Calling all Spain experts... advice for July trip.
 

Hello,

While we've travelled some through Europe, this will be our first trip to Spain.
We're thinking 15-20 days... starting in Madrid, and then concentrating on Andalusia.
Possibly- Madrid, Cordoba, Seville, Cadiz, Ronda, Granada & some relaxing beach days.
For 1st time traveller to Spain- how many nights would you recommend in each?
Any places worth adding, any of the above that we should skip?
Train/bus or car? And would welcome any hotel recommendations... we'd like to keep it at $100 USD or less per night. If it's a spectacular place- we could splurge for more.

I've been looking at the following hotels online:

In Madrid, Best Western Atlantico looks nice.
Seville, Hotel Puerto de Sevilla
Ronda, Hotel San Gabriel

Recommendation for a nice hotel at the beach?

Any/All thoughts, recommendations, etc. would be most welcome.

Thanks!

David Dunn
San Francisco, CA

Peak Tourist season begins with la Virgen de Carmen (16 jul) and continues until mid-September. Prices for lodging will increase during that period.

Rather than Cadiz, I prefer el Puerto de Santa Maria. I've stayed several times at Hotel Santa Maria (***); it has a rooftop swimming pool and is well located: walking distance to a public beach, and just across the parking lot from the Cadiz-Ferryboat dock.

I absolutely loved Andalucia but I went in March. I got so many people advising me NOT to go in summer (just about the hottest place in Europe) that I waited till I could go in March. I did do a two week trip to central Spain in July, and while it was warm, it was not horrible and I'd do that again. For that trip I did Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca and Avila. The trip I did do to Andalucia I did 4 nights Sevilla, 2 Cordoba and 3 Granada and that felt right to me. I didn't do the other places on your list (I only had the 8 days).

If I had to go in July and really wanted to include Andalucia I'd at least only do part of it there. I'd probably do Madrid (3-4 nights), Sevilla (3-4 nights), Cordoba on the way to or from Sevilla, and then some combination of Toledo (which many people do as a day trip from Madrid, easy enough to do that but I did enjoy being there at night), Segovia (same as Toledo as in terms of day trip versus overnight) and Salamanca (too far for a day trip).

My photos of my Spain trips are at: www.pbase.com/annforcier
My trip report for the July trip is at: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...tral-spain.cfm
And trip report from the Andalucia trip: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-report-1.cfm

Hi Dave; I think you will get Maribel advising you. This is her web site with good information. www.maribelsguides.com/ iris1745/dick

It is peak season indeed, fares are the highest and every interesting spot shall be crowded (though due to the economical situation, maybe not so; but I wouldn't count on it: Holy Week in Málaga has been very crowded). Besides, late July are the hottest days of the year, hard to bear in places as Seville or Cordoba.