Hi, My 26 year old autistic daughter and I are going to Spain in June. We are renting a car from Madrid and driving down to the Costa del Sol where I am sure we have rented an average or below condo for 2 weeks. We have worked with a travel agent (yes, I am un pollo) to get us from the Madrid Airport and back.

But, where should we spend the day? In Gibralter or North Africa? (We can only afford one ferry)

Any other advice would be welcomed.

Thanks!

Rita and Katherine

I've never been to Gibraltar, but I would advise against "a day" in North Africa. Wait until you have time to get inland and spend some decent time there. You'd likely end up in Tangiers, which is a horror, IMO, and not at all representative of Morocco.

I guess the question would be "Why do you want to go to either?". I was not in the least impressed with Gibraltar, although the place is so weird it carries a novelty factor (weird not in an alarming sense - you would be safe). I have never been to Tangiers (which is where I assume you are considering. There are many places to see in Southern Spain without the need to put either Gibraltar or Tangiers on your radar. Hope this helps - not meaning to sound negative ie you will enjoy the Costa del Sol.

Well, I quite enjoyed Gibraltar, for one day, at least. I would strongly advise against the day trip to Tangier, especially if you are chicken enough to need a travel agent to get to the Costa del Sol! And why do you think you need a ferry to get to Gibraltar? I took the train, walked across the border (actually a runway!), and caught a bus, with a car I feel sure you can drive.

Thanks Steve, we just thought it would be fun to get on a ferry. Well, since what should we not miss in Andalucia, then? Our base is Mijas, and we thought one day sightseeing, one day at the beach, one day somewhere else, one day at the beach. Overstimulation never works for her (for me either!)- she needs time to process things (for me, too!) OMG: she is MY daughter!

In that case I would definately miss out both. I liked Marbella, and Torremolinos (although much maligned) is an interesting Moorish Town but can get a bit overstimulating. Benalmedena is a great place for fish (pardon the pun) and the walk along the Promenade from here to Torremolinos is a delight.

I, for one, would skip Gibralter. It was a "been there, done that" kind of thing for me and I wouldn't go again, even for friends. It has been awhile, so I can't remember the distances really well, but how about a day trip to Granada?