True about the unpredictable weather. One of my loveliest times in Madrid weather-wise was in August 2006, go figure!

Hi,

Thanks so much everyone for your advice and recommendations.

We decided on Valencia for the 5 nights. We have always wanted to go there and now is our chance. It may be farther from Seville than the rest of the other areas mentioned but we think it may be an undiscovered gem that many people travelling to Spain do not consider seeing. The other places mentioned all sound so nice but Valencia has everything we want. Relaxing to us is having interesting things to see and do with the option of just relaxing at a nice beach when we want.

As well, we have decided to split our time in Extremadura to 3 nights in Trujillo (with a day trip to Merida) and 1 night in Caseres, which is on the way to our next destination of Seville.

Also, the distance between Madrid and Trujillo is only about 250km (or about 155 miles), so very doable, even after a long flight (we land at 11 in the morning Madrid time).

We also considered using the AVE trains between Seville and Valencia and Valencia and Madrid, and aside from the extra costs over having the car, it would leave us less flexibility to stop and see sites along the way.

Finally, the heat is not going to be a bother for us. We actually enjoy the heat (we are from Canada, by the way) so it is not a consideration for us at all.


Andrea

"the heat is not going to be a bother for us"

Absolutely.

It may be 105oF but it is the driest heat I have experienced. We are in Seville for the last week in August and will combine it with a stay on the Costa de la Luz which has some great beaches, particularly for surfing.

Coping with neat is a necessity. If you try to live your life to a normal regime you'll be very lonely. Get up late, shop/sight see until noon, sleep hibernate or lunch until 6pm but don't be ready to eat dinner until 11pm.

Make a dinner reservation in Andalucia at 7pm and you'll have a few tourists holding The Lonely Planet for company.

***Also, the distance between Madrid and Trujillo is only about 250km (or about 155 miles), so very doable, even after a long flight (we land at 11 in the morning Madrid time).****
I hope you are right. But you have to allow time to get through the airport, time to get to the car, load up etc.
Driving and navigating through Madrid's very heavy traffic is not the best way to start a vacation IMHO. Good luck with that.

Airballoon.. you will find excellent city hotel prices in Valencia in August. It is only high season at the beach. The hotels near the science center area or palacio de congresos will allow you to most likely always find free on street parking overnight. Many residents leave..so there is usually plenty of street parking. Plus these areas are calmer than central downtown square and old town.

Hotel Sorolla palace, melia palacio congresos, Eurostars, the Acqua hotels, Illunion and several other 4* should offer what you want.many have pools.

If you use trivago you can put filters of happy faces satisfaction plus swimming pool and see what comes up. I took a look for arbitrary dates and many of the nice hotels with pools were under $60

Artsy beach town to stop before Valencia is Altea.Beautiful scenic drive is the mountain road between Javea and Denia if you come from the coast after Alicante.

<i>Nerja: look up sewage in the sea.</i>

Stay out of the water. Problem solved.

Unless you have friends/relatives there, want to see the caverns, or want a dirt cheap full English breakfast, there is nothing really special about Nerja. That being said, there is a fabulous paella place on the beach called Ayo. All you can eat.

<<Driving and navigating through Madrid's very heavy traffic is not the best way to start a vacation IMHO. Good luck with that.>>

Last year we landed in Madrid at 08:30, were in the car at 09:25. We would have been in the car sooner, but we checked in a cooler. Arrived in Oropesa (about 150 kms) in time for early lunch.

For the life of me I can't understand the obsession with trains.

Mark

AirBalloon, enjoy the hot, sunny weather in Spain. We're neighbors in upstate NY, where it's currently 64 degrees and raining. We're off to Madrid next week and looking forward to sunshine and heat, too!

Hi,

We are in Montreal, so as many of you know, winter ended just a few days ago (lol). We are really craving the heat (even 45 degree heat).

As well, if you look at the cost of train travel, it makes so much more sense to to have a car and have the flexibility that trains just cannot offer. As well, every time we have landed at a major hub in Europe that we have not visited before, we almost always rent a car and drive to our first destination, which sometimes can be longer than the 250km from Madrid and Trujillo. This way, we can leave the city we have our return flights from to the end and not waste a day checking-in to an airport hotel the night before we leave.

One more question:

Cadiz/Costa de la Luz or Valencia?

We were thinking it may be a good idea to stay the 5 nights in Jerez de la Frontera and drive to many of the beaches near there, which are only about 10 to 15 km away. We have also thought about staying in Cadiz as well. Maybe even splitting the 5 nights between the two?

I know I said we made a decision, but the more we research, the more we love to plan. I think we should just disconnect our wi-fi.

Please let me know what you think. Thanks so much for all of your help.

Andrea

"if you look at the cost of train travel, it makes so much more sense to to have a car and have the flexibility that trains just cannot offer."

Like most generalizations, not always true on the cost issue (obviously true regarding flexibility). More often true for a family of four certainly, but rarely true for solo travelers. Where are you checking prices? I just paid 10 CHF (about 11 USD) for Zurich to Como. Also requires someone willing to drive. I drive all the time at home, it is a big relief to go to Europe and not have to.

Andrea - I agree with you about the cost of train travel and flexibility. We don't ever want to tie ourselves down to taking a particular train on a particular day in order to get cheaper tickets.
You haven't mentioned whether you've already visited Cordoba and Granada. If not, that would be a reason to go to Valencia - to stop to see them on the way there. If your real interest is the beach, as you've said you're from Montreal, and you've seen them, then I'd head for Jerez and Cadiz and the beaches.

http://www.lavistademedina.com/

Great place and location.

Cadiz is a bit like the set of Pirates of the Caribbean at times.

The AVE trains are not cheap when travelling from Seville to Valencia or Valencia to Madrid (the routes we are taking). Of course, as a solo traveller, taking a train wouldl be less expensive, but for a family, it is cheaper renting a car, with the added bonus of having much greater flexibility. Anyways, we love driving, especially in Europe.

Should we stay the 5 nights in Jerez or split it with Cadiz, or spend the 5 nights in Cadiz alone.

Thanks so much.

Andrea

Jerez probably has a better location if you are planning on day trips. Cadiz would add to your daily driving time.

I would suggest building in some flexibility into your schedule, especially at the tail end of your vacation.

Mark

Cádiz is known for fabulous light, great beaches, the freshest seafood, Jerez/Manzanilla wines (Sanlucar de Barrameda), and it's a cradle of flamenco culture. Tons of history, Cádiz is 3100 year old Phoenician Gadir (probably the oldest city in Europe) and seat of the liberal 1812 constitucion (La Pepa).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33JUrGwZQLY

Some general info:
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cadiz.htm
http://www.malagaweb.com/andalucia/cadiz/

A couple of informative articles: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...at-drink-guide
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...ool-Cadiz.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...ral-guide.html