reptel

My wife and I are planning a 10 day trip to Spain in late September and early October. We plan on starting in Madrid and then heading down to Seville. We would also like to get to the ocean when we are in Seville. We are in our early 30's and going to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. Here is what we were thinking:

Day 1-4 Madrid - including day trip to Toledo.
Day 4 AVE Train to Seville w/ stop in Cordova.

Not sure how long we should stay in Seville. Here's where it's pretty open.

Day 9 - Return to Madrid
Day 10 - Dept. Spain

My primary concern at the moment is a hotel in Madrid for the first few days. We've looked on line at various hotels and it seems a lot are booked on the day we arrive.

If others could please provide information on the following:

Booking a hotel:
1. Recommendations regarding a hotel in Madrid and or Seville; and

2. Would someone please explain some of the hotel lingo e.g. 'double for single use', double, twin, etc. I need one bed for my wife and I.

3. Specifically, we've looked on line at Hotel Ateneo. Any thoughts on that hotel, good or bad, would be appreciated.

4. How difficult is it to get from Madrid to Trujillo?

Thanks
REP & TEL

nytraveler

You want a double room - and ask for a double bed - so you don;t get 2 twin beds. (Don;t expect a king or even queen bed - these are rare in europe - unless you specifically reserve them - usually in larger/more expensive rooms or upscale hotels.)

Many european hotels have single rooms (for 1 person) that are the size of broom closets. So they usually also make the double size room available to the single person at a slight discount from what they charge a couple. Obviously not what you want.

h2babe

We stayed at the Sofitel in Plaza de Espana in Madrid two weeks ago and we really enjoyed it. The rate I think came to about 160E but we had a huge king-size bed, down-comforter, a good size safe, AC and very friendly staff. Downside: no breakfast and expensive internet connection. It is a walking distance (5 mins) from bars and restaurants and metro stops.

amsdon

Hi:

I was asked if I wanted "una cama matrimonial", literally a matrimonial bed. As the other poster said , don't expect a king. You may still end up with two twins made into one bed. Try to be specific about the anniversary.

As to Hotel choice try to determine which area interests you. The museum triangle, the area by the Palace, or the area near the busy Gran Via? Near Tapas or not. That way you can narrow it down.
Here is a link I found on the Mdridman website (www.Madridman.com)
called callerjero. It is in Spanish but not that hard. Put in the address of the hotel you are considering and you can choose to see what else is nearby, restaurants etc.
http://callejero.paginasamarillas.es/home.asp

ams

DCJones

We enjoyed the Best Western Carlos V in Madrid. According to their website you can request a queen size bed.

In Seville we stayed at Las Casas de la Juderia and had double bed there.

Enjoy Spain!