Cordova, Seville & surroundings
 

Hi Everyone
So for my mom's 70th BDay we want to go to Cordoba for the flower festival and Seville. Would like to go to Grands too. Any other suggestions for that region would be great. Places to stay, see etc. Thanks for your time.

Cordoba is a beautiful city, very authentic, not so overrun with tourists as Sevilla. And has the most interesting cathedral in Spain.

I assume you mean Granada. The Alhambra is breathtaking and the best attraction in all Andalucia. Make sure to reserve your ticket online:

http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/ticketsale.asp

Thinka about a loop drive. West of Cordoba, there is Sevilla. Further west Jerez de la Frontera where you may visit a sherry winery. Along the coast you find Cadiz, Capa Trafalgar and the white town of Vejer de la Frontera. In the mountains, Arcos de la Frontera and Ronda a picturesque places.

About the patio festival in Cordoba: http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cordoba/patios.htm
http://english.turismodecordoba.org/...de-cordoba.cfm

The festival is much more than flowers and patios, most nights there will also be great concerts, both outdoors and in theaters, and you could expect to see some of the greatest flamenco artists on stage. Here's last year's program, and it's very similar from year to year: http://www.turismodecordoba.org/84/g...ordoba2015.pdf

Be sure also to see the Roman Cordoba around central Plaza de las Tendillas and Plaza de la Corredera a little north of the Mezquita, very nice and local feel atmosphere, and great outdoor cafes long into the night. http://english.turismodecordoba.org/roman-cordoba.cfm

Perhaps go and see the restored palace city Madinat al-Zahra just outside town:
http://www.andalucia.com/magazine/en...d4/madinat.htm http://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/an...dinat-al-zahra

This video will put you in the Cordoba mood: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyfGdpF55Uk

And you are only 50 mins with the high speed AVE Train away from lovely and 3000 year old Malaga city by the Med. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

Three of my Malaga favourites, all located right in the heart of the city.

- The Atarazanas food market, very much recommend a lunch in here: http://eastofmalaga.net/2014/07/25/w...ry-perception/
- All kinds of Malaga wines on barrel in Antigua Casa de Guardia, not much have changed since they opend in 1840:
http://antiguacasadeguardia.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attract...Andalucia.html
- Casa Aranda, perhaps my favourite cafe in all of Spain: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/an...fe/casa-aranda

And of course El Pimpi, an institution in town. Great views from the terrace at night over the lit Moorish Alcazaba: http://www.elpimpi.com/en/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCYTYUMfR2U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ60p6dyFEs

And Malaga is a museum city. http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...-culture-spain.

The Courtyards Festival of Córdoba is from the 2nd to 15th of May this year, so you need to book your hotel reservation as soon as possible. It will be busy.

There is an app you can download; "Patios", the Guide to the Patios de Córdoba, that will give you all the information you need to enjoy your visit.

For hotels in Córdoba, try the Hotel Balcón de Córdoba (www.balcondecordoba.com/en) and the Hotel Hospes Palacio del Bailío (http://www.hospes.com/en/cordoba-pal...o/default.html), two of the best in the city. If you are a member of Marriott, then you can save a few dollars at the AC Hotel Cordoba.

Check out Explore Seville (http://www.exploreseville.com) for information on Sevilla. It's probably the best source.

It would really help to knowhow much time you have for this trip - will really control how many places you can get to. also be are that you are likely to get very hot weather and take that into account when you decide how much to do any day. Highs can easily hit the 90s so you want to make sure your lodging has strong AC and a pool to spend the afternoon if it gets too hot to tour.

"very hot weather" is a relative thing. In general I would say that early May is an ideal time of year to go to Andalucia, spring blossom in full and the summer heat is still usually several weeks away. Statistics for Cordoba in first half of May says average highs 77-83F: http://www.wetteronline.de/klima-temperatur/cordoba

Statistics mean nothing during an El Nino event. It's January, only one month into winter, and it's already into the upper 60's in Sevilla, so who knows what May might bring. It was in the mid-60's today in Madrid and is even warmer on the Basque coast.

Had to shopping yesterday for something to wear during this spring-like weather we're having.

Lots of people on the beach and in the water at christmas-time in San Sebastian the year I lived there, but it does of course not make statistics irrelevant.

There where a number of people "swimming" last week in La Concha bay, all coming out of the La Perla Spa, which was part of theri treatment. No one else I know was thinking about swimming in January, but of course the surfers where out.