We are back from SPAIN
H&G Seville, Spain March 2005
The flights you arranged for us worked well, tickets arrived in time etc.
We thought the Hotel Las Casas del Rey de Baeza was a very good 4* hotel and it really made our holiday special - pity the swimming pool (on the roof) hadn't been opened yet. We would stay there again. Staff were friendly and helpful, yet discreet. Hotel very comfortable and tasteful.
We definitely received sufficient information from Shellseekers prior to our holiday (thank you!) and cannot think of any extra information which could have been provided.
We are definitely happy to recommend Shellseekers to our friends and have already done so -look out Kay!
Thank you again.
V&D, Barcelona July 2005
Our hotel, the Inglaterra, was an in an excellent location to explore Barcelona. The staff were extremely helpful, the rooms clean. It was twinned with The Majestic (a much grander hotel) so we were able to use the Majestic pool. It was just far enough away from Las Ramblas to not be noisy.
We found some good restaurants such as Agra on the sea front and a fab tapas place in Calle Mallorca called Cervezeria Cataluna. We received all the information we needed from Shellseekers prior to our holiday - in fact the only extra you could have provided is tall, dark, handsome man! We are happily recommending you to our friends.
D&C. Moorish Andalucia - Paradors and more. October 2005
Shellseekers note: this holiday included a selection of Paradors in Andalucia, plus a Hacienda stay and a visit to friends.
Antequera. Parador excellent but really not much to see in Antequera.
Ronda. Parador outstanding. We will definitely want to go back to Ronda.
Cadiz. At the Cadiz Parador we had a suite with 2 terraces (note: this is a modern Parador facing the sea). Food and service was excellent, which was the case with all the Paradors.
Hacienda de San Rafael (between Jerez & Seville). Regretfully we arrived in pouring rain, and thus could not have appreciated the charm. Service and friendliness excellent.
Visit to Jerez. This was a disaster. We got lost both going and out. Found Sandemans by luck and given a very frosty reception. Similarly, but to a lesser extent, at Allied Domeque. It seems they are only interested in coach parties. Needless to say, both companies' products will no longer feature on our shopping list.
Cordoba. Parador excellent in all aspects. We enjoyed the historical sights of Cordoba. The Mesquita is out of this world. There is a bus stop outside the Parador and Bus 13 can take you into Plaza de Colon, which is a 20 minute stroll to the Mesquita. The bus has a 20 minute service and costs €0.90 one way. Well worthwhile.
We did not get to Jaen on this visit but visited Montilla, which was much better than Jerez.
Car Hire. Please note that Crown Cars do not have a kiosk at Granada Airport but at a Service Station about a mile away. Anyone arriving by plane could be confused as their mini bus not from the obvious Reception Centre. Car supplied was a 4-door, not a 2-door, had many dents, but behaved well on our journey.
General. The information provided prior to our holiday was excellent. You only slipped up once. From Jerez to the Hacienda de San Rafael you turn left after the KM 594 sign not right. The nearby Service Station had a laugh!
A new road is being completed from the motorway into Cordoba. You will take the first turning from Seville into Cordoba and you then skirt the Western half of the town and easily reach the Parador, which can be seen most of the way. This should be completed in the next month or so. The signposting in all towns, except Cadiz, is appalling. Jerez being the worst, followed by Cordoba, Ronda and Antequera.
We will definitely be using Shellseekers for our future holidays and are happy to recommend you to our friends.
Hi Kay. It was a very enjoyable holiday. We have to go back as we just could not fit in a visit to Granada or the Alhambra. Many thanks for all your wonderful effort.
Villa in the hills of Andalucia. L, K & M. May 2006
Car hire at Malaga Airport was very slow – we had a 50 minute wait in the queue to get to the counter. We were happy with the car once we had it!
The villa was lovely – the photos did not do it justice. The interior was fab. The pool seemed fine but the weather did not really allow us to get in there (it was quite overcast). The local contact (Luis) was lovely, very patient in providing directions – several times. We visited the hotel where he worked, and also ate there one evening. He was very helpful.
Shellseekers provided all the information we needed regarding the villa. However, the owner’s information says that there is a small shop in the nearest village (Nogales) but there is not. That’s pretty important for a self-catering holiday.
The local town, Antequera, has a really indifferent write up in the Rough Guide but in reality it is really nice.
The El Torcal National Park is really underrated – the place is UTTERLY SPECTACULAR. In fact, the whole location is awesome.
We felt that you provided all the information necessary prior to our holiday but, with the benefit of hindsight, an accurate reference for the Sat Nav would have helped.
Thank you for everything.
Driving Tour of Moorish Andalucia. J & C. July 2006
Arrival at Malaga was fine with no problems.
No problem finding the car hire booth and picking up the car was handled efficiently. Plus, helpful, friendly staff at Europcar… and much smaller queue than the other companies! The car was excellent – almost brand new. Everything we hoped for and worth the extra money for a prestige car.
