Trip Report from Seville, Spain
Seville, Spain at night
I’m just back from a week in Southern Spain, a little respite after my mom’s passing earlier in February. It was great to get away and get my mind off things. It was also great to eat food I hadn’t prepared myself!
We flew out of Miami and I was reminded yet again that I really do not like this airport. I hate the H and J gates in particular. They are cramped and loud and there’s nowhere to go. But I got a Cubano at The Earl of Sandwich and it was pretty tasty! Una sopresa, for sure.
My friends and I paid extra for premium boarding with TAP Portugal and we were packed in like sardines waiting to board. We ended up standing for about an hour. They finally let us on the plane at 4:30 which was when we were supposed to take off. No communication from TAP during this entire time. Pack your patience, indeed!
I was traveling with my new Samsonite Elevation luggage…matching carry-on and backpack. The carry-on rolls like a dream. Sometimes the luggage bins on the outside of the plane are smaller than the ones over the interior seats—remember that if your carry-on won’t fit in the overhead like mine wouldn’t.
We arrived to Lisbon and had a really long walk to our connecting flight to Seville. And then a 45 minute wait in the passport queue . A lot of people were cutting it close with their flights and eventually had to be let through, Lesson for everyone: Don’t be afraid to raise your hand and tell someone in charge that your flight is boarding. Also, don’t accept international connection times that are less than 90 minutes!! There were so many stressed travelers in line with us. Just because the airline lets you book a short connection doesn’t mean you should.
Once through immigration in Lisbon, we made a quick stop at Starbucks. Here is a reminder that even well-traveled people don’t know things. My friend Kim paid for her Starbucks using the USD conversion!! Never do this!! Always pay local currency!! (When they hand you the credit card machine and ask you if you want to pay in USD or local currency, please always use local currency. Otherwise, your credit card will charge you an exorbitant amount in exchange fees.)
Another learning for Kim: She changed dollars for Euros at an exchange counter in the airport!! For her $200 USD, she got something like 140 EUR. TOTAL RIPOFF. She should have gotten more like 180 EUR. (I was in the bathroom while she was doing this and thus couldn’t intervene.) Please just find a bank machine and take money out of your bank account directly. Note you want a bank machine and not a Euronet machine or similar. (These are just exchange counters in ATM costumes.)
Then our flight to Seville was boarding. We were a few minutes late because of Starbucks and ended up being the last people on the bus. Do not dilly dally at Lisbon airport apparently!! Especially for smaller flights like ours that may leave from a gate that requires a bus!
Then TAP took my carry on away and said it was too big for the Embraer 195. I think it could have fit on its side but what don’t we do at the airport? We don’t argue with airline staff. I was glad I had locked my bag and I was glad I had an AirTag in it, I reminded myself that in 2018 and 2019, I traveled for 9 months to umpteen countries and my checked bags never got lost so…
After a very short flight with not even water on offer, we arrived at Seville airport and picked up my bag. (SUCCESS!) I had ordered a transfer and our very nice driver was waiting for us after baggage claim with my name on a sign. On the way into town, he shared his favorite dishes we had to try…his #1 was “adobo” which we later learned was fried dogfish.
The rooftop pool at the Hotel Colon in Seville
In Seville, I recommend staying at Hotel Colon, a Gran Melia Hotel. This hotel has an excellent location and rooftop pool. Plus, this is a Virtuoso property where I can VIP your stay with complimentary breakfast, priority for upgrade, and more.
By the time we were checked into our hotel, we were all exhausted. Luckily our hotel rooms were ready so we could all take a quick nap. We made a plan to meet up at 3 PM for our 4 PM tour.
I really lucked out in planning our Tuk Tuk tour for where I did. It never rains in Sevilla and of course it was pouring rain while we were there. But we were safely ensconced within the Tuk Tuk as we toured some of the World’s Fair pavilions and Plaza de Espana. Knowing that we would be tired, I had only booked the one hour tuk tuk and we agreed that this was just perfect. At the end of the tour, we had the driver drop us off in Triana for a delightful late lunch before slowly making our way over to the flamenco show we booked.
Now, I want to mention two logistical things at this juncture that affected our trip at times:
Phone charging. Three people with three phones. Someone’s phone was always on the verge of going dead. Luckily, I brought a charging block. However, I did not bring a charging cable for an older iPhone and Kim’s daughter had an older iPhone. If you are bringing a charging block, ask your traveling companions what types of phones they have.
