Girona Airport- still another hour to Barcelona!

Advantages: Could get cheap flights here, clean and well-run
Disadvantages: Not really Barcelona as it is billed, lack of seating

...Cheeky Ryanair! Although they do fly to the city of Barcelona, they bill their flights to Girona as "Girona (Barcelona)" even though it is more than an hour's drive down the motorway to the larger city. Just as well my flights were cheap as the return coach fare to Barcelona costs Euro12 per adult single and Euro21 return. Girona Airport is situated 103 Kilometres north of Barcelona (approximately 64 miles). In fact, the airport bills itself as "Girona - Costa Brava" and, indeed, many of the passengers on our flight did not board the coach to Barcelona but appeared to be picking up hire cars to head for resorts on the coast. (Lloret de Mar and Tossa de Mar are nearby). Budget and economy airlines from across Europe use this airport from fifty-five airports. Holiday charters use the airport too. The airport terminal building was...

fizzytom 03.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Girona - Costa Brava Airport, Gerona

ciutat de girona

Advantages: excellent location, beautiful rooms, friendly staff, good food
Disadvantages: tv mainly in spanish

...My partner and I visited Girona in May 2007. We had pre booked the Ciutat de Girona but we weren't at all sure of what to expect. We travelled by bus from the airport to Girona bus station, (approx. 20minutes), and from there we took a taxi to the hotel which was about a 5minutes drive. There are, I believe, 2 buses an hour from the airport. The cost was around £2 i think. Our first impression of the hotel was that it was spotless and stylish, couldn't have been more central as it was right in the heart of the old town. The reception area was modern, bright and comfortable though minimalistic. The free mini bar and welcome drink ( I believe it was a local wine) with some biscuits were much appreciated. A lift took us up to our floor. The corridor was quiet, and had a lush feel to it. Paintings on the large wall spaces. All...

sandiver 22.06.2007 (30.06.2007) · Read review
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Review of Hotel Ciutat de Girona, Gerona

Tamariu - perfect for escaping the city

Advantages: Not overly touristy, good value, quite easily accessible, very relaxing
Disadvantages: A little far away from the big cities

...significantly on weekends when locals flock to the beach for some topless sunbathing. Don't worry if you don't speak too much Spanish as most menus are in English and the local shopkeepers and hotel owners can speak enough English to guide you through. It is possible to get to Tamariu on public transport, but I would highly recommend a hire car. We got a train from Barcelona to Girona (about 1.5 hours and 6 euros) and hired a car from the Train Station Avis. This proved a great way to see the area. Driving to Tamariu from Girona takes a bit over an hour but is quite an easy drive. Cheap airlines fly from London to Girona (I believe Ryan Air). Overall, if your looking for a getaway be it romantic or family (both are well suited) then this is a hidden gem....

daleb81 08.06.2007 · Read review
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Review of Tamariu, Costa Brava

Very Good Value For Money Lloret De Mar

Advantages: Big pool,Good Drink,nice hotel,pleasant staff,excellent value for money
Disadvantages: Awful Food

...We stayed here for 6 nights in Febuary of this year (2008) and found it to be very good value for money, and the weather was surprisingly good which was an added bonus. It was a last minute cheap gettaway I had already booked the flights with Ryanair and not decided where we were going to stay exactly, and then we decided to try lloret. We chose The Royal Beach because it was very resonably priced (£208 for 6 nights all - inclusive for two people) and it had fairly good reviews. One mistake I did make though was I had booked the hotel and flights seperate and didn't bother with transfers we just got a taxi from Girona airport to resort, this was easy enough to do but cost 50 euros each way. I found out when we got home I could have booked a transfer both ways for about £25 so could have saved quite a bit of money there...

johnny040676 29.04.2008 (05.05.2008) · Read review
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Review of Hotel Top Royal Beach, Lloret de Mar

Location , hillside campsite

Advantages: Location, facilities
Disadvantages: None

...This year we camped in the Spanish Pyrenees just outside the town of Ribes de Freser .The camp site called CÀMPING VALL DE RIBES This camp site is about 5 minutes outside the town on the road to Pardines. If you were not traveling by car the train from Toulouse in France which continues on to Barcelona stops at Ribes de Freser. Or there is an airport at Girona or Barcelona about 100 km's away. We traveled by car and arrived at the campsite found the booking in office We paid 4.75 euros for the tent each night plus 5 euro per person plus 5 euro for the car. If you want to check prices go to. http://www.campingvallderibes.com/english/preuseng/preusacampadaeng.htm. As well as camping places for tents and caravans there are some wooden chalet bungalows available. The price peak season 599 euros for 7 nights for 4 people in...