We found our way between the various places using our own maps… the directions from the Internet are very confusing. We will not use them again! Avoided using a GPS system so we could explore.
Parador at Ronda
We loved this Parador! Room was excellent with amazing views. Food and service was definitely 4-star. We ate lunch outside the Parador one day and were wishing we’d waited – the food in the Parador was the best.
Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza, Seville
We really liked the familiar feel of this hotel….we had a lovely welcome; - staff showed us around our room and brought welcome drinks. It felt like staying over at a friend’s house, yet it was so private too. We would definitely visit again. Only wish there were more sunbeds available. Valet parking – perfect choice as the space is soo tight!
We managed to catch a Bull Fight in Seville – an amazing way to witness the culture of Andalucia. Quite gory but an unforgettable experience for both of us.
El Palacio de los Patos Hotel in Granada
This hotel is absolutely gorgeous! We stayed in the Palace (as opposed to the new annexe building). It is so modern inside and out – like something from a magazine shoot! Of course, with the 5-star comes 5-star prices - €30 for 2 g&t’s! Granada is so beautiful. We didn’t manage to get into the Palace but recommend eating at “Restaurante Las Tomases” for stunning views of the Alhambra and surrounds.
Parador at Puerto Lumbreras
This was a disappointment following the 3 hotels we’d come from… it was old fashioned and very quiet. Not much to see in Puerto Lumbreras, especially on a Sunday. Would’ve been better to stay 1 more night in Granada and travel in 1 journey to Murcia.
Service – We had everything we needed to prepare for our holiday, thanks.
We cannot think of anything you can do to improve the service. Everything went very smoothly (again). Hassle-free holidays. Perfect!
Villa in Catalunya. A&A, B, L & J. August 2006
Pre-departure hotel and parking was fine – no problem at all.
Reus Airport was very easy – it is a small regional airport and very straightforward. Car hire was easy, except I couldn’t find the car at first because it was in the main car park and not the Avis section. The condition of the car was excellent.
Getting to the villa. The driving instructions from the villa company were completely useless. Even with tom-tom satnav we got lost – mainly because tom tom maps have non-existent roads on them!! The villa company needs to send a proper map of the destination and preferably the exit from the airport to the motorway. The return trip was no problem thanks to tom tom.
We could not fault the villa, it was excellent in every way and just as described. We loved it!
The local representative was very helpful. We called her half way through the holiday because the pool water went green. A man came the next morning and fixed it. There was a more serious problem, however, at the end of the holiday we discovered the pool had been overflowing into the vacant building plot next door.
Cap Roig beach was lovely. Service at the beach restaurant was pretty hit and miss though. There was a nice kiosk for crisps/beer/ice cream. Sand pretty free of litter. There was a fresh water shower.
We had all the pre holiday information required. We explored Delta d’Ebre, visited a couple of its beaches and went on a riverboat trip. The whole area is not touristy at all. The only disappointment was Port Aventura near Salon – we queued 40 minutes in blazing hot sun with blaring music coming at us; when we finally got inside it was grossly overcrowded and the ticket price didn’t even include a site map! The hire stations had run out of everything (rubber rings, water wings etc). There wasn’t anywhere to sit down – not enough loungers or chairs – so overall a pretty unpleasant experience.
I don’t think there was anything else you could have provided – except we really needed a map of Cap Roig and the location of the car park in L’Ampolla as the supermarkets were very small and didn’t have their own parking.
We had all the general information we needed prior to our holiday, and do not think there is any way you can improve the service.
We will definitely recommend Shellseekers to our friends.
Holiday to Andalucia M&T, A&S. August 2006
(Apartment in Nerja, Antiquera and Hacienda de San Rafael)
Apartment at Nerja
We really liked the apartment – it has everything we needed and our stay here was very relaxed. It was easy to walk into town and to the beach, and the pools in the complex were so convenient. We did not do much sightseeing as it was lovely to just relax and unwind. The location of this apartment was perfect for all ages.
Parador at Antequera
Antequera is an interesting place and the Parador was very well situated. It was an easy drive from Nerja to Anequera, so we did not have to rush and were able to enjoy the scenery, which was stunning.
Hacienda de San Rafael
Well…. This was absolutely wonderful. The service couldn’t be faulted, we felt so spoilt, didn’t want for anything. We loved it. Everyone at the Hacienda is so friendly. It is a beautiful spot with everything you could need for an indulged and relaxed stay. It was a religious holiday while we were here so most things in Seville were closed – actually we didn’t mind because it meant we just had to stay at the Hacienda and get the full benefit of such a fabulous place (with no pressure to sightsee!) We will definitely return!
"Thank you for suggesting the combination on this holiday – your advice was absolutely spot on! THE USUAL WONDERFUL SHELLSEEKERS SERVICE "
