Organising A Stag Party Or Hen Do In Spain

By Author: David Griffiths
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Organising a Stag or Hen do in Spain might seem like a simple task. All you need to do is arrange a date, book hotel rooms in probably Barcelona or Madrid, organise flights for everyone and buy some wigs or some inflatable toys for the lucky person getting married. However, you will soon find that you forgot to do a few things. Imagine the scene: it's Saturday night, you're all dressed up (all 20 of you) and you are all hungry. You start looking for a place to sit down and eat. But you soon realise that everywhere is busy. Everyone starts getting angry and that anger is focused at you, because you're the one who is supposed to be sorting everything out. In order to avoid such problems, here's a quick guide on what you need to do to make your experience one to remember, rather than one to forget.
Make some arrangements prior to landing: book a restaurant for the main evenings, as restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights in Barcelona and Madrid are often busy with both locals and tourists eating out. Apart from that, even if you can find a place with a couple of spare tables, many will not want anything to do with a rowdy ...
... group of girls dressed as Dame Edna. So ring up beforehand, check it's ok, book a table and leave a deposit if necessary. Many places have someone who can speak English, so there shouldn't be any problems.
Whichever accommodation you choose, make sure it is central to where you want to be and check the price, location and acceptability of large groups, before booking. Often, holiday apartments offer better price and flexibility, so it's worth looking into before booking a hotel.
Try to speak at least a little of the local language. A quick "hola", "gracias" or "Que tal?" will go down amazingly well, and break the ice for the evening ahead.
Arrange a few daytime options for those that don't want to drink heavily in the evenings. Groups are often mixed and some will simply not wish to stay out drinking and dancing until 7am the next morning. So have some activities prepared for those that wish to get up early. The ones that don't want to come can easily stay in bed and just meet up for the next round of dinner and/or drinks.
Offer mobile telephones or make sure that everyone has their home mobile telephone with international roaming activated - not all operators offer this by default, so check with your mobile phone operator before leaving.
Pass round a few local numbers (the hotel or apartment company where you are staying, your friends of course, a taxi company and perhaps the police, just in case).
Finally, remember that Spanish people are not used to crowds of outrageous men or women singing songs, removing clothes, shouting, screaming, etc., so try and show some respect for your hosts. The best way to do this is prepare an itinerary before you go. Then, not only will you and your friends have a great time, but your hosts will enjoy the fun too. Follow these simple instructions and this will be an experience that everyone remembers fondly...