I have Spanish friends who are amazed that my children can dine have conversation without any problems.Infact my Daughter's Godparents admitted that Spanish children cannot behave infact the Boy's were the worst.I've just come back from Spain and some of the Spanish parents couldn't control their children.My children do have a good time on Holiday,but that's the way they've been brought up.

Without wishing to upset anyone.....
I wonder sometimes why some people bother to go to Spain.
You don't like the Spanish OAP's, the Spanish kids or the food and you get pithed off when they don't speak English ...do you ever think that they might get pithed off because you can't speak Spanish?

Spanish people are rude.? well have you ever actually tried to strike up a conversation with them in Spanish/English.? or just said "Hola" when you're in the lift, or "Buenas Noches" at night, when leaving the lift.? FIRST.

Sometimes, I wish some people would just hire a sun-bed for two weeks, pack the fridge up with cheap booze from Aldi and do some of us a favour, and stop in the UK.

Sanjiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

With regard to the spanish and manners.....I
have noticed a few older people pushing in ect but on the whole have found them to be warm people.

I nhave just returned from 5 days in Alicante in a hotel full of Spanish (thats odd in Spain isnt it At every opportunity in the lift or in the corridor they always said Hola or Buenas Dias to us.

I was in Alicante for the San Juan fiesta a time of great merriment and festivities all week,this was my 6th visit,in all that time I have never seen a drunken obnoxious person.There are 1000's out celibrating all night and drinking on the beach but there behaviour is a joy to see.Can you imagine what it would be like in Britain at such a time.....Fighting...drinking...obnoxious families and youths....We should look at opurselves before criticising the Spanish.

I am another holiday maker that hates people moaning about the food being Spainish and too many Spainish, I love Benidorm because it is full of Spainish. I love staying in Spainish hotels, my oh says the dinning room when its full of Spainish reminds him of a hen hut because of their noise. I also wasn`t impressed with a servi group hotel, I found it to be bland. I love it when the hotel buffet has paella and Spainish omelet, oh loves chirizo.

When my son was small we stayed in a few Spainish hotels, the Spainish all made a fuss of him, on our last visit one older chap used to come to my son each day and talk about football, he loved to chat. I think we must give the Spainish more of a chance, afterall we are guests in their country.

I nhave just returned from 5 days in Alicante in a hotel full of Spanish (thats odd in Spain isnt it At every opportunity in the lift or in the corridor they always said Hola or Buenas Dias to us.

We have also found this to be true generally, our last couple of visits to Spain (Benidorm & Ibiza) have been in private Spanish owned apartments; and the other residents have been undeniably friendly. On our last visit; the Spanish owners of the apartment across from us went out of their way to inform us patiently(what with us having limited Spanish) that the lift was out of order late one night & telling us to be careful if trying to use it; a small thing perhaps but it shows you can`t tar everybody with the same brush whatever nationality, it`s just plainly ridiculous.

When we talk about the Spanish OAP's, it's hard to image what life must have been like for them living under a dictator for so long, and although Franco died in 1975, the elite and his cronies who he'd put in positions of authority, they didn't disappear the day after Franco finally clocked his clogs and everybody went "whoopee" the next day, it was several years later before the country could step forward, and although life was very hard,there are some pensioners who would welcome Franco back, when they see how their country has gone with immigration and crime today.

I hate to use the word "class", but some of these old folks are "lower class" citizens who spent approx 30-40 years as peasants in isolated villages in the mountainous regions, with no education and being told what to do by a fascist dictator"¦. they weren't allowed to think for themselves and as they had nothing, then they had nothing to queue for"¦. so probably that's why queuing is alien to them.

Look at Guadalest today, the village is reaping in the euros as a tourist attraction and today in 2008 the village still has no school, therefore the kids are bussed out daily, but can you image being born there in the 1940's without any electricity, telephones, computers and TV's and the only education you'd receive is from books"¦the kind of books that Franco allowed them.?

So, when people say the pensioners are ignorant, rude and push in, well yes some of them are, but it's not their fault and it's easy to cast an opinion on a generation, when you don't know what they've been through and really it's you that is ignorant.
(You as a figure of speech and not anybody personally.)

At the moment, I'm having a "run" on the hotel Regente and that's full of British people, but there are several reason why I stay there, I won't deny that being able to smoke and not feel like a leper is one of the main reasons, but I also think it's good value for money and I like the location because we like to walk in the Sierra Helada mountains, which are on the doorstep, and for some reason we like to walk to the old town, not the other way around.
Several years ago when we stayed in the hotel Fenicia, we never ventured into the new town and never made the effort to go into the mountains, so the Regente serves my requirements (at the moment).
Basically, I'm using the hotel for the bed, the shower and the food because other than those things, I'm out walking in the town/mountains and visiting other places all day long, and at night time, I (we) go to a nearby Spanish bar, unless it's raining "cats n dogs" and then I do have the choice to stay in and have entertainment.

Before the Regente, I had a "run" on the hotel Dalmatas and I've met some lovely Spanish people in there, we spent our Xmas/New Year with the Spanish, instead of sitting with the British for the gala meals, and Xmas 06/07 we sat with a couple from Madrid, they couldn't speak much English and my hubby can't speak Spanish, but between us we somehow had a continuous conversation"¦afterwards they always acknowledged us in the hotel and took time to stop and say a few words.

I was walking on Levante promenade during Easter week of this year and not really taking much notice of anybody, when these people were walking towards us and recognised us"¦..the greeting and kisses we got from them is something that no British person, including my own family, has ever shown me in over 60 years.

Thanks to Benidorm I have other friends in Madrid, and not forgetting my dear friend Maite, who I love like a sister.

The ones in Madrid, I met in the Copacabana/Farggi bar (before the smoking ban) and they go to the same place as me in Andalucia, the first time we met up with them, I expected them and their daughter when they said "family".
Their family consisted of between 12-15 persons of all ages who had driven down in their cars, and each of them welcomed Dave and me, into their "Familia"

They took us all over the place and we kept trying to say "No" we don't want to intrude, we just wanted to meet up and say hello, but they would have none of it and one of them got his car out of the underground car park at 2 am because they wouldn't let us walk back to the hotel at that time in the morning.

I could rabble on until "kingdom come" about the warmth and friendship of the Spanish people.
Yes, there are a few but that can be said of any nation.

Sanjiiiiiiiiiiiiii