Homage to Catalonia

Advantages: Observant, lyrical and wry
Disadvantages: Assumes a certain level of knowledge of the Spanish Civil War.

...fight fascism, there was arguably the largest international rally of any period in history with many people, of various leftist political persuasions, going to fight for the republic-largely in the Communist International Brigades. It was amidst this atmosphere that George Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair) arrived in Barcelona in 1936 having joined the POUM, a Trotskyist, and anti-Stalinist party in the fight against fascism. A political journalist and novelist, Orwell was one of many notable figures to go to Spain and fight against fascism. By his own admission joining the POUM rather than the international brigades was rather a fault of chance but this fact would come to shape his experience in Spain and forever solidify his political views against Stalinism although he remained a committed socialist. Homage to Catalonia is Orwell...

flyingllamas 30.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell

Fun times at the Catalonia

Advantages: Beautiful location, great amenities, suites were fab
Disadvantages: Buffet could have had a greater offering of Mexican food

...Visited the Catalonia in Oct 2008 as part of a package deal from Thomsons (on a side note the flight could have been better - there was a charge for almost everything, £5 for a blanket, upgrade to watch movies!!!!). we were shown to our room and it was very basic, with a few probs (too close to the elevator). we asked to move rooms and the conceirge were very helpful and moved us to a more suitable room straight away! i had read before that you could upgrade to a suite which we did the following day and all i can say is that it was definitely worth the money as the suite was AMAZING. as for the rest of the hotel, the staff were lovely and couldn't be more helpful. would definitely recommend the Teppanyaki restaurant. as for the buffet, it was fine but i was a little disappointed that there wasnt enough authentic Mexican food...

shoegal09 31.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Catalonia Riviera Maya, Puerto Aventuras

Amazing Catalonia Bavaro! Beautiful place!

Advantages: Grounds, staff, food, activities, massive bath!
Disadvantages: Errr none!

...I booked a two week holiday to Catalonia Bavaro for a surprise for my girlfriend's 21st birthday. I didn't tell her till the morning of her birthday (a week before we were departing) so I had to make sure all my bookings were right. I booked through Instant Travel, who booked it under First Choice. It cost me around £2200 all inclusive, which was a bit steep but acceptable for this type of holiday. The next day the holiday was reduced by £600, which put me on a bit of a downer but I soon forgot about this! Neither Instant Holidays nor First Choice would accept my complaint so I had to get on with it. The flight over to the Dominican Republic was excellent. Lots of leg room on the flight and the staff were excellent. First Choice also provided you with a small travel pack (free of charge) with eye phones, tissues, toothbrush etc...

boyd2715 15.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Catalonia Bavaro Beach (Dominican Republic)

CATALONIA BARCELONA PLAZA HOTEL - HEAVEN SENT

Advantages: The luxury
Disadvantages: None that I could see

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traveller10 22.06.2007 (21.06.2007) · Read review
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Review of Catalonia Barcelona Plaza Hotel, Barcelona

Pride of Catalonia.

Advantages: Wonderful city with loads to see and do.
Disadvantages: Can get hot and crowded in summer. Watch your valuables!

...If you're in Spain (Catalonia to be precise) I advise you to visit my favourite city: Barcelona! I have visited five times, both during the day and at night - I haven't got bored yet and aim to go again as soon as I can! It can get very hot and crowded in the high season...I would recommend going during the cooler, quieter months. Barcelona is located by the Mediterranean, at the north eastern end of the Spanish coastline. The city of Barcelona has a population of 1,510,000, but this number increases to more than 4,000,000 if the outlying areas are also included. Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain in both size and population. It is also the capital of Catalonia, an Autonomous Region within Spain. There are two official languages spoken in Barcelona: Catalan, generally spoken in all of Catalonia, and Castillian Spanish...

tange 30.07.2002 · Read review
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Review of Barcelona in general

BS Cinco - The Pride of Catalonia

Advantages: Impressive stadium and accompanying museum
Disadvantages: Not allowed onto pitch!

...Here's something to do while you're in Barcelona: ask (politely!) any Catalan on the street what the most important football team in the world is. It doesn't take an Einstein to realise that FC Barcelona will come up trumps 99.99% of the time. "El Nou Estadi del Futbol Club Barcelona", affectionately known by the Catalan nickname of "Camp Nou", is the current home of FC Barcelona. The venue for numerous glorious footballing moments since its inauguration in 1957, the famous stadium undoubtedly contains the most revered blades of grass in Catalonia, and a comprehensive list of the sporting greats who have graced it would be very long indeed. The fiery Catalan separatist tradition has always flowed naturally onto the football pitch; anyone who has witnessed Barcelona against bitter rivals Real Madrid would find it hard to disagree...

jefferson 05.05.2001 (09.05.2001) · Read review
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Review of Nou Camp - Barcelona F.C.

Libel Settles Nothing

Advantages: See opinion.
Disadvantages: See opinion.

...one of these, and Homage to Catalonia is his story of the Spanish Civil War. It begins in December 1936 when Orwell arrives in Barcelona, ready to be trained for the front line. Orwell wanted to fight Fascism desperately and he was overjoyed to find himself in Barcelona, in the middle of a revolution, where the bootblacks were equal to the generals, where people called each other "comrade" and where he could try to make a difference. To him the poor equipment, the food shortages and the privations were as nothing in comparison to the revolutionary spirit and comradeship he found. He writes almost like an enthusiastic child who is having the time of his life, but also like a wise one, for you can see immediately how he observes his experiences in such a way as to refine and extend the academic views on socialism and the class struggle he...

jillmurphy 24.07.2002 (21.11.2003) · Read review
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Review of Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell

The Holiday of my dreams!!

Advantages: Amazing holiday in the prettiest place in the world!!
Disadvantages: not for children, suprise alcohol cocktails

...I recently went on my first ever two-week holiday and it was amazing ? I had the best time ever. I thought I would tell you about it and use the chance to show off my pictures!! We booked a holiday at the Catalonia Bavaro Beach resort in the Dominican Republic, the booking was for 14 nights all inclusive at a 5 star hotel and cost a total of £2068.00 including taxes and insurance. Quite a steep price but the all inclusive deal covered all non motorised water sports, all drinks, all food and all entertainment ? so worth in my books! The holiday was booked online at the First Choice website (http://www.firstchoice.co.uk) and it couldn?t have been an easier booking to make, the online service is very good and you get a better idea of the hotel from the pictures on the website than you would a brochure. So on November 4th we...

smallwren 02.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of Catalonia Bavaro Beach (Dominican Republic)

Viva El Poum!

Advantages: A great piece of journalism
Disadvantages: None

...of apublic school upbringing. For example, in the workers' militia, officers have to persuade their troops to follow orders. In Barcelona, tipping is banned, adverts have been replaced with joyful propaganda and the city is united in a sense of optimism for the future. As the battle unfolds, due to the treachery of Russia, envious of another possible revolution, the harmonious atmosphere disintegrates into a sickening atmosphere of betrayal and sectarianism. The consensus that we must unite to fight fascism breaks down, and many people are flung into jail. This is brutally honest. Homage to Catalonia is at once a joyful and heartbreaking portrayal of the war and the surrounding political machinations. It is, ultimately, a joyous affirmation of the inner strength of common people and their will to fight against insurmountable odds....

drewish 29.11.2004 (24.12.2004) · Read review
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Review of Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell

Captivating Catalonia!

Advantages: Nice beaches, great nightful, lots to see and do, easy to get to
Disadvantages: Can be expensive

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funphobic2 02.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Valencia (Spain)