Honeymoon Trip to Southern Coast of Spain
 

Hello!
Were planning our honeymoon trip to Spain around July 16th, for two weeks. Both of us are avid travelers and not interested in the standardized 'tourist's experience'. We really want to immerse ourselves in the food, communty, and people, opting for modest accommodations (ie villas, bed and breakfast, etc) rather than swanky hotels. Also looking to explore different beaches, markets, and nightlife as much as possible.

So far were planning to fly into Malaga, maybe rent some vesbas, bicycles, etc. Looking to tour a vineyard or two, horseback ride, and dance the night away on some distant beach. Thats about all weve planned!! Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!

You may want to rethink your trip. The Costa del Sol (www.visitcostadelsol.com/) is very nice, but overcrowded in July-August and hot! You might want to head north, as most Spaniards do, besides, the cuisine in the north is much better and the beaches not half-bad.

I've seen your other post re: Sevilla. It will be much hotter there than in Malaga. You can stay in Malaga, in the city center or by the beach in some hotel/apt. in the eastern part of town, (15-20 min city bus from the center) and do your daytrips by bus. No tradition of Vespa renting here, some bikes for hire.
And cuisine in the north is not much better!!! ;-)

Suggest you stay in Málaga itself for some days. A much underrated city with an unbeatable andalusian atmosphere. And most tourists tend to stay out and go down to the nearby beach resorts. You find the Moorish alcazaba (fortress), a Roman theater and a great 16th century cathedral right in middle of the action. Go to Pedregalejo just east of the city center for beaches and great seafront restaurants very popular with locals. The 19th century Atarazanas food market has just reopened after two years of renovation. http://travel.excite.co.uk/mercado-a...aga-N5317.html

Sevilla is a magical city and should be the ideal place for a honeymoon. Stay in the San Lorenzo/Alameda/Macarena district north of the more touristy Santa Cruz area. Or perhaps in Triana on the other side of the river Guadalquivir, the former gipsy quarter and traditionally a hotbed of flamenco. One of the absolutely best tapas scenes in all of Spain.
http://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilletapas/

Then you might go down to the Jerez de la Frontera and Cádiz area. The homeland of sherry (jerez), the andalusian horse-culture and a cradle of flamenco. http://www.jerez.org/
Mile-long beaches that are not crowded with foreign tourists.
http://www.whatcadiz.com/cadiz-beach.html
http://www.spainonline.com/cadiz/beaches

Nightlife in Sevilla: http://www.exploreseville.com/la-marcha.htm

El Mantoncillo in Triana (C/ Alfarería, 104)
is as genuine as you get a flamenco bar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtkqvASPgIY

In Sanlúcar de Barrameda, just north of Cádiz city, they make manzanilla, the finest dry sherry. Only here. Manzanilla and shellfish together is close to heaven.
http://www.andalucia.com/province/ca...lucar/home.htm

Sanlúcar is the northern tip of the so called sherry triangle, the two other cities being Jerez de la Frontera and El Puerto de Santa Maria.
http://www.andalucia.com/province/ca...erry-towns.htm

Great article about the sherry triangle and the vineries: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...-triangle.html

Horse riding in Andalucía: "Cadiz has to offer the most choice in horse riding, you can trek through cork forests, gallop along sandy beaches or walk in the surf at sunset."
http://www.andalucia-for-holidays.co...Andalucia.html

You will be on the wrong Costa - you need to go to the Costa De La Luz which offers everything in your OP. The area around Malaga is a tourist hell hole, although the villages in the hills have far more to offer.

A base of say Barbate or Sanlucar gives you a good chance for day trips to Jerz and Seville which would appear to be what you are looking for.

I recommend the Rough Guide to Andalucia--and start searching for towns you'd like to stay in asap, as places book up way in advance.

It might depend on where you are from. Many British and Europeans love the Costa del sol. Many Americans are let down because it is not what they expected of Spain. July and August are hellishly hot in most of Spain, especially Andalucia. I agree that the North is the place to be in the summer San Sebastian and Santander in that order. If you are set on Andalucia in the summer I would spend a couple of nights in Granada, a couple in Seville (both magical places) and finish up with some beach time in the Cadiz area.

