Just home from Andalucia.............

.................but first, a note of thanks to all who contributed to making this a seamless trip. I am always amazed at how some posters are so good at remembering everything about their trips, even the street names. This trip report will be much briefer. Just the highlights and a few comments, although I am happy to answer any questions.

We flew Philly to Madrid. Although we live in Baltimore, my husband and I avoid any travel that requires changing planes if possible. No lost luggage worries and connection mishaps.

Arrrived in Madrid, caught a taxi (didn't get ripped off thanks to posters who outlined the taxi rates) and spent two nights at the Intur Palacio San Martin. Our room faced the courtyard which had windows that opened onto it but was very quiet. We weren't interested in doing the museum thing so its location suited us well. This stop was primarily for r&r to get us ready for the Andalucia portion. Not too fond of big cities. Although Madrid had a certain charm, I liked our time in Barcelona better. Madrid seemed like the Spanish NYC. A short distance away, we had a meal at an Argentinian restaurant we enjoyed very much. Had a nice Spanish red wine there. A frequent poster here, revulgo, recommended a seafood restaurant near the hotel and we had a nice lunch there. Overall, I didn't find the meals all that remarkable. Maybe we weren't eating high end enough or Italy has us spoiled!

From Madrid, took a taxi down to Atocha for the train to Ronda. Discovered the rails were being repaired after Antequeras, so they bussed us from Antequeras to Ronda. I have to say, buying those Renfe tickets online nearly drove me crazy, but the train was on time and the transition couldn't have gone more smoothly.

We picked up a rental car at Auto Ronda. Again, everything worked out well. Began the journey to Jimena de La Frontera where we were spending a week at a B&B called La Vina de Linan. The drive there was gorgeous!

La Vina de Linan is a small, three bedroom bed and breakfast, off the beaten path, but within walking distance of the town. Those hills do keep one in shape!
The weather couldn't have been better when we arrived and remained that way throughout our trip. I had some concerns since we were traveling during rainy season, but we were fortunate. I felt badly for the towns people, though, since they hadn't had rain since March. It was very dry. Getting back to La Vina, I highly recommend it for anyone seeking peace and relaxation. The rooms are spacious and Val and Pat are wonderful and accomodating hosts. We spent most days poolside reading, sunning and listening for the goat bells in the distance. It was like heaven. One MUST like animals if you stay here, as they have a few rescues.

We explored the old castle, keep and the cemetery on the hill and enjoyed some of the local tapas bars in Jimena. You can get a good hamburger at Oba, which also hosts a quiz night on Thursdays. Looked like fun.

Our hosts had a barbeque one night and invited some of their ex-Pat friends which was great fun. We met some really wonderful folks while in Jimena. I was surprised to learn the population of Jimena is 10% Brits. Our Spanish is pretty good but we didn't have to work so hard at translating during our stay. Our last night in Jimena, we had dinner in Estacion de Jimena, a five minute drive outside town at La Via. It was some of the best food we'd eaten while in Spain. Get the days' catch. The service was excellent, too.

Explored Tarifa on a day trip, which was beautiful. The Mediterranean so gorgeous and blue! Another day, we went into Castellana de La Frontera. I liked this small walled town. Had lunch at one of the hotels (maybe the only) inside the town and it was quite good. There was a woman who hand made glass jewelry and she had some lovely things for sale.

Sadly, once our week was up, we drove back to Ronda for one overnight before catching the bus/train back to Madrid. We had done a day trip to Ronda to check out the hotels for our one night stay. I knew, having explored online at home, the Hotel San Gabriel was the hotel we'd like. Its old world charm, family- run, impeccable service and value had been touted on Tripadvisor. It was awesome! Our room was daughter, Anna's Toy Room while growing up. We loved staying in the old town and had two very nice meals, one tapas lunch at the San Franciso and the other a spectacular dinner at a place on the other side of the square called Almocabar. It was recommended by the hotel staff and they really delivered. It was tiny, maybe 6-8 tables and we shared a platter of veal which we cooked on a hot stone the waiter brought from the kitchen. It was romantic. Ronda was charming and I would loved to have spent more time exploring it.

Bus/Trained back to Madrid. Our last night was spent at the Hotel Clement Barajas which Maribel recommended. I liked the hotel and the staff, but I didn't find the neighborhood all that much. Just a step above your typical airport town. We had dinner on the nearby plaza at a little place which served Kangaroo sirloin. Its name began with a C. It had a pub atmosphere and lots of lively folks. The hotel's breakfast buffet was spectacular, but one of the two free computers was down when we stayed. The airport shuttle was free and made for easy travel.

I think the best part of the trip was the weather and driving through the hill towns. They just spill down the hills capturing all your attention. The worst was the service which was lousy with a few exceptions that I mentioned already. My husband and I own a small restaurant so good food and service is important to us. Someone should change the tipping policy in Spain as I think the servers would have better attitudes.