Bedar

#2 is better and don't forget to put Cordoba into your plans !

lilceeja123

Is #2 better than my original?? Cordoba is in all of the itineraries- it will be my day trip from Seville and Toledo from Madrid!

Bedar

Don't see much of a difference except that now you've put Valencia into the mix. You might need one more night in Granada so be aware of that.

lilceeja123

I replaced San Sebastian with Valencia. Would Valencia be better to go in April-May?

Bedar

For the beach ? Yes, May would be OK.

nytraveler

#2 is better but IMHO you can take 1 or 2 days from Madrid to give to Cordoba and Granada. (I would drop Madrid totally - not doing that again - but understand first timers may want to at least see the Palace and a couple of museums.)

We happen to like Marbella - well really Puerto Banus - which has some nice hotels, good beach and a couple of casinos - so really relaxing time. And I like looking at the huge yachts in the harbor - not real life but fun for a couple of days. Were there once when the Forbes yacht was in the harbor - had a heli on the top and cigarette boats as launches.

kja

I never recommend less than 2 nights in Granada for anyone who wants to see the Alhambra. I recommend a day-time visit, starting as early as you find reasonable. During the day, you can visit the entire Alhambra, but you will do so with MANY others, so be prepared for crowds. (FWIW, the audio guide met my needs.) In the evening, you can visit the magnificent Nasrid Palace (only) with just a few other visitors. I found it absolutely magical! Since I was there, I believe the Alhambra also offers evening visits to the Generalife, and if I had the chance, I would snag one of those reservations, too! Do be aware that advance reservations for the Alhambra are critical.

Bostonblondie226

I haven't been for several years, but I would pass on Ibiza, unless that's your thing I think the other cities have plenty of great nightlife.

Barcelona is marvelous and I've had friends go to Marbella (Puerto Banus) and love it.

Congratulations!!

kimhe

Whatever you do, don't skip plain fantastic San Sebastian. Perfectly fine beach time here in May, I even had a great swim here a couple of weeks ago (shall admit that we were not many ;-)

Voted #5 destination in the world last year by Condé Nast Traveller: http://www.cntraveller.com/guides/eu.../san-sebastian

"To visit San Sebastián, on Spain’s northern coast, is to fall in love", New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/tr...pain.html?_r=0

kimhe

And as "big foodies", San Sebastian is an absolute must.
Two suggestions for a never to forget honeymoon lunch:

Three Michelin star Akelarre, the views from up here over the sea and the rugged coast are almost as spectacular as the food. http://gastronomyblog.com/2010/06/04...san-sebastian/

Or go down in the Ibai basement: http://www.andyhayler.com/restaurant/ibai

Dinner:

Have dinner in Arzak, consistently considered among the 10-20 best restaurants in the world since the early 1990's: http://www.theworlds50best.com/list/1-50-winners/Arzak

Or go for my favourite restaurant in the world since the late 1980's, Casa Urola. A classic in town and the kind of place that locals take visitors to show what the San Sebastian food culture is all about. Same waitress a few weeks ago as the first time I visited almost thirty years ago. Fabulous pintxos bar on the ground floor. Casa Urola was recently voted best restaurant in all of the Gipuzkoa region by the major local newspaper El Diario Vasco:
http://www.casaurolajatetxea.es/en/portada/
http://www.casaurolajatetxea.es/es/b...a-2015_11.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...e_Country.html

And of course plenty of other fabulous places here, any restaurant and pintxos bar that serves less than great food is immediately out of business in San Sebastian. If you're looking for bargain Michelin class experiences, go for Kokotxa or up and coming Xarma:
Kokotxa: http://restaurantekokotxa.com/en/
Xarma: http://xarmajatetxea.com/
http://www.cntraveller.com/recommend...-san-sebastian

And all about going for the famous pintxos, with suggested routes etc: http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en

Egbert

I think you're trying to cram way too much into a short trip. There will be lots of time spent on trains, buses and planes.
I would take out Valencia, Nerja and Marbella. I would spend 2 nights in Granada. I would put San Sebastian at the end of the trip. The best beaches in Spain are on the North coast. It may or may not be beach weather.

Egbert

On the other hand I could see staying in Marbella and Cadiz for warm beach time and plan a future trip to the North coast some other time. The North coast is a fantastic beach destination from July to early September.

lilceeja123

Yea we wanted something nice and relaxing at the end with warm weather. From looking at pictures, Marbella looks like exactly what we are looking for, sorta caribbeanish. Now just need to decide between san Sebastian and Valencia. Valencia is a 3 hr train from Barcelona and san Sebastian is a 1 hr flight. So they are sorta equal in factoring in drive to the airport and waiting, security. It seems like most people are recommending san Sebastian so think we may stick with that!

