Earlier in the summer our family took a two-week trip to Europe that involved lots of moving parts with people joining at different times, a tight schedule of dates we needed to work within, and varied accommodations in five different cities. If you had told me a few years ago that I would be able to plan a trip like this with mostly credit card rewards, I would have thought you were trying to sell me on a scam. Yet here we are, having completed our second Euro-summer in as many years because of this little not-scam we do.
Because the trip was long with lots of little details, I’ll be breaking it up by location over a few different entries with details on how we booked it and also some of our favorite things in each place. Just in case you want another amateur traveler’s opinions! This trip will give me something to blather on about for weeks to come.
So, let’s get into it with the first leg of the trip: Madrid
The inspiration for this trip was to Kid B to and from Spain to join her school group (thus saving us $1500 in flights for her tour). The plan was for Kid A, who just graduated from high school, and I to get Kid B to Madrid and then go have an adventure of our own. The deal was sweetened for Kid B when I confidently declared that I would get us business class seats for our transatlantic flight. I had some moments of doubt after this declaration, but it all worked out in the end. A little flexibility was key!
I began searching diligently about one year out and was getting more and more discouraged as my go-to, AirFrance, was not showing me any great deals out of any east coast airports. Then, low and behold, on a whim I checked flights out of Toronto, just a 4.5 hour drive from Pittsburgh, and the perfect flights appeared out of thin air. I found copious KLM business class seats on a date two days ahead of when we needed to be there, and for a reasonable 55,000 Flying Blue points (the reward program for Air France and KLM) plus around $250 in taxes and fees each. I was happy enough with this and so transferred 165,000 American Express Member Rewards to Flying Blue and booked the three tickets.
The plot thickened when the kids’ good friend decided to join us for the first part of the trip – and since her mom is also a points and miles wiz, she was able to get a seat on our flight with points, too. After considering all of the options for getting to Toronto (positioning flight, Tom driving us, renting a car), we found a point to point car rental through National for only $125 and decided that was the way to go. It’s worth noting that we had to pick up the car at the Pittsburgh airport, and only National and Hertz will do a cross-border rental. Additionally, we paid for the taxes and fees using our Capital One Venture X and used the travel erase feature to cover these with points. Total cost to get three people to Europe in style so far: $125
Our travel day itself went smoothly. We got across the Canadian border relatively quickly using the Peace bridge. I had an itty-bitty fear that we would be denied crossing because of our rental car or our travel plans, but that ended up being a silly thing to waste my worries on. We arrived with plenty of time to get through security, and our tickets got us into the KLM lounge where we had a late lunch before boarding our flight. The service on the flight was efficient, and the food was decent. However, we all agreed that a 5PM transatlantic flight is not the best for sleeping as we were just beginning to get tired as we approached landing. Despite this, we were quite comfortable in our lie-flat seats.
We had a one hour layover in Amsterdam, and I knew this was going to be tight. It ended up working out perfectly: we landed slightly early and got through passport control in about 20 minutes. The airport was easy to navigate, but I definitely wouldn’t book a flight with less time – and in all honesty would think twice about only giving ourselves an hour in the future. It’s important to keep in mind that you will go through passport control in the first EU (Schengen) country you touch down in, and the amount of time this takes can be unpredictable.
We got to our hotel after taking a taxi which is standardly 33 euros from the airport to just about anywhere in central Madrid. We stayed at the Hotel Villa Real which I booked in the Chase portal. A family suite which had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a balcony cost us 112,000 Chase ultimate rewards for our three nights. I was originally booked in the Hyatt Regency, which would have been 115,000 points for the two rooms we needed and was further out with no pool. The plunge pool on the roof of Villa Real is what sold me! It was going to be HOT. I also really liked the idea of having an easy hotel where we could return for a rest throughout the day.
This hotel ended up being perfect for us. They stocked the fridge with complimentary drinks each day (including beer), it was plenty of space for four people, and the air conditioning worked well even in the summer heat. Our balcony was lovely, especially in the afternoon and evening after the sun passed over the building. The staff were very kind and helpful, as well. The best part, though, was this hotel was close to the Prado museum, the Reina Sofia, and El Retiro park. It was also a manageable walk to the Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace of Madrid. We kept our touring to a 2ish mile radius, but we were able to do everything we wanted and get there on foot with this as our base.
We enjoyed the tour of the Royal Palace and spent a good part of one day at the Prado. We also enjoyed several walks in Retiro park, which truly was a shady haven, even when temperatures were up in the high 80s. It’s worth noting the Reina Sofia has free of charge times most evenings from 7-9PM. We did this one evening so I could see Picasso’s Guernica, and I’d definitely recommend a visit for people interested in modern art.
On one of the days, my daughter and her friend bought a Get Your Guide bus tour to Toledo where they got to visit a demonstration at a sword-making venue, got a little tour, and then had free time to walk around and shop. They definitely enjoyed this little adventure, and it was only 34 euros per person. It’s also relatively easy to book a train ride to Toledo or to Segovia, however, this particular bus tour they chose had a pick up/drop off location across from our hotel so seemed like the simplest choice. When they returned from their adventure (while walked around for hours, ate a squid sandwich, and visited the Temple of Debod, which was a Nubian Temple gifted to Spain in 1968), we went to a Flamenco show at a small bar/theater. We were all blown away by the performance and would recommend a show here if someone has never been. The exciting show and an ample tapas menu cost 55 euros per person.
A few of our favorite places we tried for dinner were Rollo Ocho in the La Latina neighborhood. This was the first restaurant we visited, and full disclosure, we were tired and hungry. But the patio was lovely and this place was tucked away on a quiet street where we met locals coming to their regular spot with their dogs. The food was good – but we ordered way too much because we were expecting smaller portions. This became a theme in many of the Spanish restaurants we tried. Another place we enjoyed was a tapas bar with a modern twist called Viva Madrid. They had great food and some fun drinks with interesting seating and decor. Our hotel was also right around the corner from the Calle de Jesus, which has a row of classic Tapas bars. We also made a stop for churros and chocolate at San Gines – while very much a tourist stop, it felt like the right thing to do. Truly, you can throw a stone in Madrid and find great food, but these were some highlights for us.
I keep thinking about Madrid, though, and how nice it would be to take one last stroll through Retiro after grabbing a coffee. I would 100% return to Madrid – I’m keeping it in mind in the future as a city to position to when searching award flights. I’d gladly spend a couple of delicious days there before or after checking out another part of Europe. After several packed days of touring Madrid and getting Kid B united with her tour, we said goodbye to our friend, hopped a high speed train to Barcelona, then a bus up the coast to Tossa de Mar. More to come on that front!
