In Summary….
This was my second time and Greg’s third visit to Spain and although we definitely found more redeeming qualities, budget saving measures, and I had the huge asset of being able to walk this time, (yay!) we’ve still concluded, it’s not a top country for us. At least it’s not in the winter or summer, and there are far too many other places we want to go in Europe in the spring or fall. Sevilla, however, did enchant us.
That said, below is our personal list of stats, money saving tips, and personal upsides and downsides.
Time Spent: 35 nights
Money Spent: $1199 or $34/day in USD/two people, which breaks down to:
- $51 (Accommodation)
- $627 (Groceries)
- $204 (Transport)
- $124 (Restaurants)
- $13 (General)
Our itinerary: (2) nights Sevilla, (33) nights Rota (housesit) + day trip to Cadiz
Would we return? Probably, with another housesit. But it’s definitely not a priority at this time.
Best Budget Saving Tips
- Had a housesit so paid zero for 33 nights of accommodation, which is key for us in expensive destinations like Western Europe. If you’re interested in saving 25% to join Trusted Housesitters, please use our link!!
- We did three Too Good to Go (food waste program) orders in Sevilla. We received leftovers hotel buffets which fed us three larges brunches and they cost about $4.50/each. They were all too far or inconvenient from our house to do them in Rota.
- We walked or took the local bus in both Sevilla and Rota. In Rota we used the Moovit app for schedules as it wasn’t on Google.
- We ate free oranges from the trees all month, but you gotta know which ones to look for. Many of the ornamental street trees have very sour ones.
- We bought our groceries at Lidl where you always save money and a discount grocer called El Jamón.
- Free flamenco show at “La Carboneria” in Sevilla
- We didn’t do any paid sightseeing.
- We cooked all our own meals other than two meals out while at our housesit.
Our Upsides
- Being able to speak and mostly understand the language was obviously helpful. We found this much easier than during our time in Northern Spain.
- When you have a housesit to offset accommodation, Spain, like other destinations in Western Europe is very affordable. We also adored our French Bulldog client, Pixie.
- Public transport was easy to use and affordable. (1.15 to 1.50€ a ride.) In Sevilla it was completely synced into Google Maps, making it even easier.
- It’s also easy to organize long distance buses online, though we had trouble getting a Bla Bla car on January 4. We’ve learned never to leave a sit until well after the holidays, when everyone goes back to work.
- The beach, which was only a couple blocks from our housesit, was gorgeous and inviting (when the weather was nice), as was the board walked pine forest. The occasional Spanish sunset over the Atlantic made our day.
- Although it was still quite crowded and touristy, Sevilla was an absolute gem, which unexpectedly stole our hearts. We found it to be somewhere that is actually worth the hype…and a wonderful place to wander. Cadiz was also worth a visit.
- Was fun to visit our first Flamenco show in Sevilla (and free!)
- Delicious wine for terrific prices at about 4€ a bottle (though not as good as Portugal.)
- Quality and selection of groceries was high. Affordability of them was on par with Bulgaria, Australia and New Zealand. It was more expensive than Portugal, but less expensive than the States especially considering the quality.
Our Downsides
- We probably had about 30% sunny days, and the weather was far rainier and colder than anticipated
- The house we stayed in all month was frigid with inefficient heating. We also didn’t sleep well all month due to this, and the uncomfortable bed.
- Although the Old Town of Rota was cute, most of it didn’t feel like anything special…more like Southern California than Spain. In fact, nearly everyone spoke English, which kept us from practicing Spanish.
- Not having access to a car and being a 30-minute walk to the markets made getting regular groceries a challenge and require large “stock up” trips. It felt quite American because all the stores were clumped together in strip malls and far away.
- This all makes sense because Rota is a US Navy Base town. Thats said, for us, it was a LOT of American-ness.🤣
- We were at our housesit most of the time, so the Spanish meal schedule didn’t affect us too much, but even during our time in Sevilla, it was hard for us to adjust.
- Many businesses close in Rota for siesta hours from 1-4 pm, which threw us off one day.
