The VERY easy Spanish holiday trick for getting free shots and the rip-off restaurants tourists should avoid
HAVE you ever holidayed in Spain and wondered if you’re saying the right thing or if there’s an easy way to order at a restaurant? One language expert has the answers.
James Smith, who has been teaching Spanish for years and now runs Learn Spanish with James, has revealed to Sun Travel his top tips from ordering food to the lesser-known spots to visit in Spain.
When it comes to speaking Spanish, James says while you might not be an expert (yet), there’s no harm in trying.
Talking to Sun Travel, James said: “People make mistakes in English everyday, but when it’s in a foreign language they worry about sounding silly.
“In Spain they’d just be happy if you try, and you’ll get much better service if you’ve made an effort to speak Spanish with them rather than the expectation for them to speak English – that’s when you start getting free shots to the table.”
Here’s one way to do this in a restaurant, rather than just speaking English more loudly and slowly.
James explained: “In order to sound quite colloquial, in Spain, you can say ‘me das’ or ‘me pones’ followed by what you want to ask for which is a very Spanish thing.
“It means, ‘can you get me this?’ – in English we’d say ‘can I have?’. On its own if you say it without the context of food it would mean ‘you turn me on’. But you’ll hear it all the time in restaurants and it doesn’t mean that.
“So for example you can say, ‘me pones un café con leche por favor’ – and always remember to say thank you afterwards.”
When it comes to pronouncing words in Spanish, other top tips include pronouncing ‘ll’ like ‘y’ – which will come in handy the next time you order a tasty paella.
Another example is that a ‘z’ is actually a ‘th’ sound and so is the letter ‘c’.
When it comes to holidaying in Spain, most Brits will head to restaurants for fresh seafood and patatas bravas – but there’s one Spanish classic that James warns against ordering a lot of.
James explained: “I would say anywhere you’re going where you have tapas as your main meal, you’re probably going to get ripped off.”
He continued: “You’re meant to have small tapa with a drink – it originates from people trying to stop flies in the alcohol, so they’d give you a ‘tapa’ which means lid in Spanish and put it on top of their glass.
“It’s only meant to be a small dish but now people have jumped on that and charge £15 for tapas when in reality, it was a freebie with a drink. I never have it as a main meal.”
Another sign of an inauthentic restaurant, according to James, is if there are pictures on the menu – or you see Spanish cuisine alongside egg and chips.
If you want some good recommendations but aren’t sure where to find them, then James says just ask.
He told us: “I always ask the hotel staff for a place to go and eat where tourists usually don’t go and they’re more than happy to help you.”
Most Brits head to the likes of Barcelona and Madrid, but aside from the major cities, where would James suggest to visit?
He said: “The Hanging Houses of Cuenca, which are just outside of Madrid. I would say like always look for these kind of day trips when you visit like the main cities.
“Toledo is another one, in the south of Spain, and Cádiz has the best beaches in Spain.”
James has been learning Spanish since he was a child, having taken an interest playing football in rural Spain.
He then studied the language at university before heading off to Buenos Aires and Costa Rica.
Now, he runs Learn Spanish with James suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced speakers – by signing up you can get a free email series with tips on how to learn the language.
Check out Learn Spanish with James and you can also keep up with James on TikTok.
Plus, one travel writer who’s visited 100 countries always goes back to these Spanish islands…
Robin McKelvie has travelled all over the world but reveals the place he goes back to the most are these Spanish islands…
“Despite having travelled to more than 100 countries in my time as a travel writer, the place I always return to is much closer to home. Having first visited the Canary Islands in Spain back in 1998, I’ve been back at least once a year on holiday.
“In Tenerife alone you can party at the world’s second biggest carnival, bash around the world’s best waterpark (Siam Park) and climb a mountain almost three times higher than Britain’s Ben Nevis.
“La Graciosa could be on a different planet. There are no tarmac roads, nevermind an airport.
“It’s a brilliant escape from the modern world, hiking and
cycling around rough tracks, up volcanoes and out to windswept beaches.
“Lanzarote and Gran Canaria boast Michelin star restaurants and foodies flock to Tenerife to dine at eight Michelin star restaurants.
“Tenerife boasts more Michelin stars than Wales and the Royal Hideaway Corales Resort has more stars than any hotel in Spain with four!
“And Tenerife just keeps winning stars. This year Il Bocconcino snared one. As a Scot I know when hiking is brilliant. Tenerife has massive variety, as does Gran Canaria, but my top tip is La Palma.
“I hiked around what the Canarios call ‘La Isla Bonita’ with Ramble
Worldwide earlier this year. It was a joy soaring with our friendly group of largely British retirees up volcanoes, through thick forests and down to the cobalt Atlantic.”
For more on Spain, one presenter from A Place In The Sun moved to the Costa del Sol where she spends evenings on the beach – but there’s a catch.
Plus, check out the 15 holiday habits Brits need to ditch from dodgy sangrias to pints of lager.
