kja

Another vote for Las Casas de la Juderia.

Loacker

Oh and don't forget to see a Flamenco show at Casa de La Memoria de Al Andalus.

cheska15

Sorry it was the Alcazar we visited in Seville. I enjoyed it much more than the Mesquita Cordoba.

Loacker

Really? I thought Seville's Alcazar was OK. A bit too ruined compared to the beautifully-preserved Mezquita.

laverendrye

"picture as queen"?? The wonders of auto-correct! I meant "picturesque", of course.

It would certainly be nice to have an edit function here.

MoBro

Wow-- thanks, everyone! I'm following up on your recommendations now.
I appreciate your thoughts.

We might be leaning toward renting apartments now, after seeing Maitaitom's great apartments via Spain Select. They have beautiful properties, and are very helpful via e-mail.

cheska15

We rented our apartments in Seville and Granada from Veo. They were great and the apartments were as advertised. Good luck with the planning.

Loacker. Perhaps it was that I didn't like Cordoba and absolutely loved Seville. It is good that we all like different places.

Kelpie67

If you are dressage fans, then Jerez is amazing. Even my non-horsey husband enjoyed it. We visited in February 2016 and watched one of the training sessions, then did the stable tour. Cleanest stables I have ever seen, and some seriously georgeous horses!

MoBro

Thanks, Kelpie. I think we will go to Jerez to see them, instead of Cordoba, because it seems like their more authentic home.

MoBro

I have reserved an apartment that looks perfect. It opens to an interior courtyard, and has a rooftop terrace shared with 4 apartments. (This is the rental agency that Maitaitom recommended.)

"Located between the Santa Cruz and La Juderia, two of the most emblematic neighborhoods in Seville, this charming two-bedroom apartment accommodates up to four people. San Jose V is in a baronial-style building from the XVII century that has been completely refurbished. The apartment is distributed around two precious patios, that offer a pleasant temperature and splendid natural light in each bedroom. Its excellent location offers the combination of a calm convent and the buzzing city center life. The guests will find themselves only five minutes from the Giralda, the Cathedral, and the Royal Alcazar, and many restaurants, tapa bars, supermarkets, flamenco bars, the Murillo Gardens and the charming María Luisa Park. This is a traditional and authentic Sevillian home that stands out thanks to its spectacular patios and terraces."

So, now I'm looking in Madrid, for our two nights there.

MoBro

How does this location look, in Madrid? We only have one full day there:

http://www.spain-select.com/en_US/re...ipe-i/location

danon

I thought min. with SS was 3 days...

The location is not bad, but for a day in town I would look for
location closer to a Plaza Santa Ana or Plaza Mayor.

MoBro

Thanks, danon. Would this apartment be easily walkable to the key sites?

(If you contact Spain Select directly, an agent will look for an apartment for a shorter stay. They have been very helpful.)

danon

well...not sure ...perhaps 20- 30 min...depending on what you wish to see .
Most of the attraction are south of Gran Via.

btw, taxis in Madrid are not expensive .

We used SS several times, a very good outfit
...the last visit we left our luggage in the apt. around 11:00, but it had to be cleaned so we could not check in until their advertised check in time.( 4:00 I think)

You might consider a hotel for only 2 nights ?

MoBro

Thanks again, danon. That's what I'm pondering today-- the apartment or a hotel. We like the extra space in an apartment, and the price is right.

I can ask for one that's near Plaza Santa Ana or Plaza Mayor, if that's better for walking. We'd like to be someplace in the historic center, not the 'business' center (as that's more contemporary in most cities).

danon

Yes, that would be the historic center... .probably more popular and expensive (?)

Madrid's business area is a long way north ...

MoBro

We are set for apartments now in both Seville and Madrid.

Thanks, Maitaitom, for recommending Spain Select. I received great service from them and every single apartment is gorgeous.

Now, I am wondering about taking the train from Sevilla to Madrid.

Do we need to purchase tickets now?

danon

At one time Renfe offered discounts for early purchase.
I have not seen it in years , especially on popular lines.
Some trains sell out if it is a date or time of the day in great demand
You can check Renfe...Madrid ( todas) - Sevilla ( Santa Justa)

maitaitom

or try Loco2...that's who we used for train tickets (maybe because I am loco). Make sure you change at top from pounds to euros. We found the people at Loco2 (yes you can email them with a question) to be helpful. Looks like the two early trains (before 7 a.m,) have lower prices in late Oct.

KarenWoo

We used Loco2 recently to purchase our tickets for Spain, and we received great service from them. I emailed them with questions, and they responded promptly.