Tauck newbie: dinner on independent nights.
Now that the COVID entry requirement has been lifted we are leaning towards going on our Northern Spain Tauck tour in Sept. On many previous Rick Steves tours and independent trips I’ve spent considerable time researching and booking restaurants. Frankly, RS group meals range from OK to good so our best meals were usually on our own. It looks like Tauck has a higher standard. For our “off” nights-should I research, book? On RS tours we found about 20% of the time we canceled as we were too exhausted to face transportation and a long meal and asked the guide or hotel for a local place. This usually worked out. Should I just wing it and see what suggestions the guide makes? What has been your experience. We enjoy good food, not necessarily Michelin star places every night! Disappointingly, we will be free in San Sebastián on a Monday, when most restaurants are closed.
Comments
Folsomdoc - Your tour guide or hotel concierge should be able to give you some suggestions, I travel by myself and that's what I usually do.
For the most part, food will be very good and overly abundant. Personally, I tend to take a food break for meals that aren't included. I usually bring some Clif bars and trail mix with me for a snack. Or, I'll just look online and find a place where I can get something simple.
Don't forget that in Spain, dinner doesn't start until 10 PM. At that time, I'm ready to relax, not eat.
Sometimes the TD will make suggestions but not always. And as Gladys said, the concierge are helpful. One of the benefits of the higher end hotels. I'd use them if I had something particular in mind.
The meals Tauck provides tend to be so good and large that on our own we go lighter. Our favorite is if we have a room with a patio we like to go to a market or even some of the European dept stores with food halls and get some cheese, bread, salad and bottle of wine (the Rick Steve's method). I do research ahead of time using google, the location of the hotel and the "nearby" feature.
Tauck doesn't leave you on your own to find meals unless you're within walking distance of restaurants.
Pintxos (the Basque equivalent of tapas) are prevalent in northern Spain, especially in San Sebastian. Just ask your tour director for guidance. Pintxos cover all food groups--meat, fish and vegetables--so no matter what your likes are, you will find something to your liking. And, if you are fortunate to have Todd H. as your director, you just might have the pleasure of joining him on a pintxos walking tour.
I’m a mix between Claudia and BKMD. Too much food from Tauck, wanting a quick meal in favor for more time for independent touring, walking locally to find somewhere, eating at the hotel for convenience, getting help from the hotel concierge who can often secure a table for you when the restaurant says they don’t have any spaces….and most important of all, hoping I fit into my clothes by the end of the tour….in fact, save your roomier clothes for the end of the tour
I was having difficulty a couple weeks ago getting dinner reservations for our first evening in Lisbon this coming Tuesday. It is our GofT and was just hoping to settle in/get acclimated to the time change. The concierge sent me a list with price range, type of cuisine, hours, distance walking and by taxi. Several were already completely booked through 10PM. But finally we found one that will be perfect. Soon after making the reservation I saw on the evening news that the summer influx of travelers to Europe is making it difficult to find available seating for dinner. I quickly made another reservation at a different restaurant for our third and final evening in Lisbon before heading to Porto to begin the cruise portion of the tour.
Patrice - please post a review of your trip. Taking this next year. Thanks!
British, you crack me up. I travel in comfy clothes, actually that's pretty much my wardrobe all the time! Seriously, for overnight flights I'm definitely in loose clothing (which means a lot of pat-downs at security) & since packing is one of the few times I'm a bit minimalist, I don't have any "roomier" clothes.
British ,they should wear fancy sneakers and will get a table , too.
)
😂😂😂Mil that’s a great idea….but they have to have spikes right!
Just for whatever it's worth, I do a fair amount of searching for restaurants using YELP. It takes a bit of doing to change locations so you can search wherever you are or are going to be. Lets you customize the type of restaurant you want too. Plus you get reviews from other customers/travellers on YELP.