mumsymary 23.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Camping Vall de Ribes

The bare essentials for a night's sleep in Barcelona

Advantages: Good, quiet location, cheap,
Disadvantages: No frills at all, could be noisy

...As one would expect from a major European city, and one that attracts many, many visitors, Barcelona has plenty of hotels to choose from. Being a money conscious (mean) traveller, I was looking for something cheap but also not too far from the centre as I was not going to be there long and didn?t want to travel from the outskirts of town. After some research we plumped for the City Urquinaona and, wanting to save more money, booked directly using the hotel?s website rather than through the hostel booking site where we?d first found the hotel. We paid a small deposit and stated roughly what time we?d be arriving. In return we received two e-mails; one was an automatic confirmation, the other a personal message from a staff member confirming the booking and that our arrival time was OK ( we were taking an evening flight to Girona and from...

fizzytom 30.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Hostal Barcelona City Urquinaona, Barcelona

Not A Special Model

Advantages: It's hard to think of one ... it's wet?
Disadvantages: It's almost devoid of flavour

...A couple of weeks ago, I took advantage of a special offer from Ryanair and flew to Girona for a couple of days. Mrs P stayed at home to get on with her ironing and such like, leaving myself and wee proxam jr. to trawl the various drinking establishments of that city. I expect that because Girona is the first city in Spain that anyone traveling to the costas from Northern Europe encounters, many of the bars are blessed with the good sense to sell Belgian beers - which were just asking to be sampled. So, not wishing to be rude, we did. After a few delicious brews in a Belgian-style cafe, we headed into the older part of town for some tapas and ended up in a more authentic local bar with a far more limited choice of beers. What an anti-whatsit. After sampling the delights of Chimay and Mort Subite, we were limited to the choice...

proxam 28.01.2004 · Read review
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Review of Modelo Especial

BS Seis - A Snapshot of Spain

Advantages: Spanish architecture
Disadvantages: Touristy

...eloquently sums it up; as you wander through the aesthetically pleasing alleys, admire and absorb the samples of architecture from Zaragoza, Sevilla, Girona, Málaga, Navarra, Barcelona itself and many other places. If that had been all, the Poble would have earned the full 5 stars. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was uncomfortably commercialised and touristy. Every other building was a tacky souvenir store, packed with visitors trawling through postcards, pottery and paintings. Admittedly, I too succumbed and bought an olive plate, which was very traditional according to my Spanish companions. However, to be perfectly blunt, this was the exception rather than the rule. Depending on how smitten you are by the stalls, the Poble takes an hour or two to appreciate fully. According to the guide, the venue also hosts discos and bars, which are open...

jefferson 12.05.2001 · Read review
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Review of Poble Espanyol (Barcelona)

Ryanair all the way

Advantages: Cheap, good service
Disadvantages: Having to get to Luton airport

...suitcase weight as many in the queues around us were a little frazzled to be paying extra holiday funds before they left the airport. On our second trip, we ventured to Barcelona, again with Ryanair and using their connections to cheap accommodation. On our way home to UK we encountered some impromptu airport concourse amusement. A group of young Brits had flown to Barcelona on another cheapie airline which allowed 20 kgs. They spent 2 weeks diving and arrived at Girona airport to find they were only allowed 15 kg to fly home Ryanair. I lie not - they were spread out all over the floor, where we were booking in, trying to off-load some suitcase weight. One young lass discarded her wet towel in the rubbish, another donned 4 sets of tops and 2 long trousers. Flippers were taken out of the suitcase and became hand luggage to carry...

Writing321 15.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Ryanair - RYR

Costa Brava

Advantages: Not too crowded, good accommodation, good weather, Spanish culture
Disadvantages: Barcelona's traffic, lack of genuine sandy beaches

...for the lack of genuine sandy beaches, I came across only 1, at Aigua Blava. Still, there was alot to do in and around the area. I spent a day taking in Barcelona, which is somewhere you must go to, and another day in the nearby town of Girona, famous for bull fights, although there was plenty to do otherwise, and there was an incredible range of ice cream flavours. Staying on the coasts, the resorts of Llafranc and Calella de Palafrugell were good to look around in the evening, and both had excellent Mini-Golf courses, if that matters, which it does to me. One thing lacking from the Costa Brava was good restaurants, bud my advice for that is to go inland. Personally, the best restaurants i've been to were in the Algarve. Spain is also alot cheaper than France, but more expensive than Portugal (for an in depth opinion on the Algarve, see my...

Yeahmate 24.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Tamariu, Costa Brava