Hello, we are flying in and out of Madrid in early May. We plan to spend time in Seville, Ronda, and Cordoba, and would also like to spend some beach time in Nerja or Ronda. Any itinerary tips? We definitely prefer wandering cities, relaxing on the beach, and eating good food to spending time in busy cities and crowded museums. We will have 9 nights excluding our travel days.

Don't forget to go to Granada for the Alhambra. From there you can go to Nerja. Ronda is inland. There is no beach !

So would you recommend 3 nights in Seville with a day trip to Cordoba, 2 in Granada, and 3 in Nerja or Malaga?

With so little time in the area, how to split your time is really a matter of your interests and preferences. IMO, Granada's Alhambra and Cordoba's Mezquita are gems not to be missed; YMMV. IMO, seeing Granada's Alhambra takes a minimum of 2 nights, although some people manage to smash it into a day trip. Of course, if you want to see any of Granada's other magnificent places, you'll need 3 nights there. Many people visit Cordoba as a day trip from Sevilla; I was glad to give it 2 full nights and 2 full days.

Honestly, none of us can tell you how to plan your time when you are looking at such a short trip. I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see in each location, check their opening/closing times on the internet, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Then see how things fit together. BTW, note that many things in Spain are closed on Monday, and often for all or part of Sundays too; and many things in Spain will also be closed daily for a very long mid-day break.

Good luck!

If you are going to visit the Alhambra, buy the tickets in advance. Many times (specially on holidays) they're sold out.
https://www.alhambradegranada.org/en...ticketsale.asp