andabanda

We will visit Andalucia in the end of April. We will have 8 or 9 nights. Planning to visit Sevilla, Cordoba, Ronda. Likely as day trips, or an overnight in Ronda so we can visit the white villages as well. We would also like to spend a couple of nights in a coastal town. This is an anniversary trip so some down time, just enjoying the sun, pool, sea would be nice. I am having a very hard time finding this place. We are looking for something without sports bars; something with old world charm, good places to eat, and nice accommodations(hotel or rental). I keep going in circles. We will likely have to use the Marbella airport (coming from Toronto). Within an hour drive would be nice but we do not mind if it is more. Keep checking Nerja, Marbella, Cadiz and the coastal towns.

Bedar

We are all looking for that place ! but with beaches comes development. This is a given. You'll be landing at Malaga airport. I think I'd head for Marbella. It has all the mod cons plus there is Old Town Marbella which fits the bill for a feel of old world charm.

MyriamC

Marbella? No thanks. It's the playground for 'wealthy' Russians. It has absolutely lost all its style.

If you want really nice beaches and a Spanish atmosphere, head for the Costa de la Luz. It's a two / two and a half hour drive from Málaga but the beaches are much nicer than at the (overcrowded) Costa del Sol.
Check out Conil de la Frontera or Zahara de los Atunes.

http://www.andalucia.com/province/cadiz/conil/home.htm

http://www.andalucia.com/province/ca...tunes/home.htm

mike1728

Agree 100% with MyriamC,

The Costa del Sol is now too overdeveloped and too touristy for my liking. For the real "Spanish" feel head to the Costa de la Luz (fly into Jerez de la Frontera) where you find pristine beaches, very little crowds at the time you will be travelling (in April at some of the beaches you can walk for miles seeing very few people), great tapas bars/restaurants, and very quaint Moorish villages. Our favorite is Zahara de los Atunes.

kimhe

Low-rise Nerja (Moorish Narixa) could be an option, the old town fronting the sea would tick most of your boxes. April is perfect time of year to go, laid-back and relaxing, spring is here but outside the main tourist season.

Perhaps stay in Hotel Carabeo on the cliffs with pool and the best views:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/carabeo.en-gb.html
http://hotelcarabeo.com/

The hotel is located on the cliffs in the oldest street in town, C/Hernando de Carabeo, a little to the left in this photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/trondjs/3735908317/

Lots of genuine and local atmosphere tapas bars/restaurants in the old town right behind the hotel. I could make a long list of great options, and La Puntilla is one of them: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Have had many great nights in fine, family-owned and traditional El Niño: http://mynerja.com/view/bars/el-nino/

Typical old town street in Nerja: http://www.minube.com/fotos/rincon/131879/629455

Also some top notch restaurants in town:
Sollun: http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Resta...n-227002-41102
Oliva: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html
Fusion Food & Lounge: http://www.fusionfood.es/

Traditional and laid-back Cafeteria Cavana, just behind the main church, is my favourite cafe in Nerja: https://www.facebook.com/Cafeteria-C...2685652444969/
https://foursquare.com/v/cafeteria-c...3c2d7f8a7c345d

Nine small and large beaches among the cliffs in Nerja itself, and you can walk between most of them: http://www.spain-holiday.com/Nerja/a...ja-beach-guide

Ayo's on the Burriana beach serves one of the most famous paellas in Andalucia, all days until sunset since 1969: http://www.ayonerja.com/chiringuito_en.html

kimhe

And there are of course also some fabulous rentals along C/Carabeo with views of both the sea and the Mountains behind, and the prices in April are almost half of the summer months. http://www.inter-sol.com/calle_carabeo.html

I have stayed in these two apartments/town houses here, both are highly recommended:
http://www.inter-sol.com/nerja/rentals/NMCAR68A.html
http://www.nerjavacations.co.uk/casa-annona.html

annhig

What about simply staying in Malaga? We only spent a night and a morning there but we really liked it and would like to go back and spend longer there one day.

MyriamC

Yes, Málaga is nice, too. Far better than Marbella, anyway. Málaga is a larger city, but I don't recall there being loud sports bars.
I'm not a fan of Nerja just because it has all those loud bars.

kimhe

Malaga city is excellent, but there are no loud sports bars in the old town area of Nerja I'm talking about either. Seems like many visitors to Nerja only walk up and down the streets immediately around landmark Balcon de Europa, and that's a pity.

andabanda

Thanks so much to all of you! This is excellent info and I will start to look for accommodations. For sure we will skip Marbella. Maybe we can stay in Malaga on our last night, just before our flight home.We can try the great restaurant scene there. Probably will not stay for more because this time I will try to avoid the business of a big city. Definitely we are looking for a pool and nice views, hopefully walking distance to restaurants. Nerja is appealing because of the closeness to the airport. Costa de La Luz sounds like the perfect area for us. If you have specific recommendations for the Costa de La Luz area, please let me know.

Bedar

The Costa de la Luz is more of a summer place because it's on the Atlantic. The air and water are colder than the Med coast, and the winds can be ferocious. Better to look at the Med from Nerja to Sotogrande.

andabanda

I am going to buy the airfare next week. Hopefully I can get an open jaw ticket to gain a little bit of time. I am hoping to arrive in Sevilla and depart from Malaga. In that case Nerja is the natural choice if we want the "down time" at the end. We will see. I wish we had more time for this trip. I will be back with more questions after securing the flights. Thanks again to all of you for your input. It is really appreciated.

MyriamC

Bedar is right. Costa de la Luz might be too cold in April. We usually go early June and/or mid September which are just perfect (although we have had extremely hot weather in June once).

FYI, we always stay in Conil de la Frontera. A small town, very typical. We either rent a house with pool or stay in one of the few hotels. We always combine with a few days here and there (Málaga, Ronda and Sevilla this June).

andabanda

I'd like to report back and thank you all for the suggestions. We had to postpone our trip to the end of June because of my husband's foot surgery. It's not so good news for visiting Sevilla and the cities but a nice change for the coast. I booked four nights in Vejer. Thanks again; we cannot wait.

MyriamC

All the best for your husband!
Yes, it will be hot in Sevilla and the cities but Vejer will be excellent at the end of June.