granada to algarve
 

Hi everyone,

Me and my wife will be driving from Granada, Spain to the Algarve in portugal. I was looking for a nice spot or two to break up the drive. Interested in a nice coastal town in southern Spain.
Mostly interested in classic architecture, good food (jamon) and natural beauty. After reading a few posts and internet research I have come up with Malaga and surrounding area. Also curious about seville. I would have a couple of days maybe a day at each stop or 2 days in one spot.
any tips, recommendations would be helpful and appreciated

Thanks

Tavira may be a nice choice - I stayed there once en route to Seville - near Spanish border and an old town - unusual IME for the Algarve - beach is on a long sandbar reached by boat from town center so it not smack on the beach.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tavi...w=1402&bih=952

From Granada, you can go down to the Mediterranean coast along the scenic "Suspiro del Moro"-road (the Moor's Sigh). The name comes from the legenedary sigh of Boabdil, the last emir of Granada, when he at the mountain pass known as Puerto del Suspiro del Moro, for a last time had a look back upon the now lost city (1492). His mother shall then have said: "You cry like a woman over a city you couldn't defend as a man". http://www.holavalencia.net/2010/02/...and-almunecar/

Then you go along the coast all the way to 3000 year old Malaga in little more than an hour. Genuine and laid-back Andalucian atmosphere. Right in the city center and within 400 meters you'll find the newly excavated and renovated Roman theater at the foot of the Moorish Alcazaba/fortress, the 16th Century "one-armed" cathedral, the Picasso museum and Picasso's birth-home.

"The emerging fine food scene in Malaga and around": http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...taurants-tapas

"Secret Spanish pleasures":
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalis...pleasures.html

"Picasso's city of hidden treasures": http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...-breaks-travel

I have a reservation at Dom Vinos in a couple of months:
http://www.azahar-sevilla.com/vivala.../01/dom-vinos/
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Andalucia.html


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OR, if natural beauty is of great importance, stop in small Nerja on the way between Granada and Malaga. Stay in the oldest street in town, C/ Carabeo runs along these cliffs. http://www.flickr.com/photos/trondjs/3735908317/

For example in Hotel Carabeo with spectacular views of both the sea and the mountains: http://www.hotelcarabeo.com/boutique...el_carabeo.asp

Old town street in Nerja:
http://www.minube.com/fotos/rincon/131879/629455

I can recommend restaurants in Nerja in all categories from authentic tapas bars, no fuss Spanish everyday restaurants to Andalucian gourmet places. Great jamon all around, but I like to have the highest quality (Iberico de bellota) at El Niño in the heart of the old town: http://mynerja.com/view/bars/el-nino/

thanks for the great suggestions. i am thinking of adding more time to this leg of my trip with all these great options.

Nerja...yuk. IMHO an over grown village that has been spoilt buy the Brits and sewage in the sea. :-(

I am sooo confused. When I plan a trip I often change my mind so many times, that is the problem with trying to plan a vacation sometimes you over plan. I must admit I do enjoy looking at the computer for hours trying to find the best spots. When I was a solo traveler i was a last minute booker with no computer.

I am now thinking to go from granada to seville for a day and just spend an extra day in the Algarve. my new Question is will I be missing out of the Mediterranean experience in spain, or is it nicer in Portugal's summer getaway. Im not sure driving to Malaga for a beach is a priority for me as we are more interested in architecture. Seville has got my eye now. If you had to choose would it be seville or Malaga
Any thoughts or comments are welcome

thanks to all that help out.

Difficult choice!
Been to Málaga this June (as part of a tour in Andalucía) and were very pleasantly surprised about this city. It's a mix of culture (architecture!) and beach. And good food! Far less touristy than Sevilla, which, of course will always be one of the highlights of Andalucía.

We spent our last week at the Costa de la Luz, in Conil de la Frontera. Compared to the Portuguese Algarve, I found the atmosphere in southern Spain much more mediterranean than in southern Portugal. The food was far better, too. We have spent many vacations in Tavira (Algarve) but we prefer the Costa de la Luz now.