Thanks for all the help!

Vonse

San Sebastian v. Valencia? Easy. San Sebastian.

Egbert

Yes

PalenQ

I've been in Donostia several times and just a day in Valencia and to me Valencia would be my choice for a city - an amazing old-world city with a great cathedral and much easier to fit into your itinerary if going by rail - there are overnight trains I believe between Valencia and Granada and maybe Seville.

FFipzz

@ OP lilceeja123
you posted:"Nerja sounds nice! Will beach do you prefer san Sebastian or nerja? Or we could do both and do Nerja in place of our original Marbella."

Hi, I've been to all three. San Sebastian by far. Food, vibe, culture, miles ahead of Marbella and Nerja.

San Sebastian, I have visited again and again and will visit soon in the future. I highly recommend Hotel Maria Christina, Luxury Collection. We have stayed in the premium rooms with river views. www.hotel-mariacristina.com/en

San Se + hotel Maria Cristina = amazing honeymoon.

Marbella is bland, culturally lacking the Spanish soul.
Nerja is a tiny town. Nothing special about it. The cafes have touristic Brit/American menu. Beach tiny. The pictures with that cliff in Nerja looks better than the real place.

Malaga is a fun little city for doing nothing, very authentic Spanish with so many tapas bars in the city center. The beach is not spectacular.

Have you considered Costa Brava? That is an amazing place for honeymoon. But no hotel in CB can compete with the luxuriousness of Hotel Maria Cristina.

kimhe

Agree that San Sebastian is spectacular, and old world Maria Cristina or the new attics in Hotel Londres would be hard to beat for a honeymoon: https://www.hlondres.com/en/accommodation/attic
http://www.booking.com/hotel/es/mari...ian.en-gb.html

<Nerja is a tiny town. Nothing special about it. The cafes have touristic Brit/American menu. Beach tiny.>

This is on the other hand very misleading.

Nerja (the old Moorish Narixa) is a beautiful little town, set between the cliffs and the beaches and the dramatic Almijara mountains behind. Popular with tourists since the discovery of the Nerja Caves in 1959 (lived people here more than 30 000 years ago), but it has also retained an excellent old town with plenty of local atmosphere tapas bars and restaurants. Free and delicious tapas to choose with every glass of whatever in most places in town outside the most touristy area around landmark Balcon de Europa. You should go very wrong to end up with a touristic Brit/American menu, if that's not what you're after. Could give you loads of tips from basic and excellent tapas bars to gourmet restaurants.

Nine small and large beaches among the cliffs in Nerja, the Burriana beach is huge, but I prefer a couple of the smaller ones. The Maro beach just east of Nerja was also recently voted #2 beach in all of Spain on the national TV channel Antena 3: http://www.spain-holiday.com/Maro/ar...-de-maro-nerja

Also somwehat strange to describe 570 000 inhabitants Malaga as "a fun little city for doing nothing". Great tapas bars all around the center of town, that's right, but Picasso's home town Malaga is also loads of sights and museums, theaters, nightlife etc. etc.

"Malaga- Spain's best kept secret: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

"City of museums: Málaga bets on culture to draw tourists and talent": http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...-culture-spain

"Málaga, Spain’s Self-Appointed New Arts Hub": http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/ar...-hub.html?_r=0

"Málaga - beyond Picasso" http://elpais.com/elpais/2015/03/16/...82_645608.html

Egbert

Well FFipzz said what I was thinking about Nerja and Marbella. I didn't want to offend the Costa del Sol people though. I love Malaga though.

kimhe

You'll of course have to know Nerja a little to really appreciate it:

Some top end restaurants:

- Sollun: http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Resta...n-227002-41102
- Oliva: http://www.viamichelin.com/web/Resta...a-452419-41102
- Fusion Food & Lounge (perhaps now the best of the top three): http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Some of my local favourites:

- La Marina, the feshest fish and seafood, as good as a seafood freiduria gets in all of Andalucia: http://www.guideofnerja.com/pages/gu.../marina_en.htm
- Delicious grilled seafood and meat tapas in loud and crowdy El Pulguilla: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html
- La Puntilla, right in the heart of the Old town: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html

Perhaps stay in an apartment in Calle Carabeo along the cliffs, the oldest street in town. For example this one: http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationR...Andalucia.html

Often great concerts in town, either in the excellent Centro Cultural theater, in Plaza de España or down in the spectacular Nerja Caves.
Last week in the Centro Cultural: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-iGcQxF_M8
The world's greatest female flamenco dancer the past 15 years Eva Yerbabuena this summer in the Nerja caves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBiUPvJcLaA
Living legend Jose Merce in Plaza de España a few months ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOLo7Th5hlA