My friend and I (both 30 years old) want to take a 7-night trip to Spain. We definitely want to visit Barcelona for about 3 nights. The remainder of the trip we'd like to spend on a beach/relaxing/sun...where should we go? I am reading mixed reviews about Malaga vs. Marbella. We would like to visit Morocco for a day as well.

Or- should we go to Barcelona and then San Sebastian and skip the Costa del Sol all together? Are there other "beachy" places I haven't thought of? We are going mid-April.

Pros/Cons and good hotels would be appreciated. Thanks!

Mid-April may or may not be beach weather in Malaga,
but it will certainly not be in San Sebastian.

As danon said.

And, btw, Barcelona got beaches, too.

For Northern people, mid-April in Barcelona can be beach weather (beach walking, sun bathing, etc).
But the Med will not be warm enough for swimming, neither in Barcelona nor in Malaga.

Spain is not a great beach destination unless you are talking about the North coast or the Costa de Luz (Cadiz area). In April the perfect trip would be 4 nights in Seville and 2 in Granada, finish with a night in Malaga, put your toes in the Med and then take the high speed train back to Madrid. Skip Morroco.

Thanks for the help! I guess we might need to think about the timing of the trip...