WOW!

Thank you so much for all of the recommendations, its greatly appreciated and we will most definitely research alittle more as to what you are all referring. We arent really turned off by heat, but these are all very important points.

Cant wait to review all of these links~ you guys rock! thanks again

Another vote for a different honeymoon.

Many Spaniards head north for their beaches during the summer, such as Santander and San Sebastian.

<< We really want to immerse ourselves in the food, communty, and people>>

hat area of Spain a lot of the food is fish and chips and the culture is 'brit on holiday'.

I wouldn't choose it for a honeymoon

Although some posters suggest that you go to the more "European" and fashionable north (San Sebastián is my favourite city in the world), I am pretty convinced that the raw beauty and magic of Andalucía will be spot on for your honeymoon. I think you are on the way of planning a fantastic trip that goes far beyond the normal tourist trail experience of the region.

Well - itallsounds very romatic -- untilyoulook at the temperature and the humidity. In midsummer many days reach 100 degrees. I would want an AC house and car -no bikes or horses - in that kind of weather - and a nice big pool to spend the afternon in.

Hve been to Andalusia twce in April and the temps were aready in the 80's- plenty hot enough for beach - and needing AC already.

(I like to immerse myself in foregin cultres - but the same way I would at home -not by dayng of the heat -but by staying at a pleasant resort- where the locals would stay while on vacation. Consider San Sebastian.)

>>>We really want to immerse ourselves in the food, communty, and people<<<

This will hardly be possible at the Andalucian coast. You will immerse yourselves into tourist hordes, nightclubs, beach bars and cheap restaurants with plastic chairs.

And it will be hot - very, very hot. And you will find that most places do not have A/C in Andalucia.

This all said, I second the recommendations to go to Northern Spain. Consider Donostia (San Sebastian) or Santander (which I prefer).

First, the climate will be pleasant and agreeable in Northern Spain. Second, you will encounter (mostly Spanish) tourists, but not the cheap mass tourism which is rife at the Andalucian coast. Third, it will be easier to immerse into local life and community there. In Northern Spain, the cultural, social and economic gap between you and the natives is not as great as in in Southern Spain.

Asturias is also a good option in summer: Arriondas, Ribadesella, Llanes…
http://www.asturiasguide.com/Arriondas.html

You can avoid the tourist hordes, cheap restaurants (what's wrong with cheap restaurants?), haddock and chips (I go to the Frying Scotsman, at Benalmadena costa, BTW)... if you plan right. I would not recommend you the condos area stretching from Torremolinos to Marbella, that's why I rec. Malaga city itself. It is still not hot enough for AC, and I can go right now to the beach to bathe with locals and some clever travellers, and sit to have a real good lunch in a cheap restaurant with plastic chairs.

If you do decide on Andalucia, Nerja is one of the few relatively unspoiled seacoast towns. The Eastern half of the town is very pleasant, and the beach is great. You could also spend some time in the rugged Sierras which lie between Granada and the coast. Check out the rusticblue.com website for a good feel for rural Andalucia.

Well I hope you're totally confused now! Either way you'll have a great trip. If you can stand extreme heat go to Seville and Granada. You did mention that you're not interested in the standard tourist experience. The Northern coast of Spain is still thankfully far from a tourist destination. If you like the ocean and beautiful beaches with clean water it's spectacular, and I'm from Cape Cod. Did anyone mention the food? Andalucia is best in the spring and fall.

I did a great 3-hour sunrise horseback ride in Ronda.

Egbert encourages me to write a few more thoughts about Northern Spain:

- The coast is just gorgeous - with wide, sandy beaches, bizarre rocks, hidden coves surrounded by steep cliffs - everything you can imagine. There are several pretty good surf spots near Santander, e.g. Liencres. http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Europe...ria/index.html

- There are beautiful cities with lots of attractions, bars, restaurants, nightlife, culture: Santander, Donostia, Bilbao

- There are cute historic villages, e.g. Santillana del Mar.

- There is mountain scenery (Picos de Europa National Park) with lots of options for outdoor activities.

- There are world-famous prehistoric caves (Altamiro and others).

- And there are tons of first-class gourmet restaurants, including several ones with Michelin stars.