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Granada Forum: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

Elmira, New...
posts: 9
reviews: 21
 Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again! 

Just when I thought I was doing everything right!

I read all of the instructions on using the Renfe site two or three times and even successfully purchased tickets for our trip from Granada to Madrid.

I have been watching the website every night waiting to book tickets on the overnight trenhotel from Barcelona to Granada on 26-6-2010, getting a little nervous as trains seemed to available up to June 12th and no further, but feeling okay since I had successfully used the system once already.

And then today I see that between last night and now the train has been posted but it says FULL TRAIN. No seats are available at at any level for any price! According to the website the same thing is true for the days on either side of our preferred travel date.

I know that I should just call the Renfe customer service number, and I will, and I know that we can fly to Granada from Barcelona for a lower cost, but what can I say? We are Americans, we are starved for a good long distance mass transit system, my kids are big Harry Potter fans (it's the train thing that is the linkage here, they know that Harry has nothing to do with Spain) and we really wanted to ride an overnight train.

Does anyone know if this is for real? What did I do wrong?

South...
posts: 11,750
reviews: 6
1. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

The Renfe site is renowned as being a challenge, at the moment the 26/6/2010 is not in its thinking, so try again in a couple of days.

Dates before have availability.

London...
posts: 6,262
reviews: 61
2. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

Looks like the booking is open up to 12th June but not after. I think I read somewhere that the summer schedule had not been loaded or something like that. But frankly who knows. RENFE web does not tell you.

Once you get to booking, you will have some options, I believe. These are shown with normal prices on searching times:

:

Turista: 62,10

Turista Niño: 37,25

Cama Turista Doble Familiar: 75,60

Cama Turista Doble Familiar Niño: 45,35

Preferente: 82,30

Preferente Niño: 49,40

Cama Turista Señora: 89,20

Cama Turista Caballero: 89,20

Cama Turista Familiar: 89,20

Cama Turista Familiar Niño: 53,50

Cama Preferen Doble Familiar: 111,90

Cama Preferen Doble Familiar Niño: 67,15

Cama G. Clase Doble Familiar: 155,60

Cama G. Clase Doble Familiar Niño: 93,35

Cama Preferen Individual: 161,70

Cama Preferen Individual Niño: 97,05

Cama G. Clase Individual: 218,00

Cama G. Clase Individual Niño: 130,80

Bombay
posts: 55
reviews: 5
3. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

Check if you can book the journey through your local travel agent.

Last year, we were travelling in Spain and France on a Eurail pass. We reserved the Granada-Barcelona train journey through an authorised agent based in Bombay. It worked very smooth, we received printed reservations in hand before we left and paid only a few Euros extra as booking charges.

Yokohama...
posts: 11
4. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

Hi,

I'm looking at something very similar, and I'm a little confused (surprise, surprise!) by the renfe website.

Trenhotel information all seems to list "tourist class" as a quad (4-berth room). But then you have the option of "Cama Turista Doble Familiar." By my understanding, this would be a double room in tourist class. Correct? Or is this just a special rate for couples who would then stay in a quad room? My wife and I would much prefer to have a double room for the two of us.

Thanks!

South...
posts: 11,750
reviews: 6
5. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

Check on the Trenhotel train www.elipsos.com

Malaga, Spain
posts: 19,350
reviews: 822
6. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!
Destination Expert   What's this?
for Malaga

wd9999:

Cama turisto doble familiar means a room for two. That is what you want.

Yokohama...
posts: 11
7. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

Thanks a lot!

Newcastle-upo...
posts: 1
8. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

hello,

just wondered if the Cama Turista familiar doble turned out to be a room for just 2 people or whether you ended up in a 4 berth with 2 other people, I can't work out the Renfe site either and am trying to book a double room and not end up in a 4 berth. Not sure why the price for the 4 berth is dearer than for the 2 berth, thank you,

Malaga, Spain
posts: 19,350
reviews: 822
9. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!
Destination Expert   What's this?
for Malaga

Newcastle:

If you book for two people, you will be put in a room for just 2 people. If you book for 4 people you will be put in a room for 4 people. Renfe will not put strangers together in a room for 4 people.

Muscat, Oman
posts: 141
reviews: 11
10. Re: Aaaaugh! Sorry to bring up the Trenhotel again!

i went thru the entire process you have mentioned without any luck, at the end i decided to take a flight from BCN to GRX, which was almost same price as the train. moreover, it takes only 90 minutes to get to granada, while trains travels for 11-12 hours.

unless u are utterly starving for a train ride, i recommend air travel.

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