I was fortunate enough to get bookings at the paradors in Ronda and Arcos de la Fronterra -- but now we have 3 consecutive nights between the 2 towns. We'll be in Ronda on a Friday & Saturday night and then Arcos for Sunday night. <BR><BR>Can you please suggest some day trips from these 2 towns? (We'll have a car.) We would love to see more small towns during this time because the rest of the trip is filled with big cities.<BR><BR>Gracias!

Heather,<BR>3 consecutive days will give you time really to explore in depth these Moorish white hill towns. Here's what I'd see from Arcos:<BR>I'd take a morning trip into Jerez (Tues or Thurs) to see a performance of the "Dancing Horses" (a horse ballet of the beautiful Carthusian horses, cousins to those of the Vienna Spanish Riding School) at noon and later a visit to the Sandeman sherry bodegas close by. Then I might swing over to Sanlucar de Barrameda for a late alfresco lunch of the famous local langostinos plus a sip of equally famous local "manzanilla" (the type of sherry produced in Sanlucar) at the seaside Bajo de Guia area<BR>facing the Coto Donana Nature Preserve, or a trip down to interesting, ancient Cadiz, then I'd keep driving southeast along the Atlantic coast past the beaches around Chiclana/Conil de la Frontera down to the blindingly white town of Vejer de la Frontera, then back up to Arcos inland through Medina-Sidonia.<BR>From Ronda, I'd explore: <BR>The prehistoric Pileta caves outside of Benaojan (25,000 yr. old cave drawings),<BR>the hill towns of Zahara de la Sierra, Grazalema, Setenil, Gaucin and the leather town of Ubrique.<BR><BR>Have a great time exploring and enjoying those great paradors!

We really enjoyed Zahara de la Sierra as well. It would make a nice trip out of Ronda when the tour bus crowd is at its afternoon peak.

Thanks, Maribel & Chad. I'll put these on our agenda. They weren't things I would've considered were it not for your recommendations.<BR><BR>Also, 2 more questions, if you will -- what's a realistic drive time (during the day) from Ronda to Granada? And what are your recommendations for hotels (up to $200/night) in Granada since the parador is most likely booked solid? <BR><BR>Thanks again!

Heather,<BR>For us the Alhambra Palace has served as a great alternate to the Parador; stayed there on our last visit (Parador booked) and enjoyed the service, the friendly staff, the beautiful views of the town below from the terrace, the extravagantly Moorish decor of the public areas (a replica of what you'll see in the rooms of the Palacios Nazaries of the Alhambra), the handy valet parking and the great location on the Alhambra hill. Best of all, to reach the hotel, you can avoid altogether the horrendous traffic and maze of downtown streets taking the Carretera de Circunvalacion that circumvents the city and takes you directly up to the Alhambra hill-go down past the Alhambra parking lots to your right and you'll see signs to the Alhambra Palace and leave your car with the bellhop. <BR>On our last visit we had dinner on the terrace of the Parador (romantic!) one night, but the first night, arriving late and tired we took the set price menu in the A.P. restaurant. It's quite nice, a good value and elegantly served, and their buffet brks are great too.<BR><BR>From Ronda to Granada it's 111 miles on the inland route through Antequera.<BR>www.viamichelin.com says 2 1/2 hrs, but I'd allow a bit more. The much longer coastal route down to San Pedro de Alcantara, east to Marbella, Malaga, Nerja, Salobrena then up the mountain pass to Granada could take up the whole day, with sightseeing stops in Marbella (Puerto Banus), photo ops and ceramic shopping in Frigiliana, Nerja, etc. I'm assuming you're planning to take the short, interior route, which is much, much quicker.<BR>Chad's suggestion about Zahara is a great one!<BR><BR>Have fun!

Maribel,<BR><BR>I'm hijacking this thread with another Granada question: if we decide to stay near the Alhambra, is the parador or the Alhambra Palace preferable? Keep in mind that it would be for 2 nights and we would want to explore the rest of the city as well...<BR><BR>Thanks so much for all the wise advice - have been pricing hotels in Marbella, ouch!<BR><BR>Andre

Hi Andre the hijacker! <BR><BR>If you're ready to spend 202 euros + vat and have the extreme good fortune of snagging a rm, then the Parador is probably worth it. I've only stayed there once, a long while ago, so I've satisfied my longing to spend that magical night at the Parador de San Francisco in Granada, where the whole world craves to stay. We've been perfectly happy at the Alhambra Palace and have also stayed at the sweet, modest but homey one star Hotel America, right next to the Parador (tiny rms though). So, if you don't want to spend the euros and aren't able to reserve 6 months to a yr. in advance (depending on the season), then the Alhambra Palace is a perfectly nice substitute. <BR><BR>Yes, those luxury Marbella properties are quite pricey during high season. You might look at the El Fuerte on the beach in downtown Marbella as a very affordable alternative. See it at<BR>www.fuertehoteles.com<BR><BR>Regards,<BR>Mar ibel