter should be tipped for specific services, say the equivalent of
1 euro per bag carried, or a like amount for hailing a cab.
DON'T FORGIVE TO BOOK IN ADVANCE IN HIGH SEASONS
Paradors
Paradors are an extraordinary Spanish institution (hotels
that can enrich any trip. Faced with an oversupply of historical
buildings whose owners could not afford their upkeep, the government
began buying and remodeling grand edifices into hotels. The program
proved immensely successful; it preserved irreplaceable structures
while offering tourists a chance to eat and sleep in the palaces,
castles, and convents which ordinarily they could only view. Eighty-six
paradors now dot the country, about half of which are historical
monuments with many of the rest showcasing modern architects.
A night's pampered stay in a 15th-century castle will run about
90 euros. Reservations should be made as early as possible (at least
5 months in advance for smaller ones in high seasons).
A trip to the Paradors is not only a trip through Spanish territory
but it is also through its history which can be traced from the
upper Middle Ages to the modern architectonic styles of the 20th
century. This is the journey which we are suggesting now and forever.
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