Originally Posted by
sdsearch
Does this mean you'll be driving to the Hilton MAD? That's another boatload of fun, even with a GPS. If going on the freeway, you have to switch lanes about 3 times in about a dozen seconds, and no GPS can sanely keep up with that, and if you miss of those lane switches, you're not longer going to the hotel or anywhere close. (Ie, the hotel is right next to a very complicated interchange.) There's another way to get to the hotel using a street interchange a few blocks away, but you have to somehow convince the GPS to use that out-of-the-way (but much simpler to navigate in real time) route.
And hopefully your Tom Tom is more up to date about what roads actually exist around the hotel. When I tried an alternate route to the freeway, it took on a road that led into a parking lot where there may have been an entrance ramp years before but it was clearly not there any more. (This was a few blocks from the hotel.)
Where did you get the hint of " you'll be driving to the Hilton MAD?"
The answer is NO.
Why do we need a car from MAD to Hilton when the hotel has a shuttle? And why do we need to idle the rental for 2 days (pay extra 2 days rental + pay the 15 euro a night parking) when we can go to MAD on either hotel's shuttle or use the nearby Metro, when the activities in Madrid proper do NOT involve any need of driving?!
On Day 3 we will check out of Hilton, return to the airport to pick up our rental car then head out of Madrid to start our road trip. After we finish the road trip we will return the car at the airport in late afternoon, take the shuttle to Hilton for 2 more nights stay before we fly home.
This is why the driving trip is "sandwiched" between 2 Hilton MAD stays - it does NOT equal to we would have a rental car while staying in Hilton MAD! Frankly I dont see why one needs a car if it is for Madrid and the environments. Toledo, Segovia and El Escorial can all be easily reached via low-cost buses from Madrid proper. No need to worry about driving and parking. It is only when you want to hit 2 or more places on the same day, then having a car might offer some advantages. Otherwise, for those day trips (done that long time ago), the buses / trains are the way to go.
I agree the GPS cannot distinguish the quick lane changes or worse, 2 parallel roads - the fast express outside, and the slower inside, separated by guardrail - many cities have this kind of set up - see that in Dusseldorf recently. Toronto is another city that come to mind. (where we dont need a GPS to drive - know it better than in our own town where we hardly need freeway drive.
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I also dont expect the GPS could be 100% fool-proof. You also need common sense and judgment. However the GPS is a GREAT Help. Yes, there were times in Turkey the GPS led us to a spot which the hotel was 50 meters behind us, or it is at the next corner when the streets led to it were like no more than 20 meters long... The coordinates can only be within certain meters of accuracy. We understand that.
Yes, the Tom Tom is very up-todate. It has LIFE TIME update for Europe and North America. It has 4 quarterly update a year. I just downloaded the Spring quarter a month ago. The Summer quarter not coming out till end of August I think.
Your problem with your Tom Tom probably is due to it is either an installation on the car, or it is rented from the rental car company and is not kept updated. No idea which type you use.
In fact the Tom Tom we have, can be used for Walking direction if needed to be. Used it for walking directions at Nancy and Strasburg, France just 6 weeks ago.
If you go on Amazon to read the reviews of the model of ours, it is overwhelmingly positive. The only complaint I came across, was a guy complained it could not find the right alley for finding his grand father's place on Sicily...
Oh, it is much cheaper to buy it from Amazon than from Tom Tom itself.