International cell phone plans: I have T-Mobile which offers free international data in most international locations, although the speeds are limited. I want my phone to work exactly as it does at home. so I have no problem paying extra for faster international data. (I generally pay T-Mobile $50 for an international data pack that lasts 10 days.) My friend Kim has Verizon and did not want to pay the $12 a day to turn on international data. This means that when she was not on wifi, I couldn’t reach her. Don’t do this to your friends, people. If you are going to spend a few thousand on a trip to an international location, pay for international data. Refusing to do so is a false economy.
Now, back to the Flamenco show…I really love music, but I struggled with the show. It reminded me of the time I saw fado is Lisbon. It’s different and it’s something to do but…watching three people dance to intensely slow music for 1 hr and 20 minutes just isn't my thing. Don’t get me wrong…flamenco is cool! But I think we picked the wrong show. I wanted something happy!
That night I climbed into bed and woke up 10 hours later. I slept like a rock!
In the morning, I did my customary thing and flooded the hotel bathroom—something I always seem to do in European hotels when I take a shower—before heading out for our Seville Alcazar and Royal Palace tour. Now this was a great tour!! Our tour guide Hector was so personable and interesting. I recommend booking this if you ever find yourself in Seville. Afterwards, he recommended a cute local restaurant where we had an enjoyable lunch in a little courtyard.
One thing that happened when our started is that two participants were turned away because they never responded to the confirmation text the day before. Why didn’t they respond to the confirmation text? Because they were too cheap to turn on their cell phones!! They spent $150 each on a tour and were too cheap to turn on their cell phones. (The confirmation was necessary because every tourist has to be registered with the government to visit the Royal Palace.) Hopefully you are getting my message. If you are going to spend $1000 per person to fly to Europe, pay the $10 dollars a day or whatever it is to turn your cell phones on.
That evening, I had booked us a food tour. I love food tours. They are really the best way to see and experience a city. During our tour, we visited a mix of old-school Seville restaurants and completely modern gems. In the process, we learned a bit about bullfighting, football, and of course the food. A lovely time was had by all and we all gave out guide Carlos big hugs at the end of the evening.
The next morning, we said goodbye to Seville and made our way by train to Cordoba. I’ll write more about Cordoba and Granada soon.
Key Takeaways from This Blog Post
AirTag and lock your luggage please. You never know when you will be forced to gate check a bag.
Pre-book your arrival transfers. It’s just so nice to arrive in a new city and have someone waiting for you there with your name on a sign.
Bring a charging block and the appropriate cables, especially if you are traveling with a group. Someone’s phone is always on the verge of dying.
Always choose local currency when given the choice between USD and Local Currency on credit card machines.
Do not convert money at currency exchange booths. Just use an ATM! (But a bank ATM, not an exchange ATM.) Outside of the airport, look for bank machines that have the CIRRUS and PLUS logos.
Don’t be cheap with your cell phone. If you can pay a few thousand dollars for your international trip, you can pay the $5 to $12 a day it costs to keep your phone data on in an international location.
We communicated with our drivers and tour guides exclusively with Whatsapp throughout the trip. So always have Whatsapp downloaded! Because my friend Kim refused to turn on data on her cell phone, we also used Whatsapp to communicate with each other over wifi when we weren’t together.
When traveling with friends, use Splitwise to track expenses and who paid for what. It’s so helpful! You just have to be diligent about having a “banker” who records all the entries. (I always seem to be the banker.)
Get ready for lots of walking, lots of standing. A reminder than in Europe, you will be on your feet a lot more than you probably are back home. Get on that treadmill in the month or two before you head to Europe and do a regular 3 miles a day at a 5% incline. Conditioning! You need it. Your legs and feet will thank you for it, I promise! (We did a regular 16,000 steps a day while we were in Spain, pretty much double what I do on an average day in the US.)
Stay tuned for Part II where I talk about Cordoba and Granada!
About Krista
I’m a Virtuoso luxury travel advisor based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to moving to Florida to take care of my elderly mom with Parkinson’s Disease, I spent over 11 years living and working in London, England, selling financial data. My career and personal travel have taken me all over the world. To date, I’ve been to 78 countries. Now I bring the joy of travel to others as a Virtuoso travel advisor. I offer a 30 minute complimentary vacation consultation for anyone looking to plan their next trip.
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