Spain - Costa Brava Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in the Costa Brava.
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1st time with Siesta this year and was very happy with their service. Plenty of stops to stretch your legs and we still got to our lodge on the sunday before 10.30am. There were plenty of DVD's to watch and the headsets are a great idea with the choice of channels to listen to. The hostess service was great and with a reasonable choice of food. Only drawback for us was the use of the Channel Tunnel both ways, we always liked the ferry to break up the journey and the chance to shop in the Duty Free. We also got back to Scotland a lot quicker than Cantabrica ever did, even with the tour of North West England for our coach. Only to be expected I suppose with the cost of fuel nowadays
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I had my obvious issues with Siesta, but i guess i'd consider using them again if i could pick up a cheapie this year. Never been a fan of the hub system though, that is why i loved Interbrava / Redcrest so much, it's means getting up 5 or 6 hours later for me to catch my coach, and considering how far i'm going, that makes a difference. Where do they do the changeover now?

I used to get home to central Scotland around 7pm with Interbrava / Redcrest, it used to be 1-2am with Siesta after they did the blooming A1 up the east coast! :duh
One good thing about Siesta is they at least have hostess service up to the border, whereas Club C don't give a toss past London, although i do agree about the ferry ... given how far i'm travelling, the ferry was a welcome break, i would really miss that, but if it keeps costs down, eh?

I keep hoping Interbrava will reverse their brainstorm decision from this year, but i very much doubt it, so i'm stuck with either Club C or Siesta ... hence the reason i'm looking at driving next year!!! :rofl
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We went from Scotland to Leicester Forest services and changed to our bus for Spain. On the way back from CDP we changed at a Spanish service station and stayed with the same bus right back to Scotland. There was another bus going to Scotland but it was full meaning we had the NW English to drop off right up to Newcastle. We then stopped at Gretna services for a break. We then got to Hamilton at 8.15pm
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hi all ..as anyone used siesta coaches for a holiday to lloret de mar recently ?.
regards j.d
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used ferris when the volcano started and screwed up my flight.
are you looking for any information in particular.
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hi jimd-f just checking the company out i.e are the coaches comfy.is the extra recliner seat worth the money £18 return .what kind of journey can i expect.
etc.regards.j.d.
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hey j hows you..im new here..lol as for siesta i have always found the coaches 1st class..as for the extra money for room?..i imagine it will be better,,though iv never paid for the extra...you find if no one pays the extra they obvsly give the seats to a standard paying passenger anyway,,,but others on here were may have a better idea,,thers a guy cider monster and a few others who are pretty much in the know in a more recent sense with siesta ,hoepfully they will reply..
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thanks for your comments broadwayboy.
the reason i asked about the extra recliner is because i am 6foot 2 inches and need plenty of leg room.
regards..j.d
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They're coaches are very comfortable, I do think the £18 is worth paying if i'm honest. We had those seats for one part of our journey last year and they were extra comfortable.

The play movies aplenty and the food is great too.

Helen
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helen thanks very much for your input you have helped to make my mind up ..
regards..j.d :tup :) :wave:
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j.d
i have used siesta in the past. i rate them above ferris platinum for comfort, but am not 100% convinced about the leg rests -i know cidermonster used to hate them. i am 6.3 and a big lump and i found i had plenty room in any of the seats.
the good bit about siesta is that they do their final seat arrangement near the spanish border, where ferris were doing theirs in calella. this meant that you could leave lloret with ferris, and then pass it again 4 hours later once everyone was transferred to the correct coach while with siesta you felt as if you were going home.
it looks like i will be a coach next month, as i can't seem to get a suitable deal on ryanair for my travel dates.

remember to take a cushion
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thanks ..jimd-f..thats really made my mind up .
by the way your avatar looks like my wifes mother .
regards..j.d :cheers
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johndoe,
we must be related. their can't be 2 of them :rofl
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Hi,

Off to Blanes in Sep and even though I have been with Siesta before, I have heard from various threads in this forum that Siesta tend to use the Eurotunnel when travelling down to Blanes/Salou etc. I was just wondering where the comfort break stop is (Uk/France ?? Eurotunnel terminal??) which replaces the break that you would have had on the ferry? Last time I went to Estartit and had the pleasure of the ferry from Dover- Calais, which I actually enjoy, however the Eurotunnel had gone on fire days previously, which provides the reason to as why we went by ferry.

I'm a little cautious of the Eurotunnel if I'm honest - don't like the concept of it. It also annoys me that I can't look at well priced perfumes on the ferry too :/.

Also, has anyone been this summer via the tunnel? Does it arrive at the destination quicker due to slashed travelling times?

Thanks :)
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if they use the tunnel then they would normally use the dover terminal as a comfort stop so you can get food/shopping. there are plenty shopping opportunites there, or in the calais equivalent on the way back.
in my opinion, using the tunnel should save 1 hour on the journey and i'm all in favour of that. however it never seems to work out like that.
as i get on at dover, i tend to find nowadays the ferry out is a pain, as i just want to get going, but on the way back it is nice to get a decent breakfast.
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hey jaja im debating at the mo between blanes or cdp in sep too,when you going ?might see you there,lol as for ferry or tunnel..i guess as the guy there said it saves time,,but the fery is fun,,im sure they will stop somewhere,,,im envious your on a siesta coach,,im going coach only with cantabrica as i have a 200 pound voucher with them.and they are not as good
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Hi,
Went last year to Salou with Siesta, Very good service, The hostess on the coach could not be faulted either (offering drinks and hot snacks at regular intervals)
My pick up was Erdington (Birmingham) and we changed coach at Leicester then drove down to Dover for a pick up (45min comfort break about halfway) and then got on the train and through the eurotunnel. You have the option to stay on the coach or stand next to it in your carriage (I recommend standing next to it as it gets very hot inside the coach). The train I believe is now the prefered method because it is quicker.
Off the train and then towards Paris, Passing the eastern side of Paris and into the area of Champagne, famous for?????? :), This is where you have your evening comfort stop probably around 7:30pm and will last approx 45 mins, Back on the coach and the bulk of the journey will now be done overnight, When you wake up you will be in the south of france and probably have another break near to Marseille, Back on the coach and time to go through the mountains and into Spain (camera's ready), Approx 2 hours you will stop again and either change coach (towards costa brava) or stay on the coach and people going to salou will change.
You should arrive at the destination around 1pm.

I have been twice on coach but opted to go by plane this year due to a bad back, I personally prefer the coach due to the views and lesser restrictions on luggage, However, I have never been given the opportunity to buy goods such as beer/cigarettes at the comfort stops, This is saved for the resort. The comfort stops are practically a little chef equivalent (autogrill) and the meals cost around 10-12 euros each, you'd be better off having a hot sandwich/hamburger and drink on the coach because the meals at the autogrill aren't exactly great.

Hope this helps

Simon
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30 mins on the train and plenty of stops on the way through France. The time saved doesn't really count as you can't arrive too early in the resort as your lodge won't be ready for you. The hostess service with Siesta is excellent and as Simon said the service stations are a rip off and only good for toilet stops.
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