Just back from 11 days in Spain!
Apr 2nd, 2004, 05:45 AM
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Just back from 11 days in Spain!
We just got back from 11 days in Madrid and Andalucia, and had a great time. Thanks to Maribel and other posters for their helpful advice. Here's a brief rundown of where we stayed and some comments:
Madrid - 2 nights at the Plaza Mayor. A nice hotel for the money. Perfect location, nice small European hotel ambiance, helpful staff. Drawbacks - small room, economy style beds and matresses. However, we would have no problem staying here again. Madrid is a very vibrant city with a New York City kind of feel to it. Clean, safe, great walking city. It is not on the same level as Paris, Rome or Vienna as far as charm or beauty, however.
Seville - We took the AVE train (great trip), and stayed at the Amadeus. The Amadeus was a very charming small hotel, again a perfect location, tucked away on a tiny, alley-like street. Cons - although the rooms are well soundproofed side to side, the upstairs room was not. Every footstep above us could be heard. However, this is such a nice hotel we would definitely stay here again. Seville may be our favorite city in Europe - it is fabulous.
Ronda - Hotel Arriadh. This is a new, small hotel in the countryside just outside Ronda overlooking the small village of Arriate. It is a wonderful, clean, roomy hotel with 'Sound of Music' views of the Arriate valley. A very relaxing place with new age music, lots of candles, and friendly owners.
Madrid - 2 nights at the Plaza Mayor. A nice hotel for the money. Perfect location, nice small European hotel ambiance, helpful staff. Drawbacks - small room, economy style beds and matresses. However, we would have no problem staying here again. Madrid is a very vibrant city with a New York City kind of feel to it. Clean, safe, great walking city. It is not on the same level as Paris, Rome or Vienna as far as charm or beauty, however.
Seville - We took the AVE train (great trip), and stayed at the Amadeus. The Amadeus was a very charming small hotel, again a perfect location, tucked away on a tiny, alley-like street. Cons - although the rooms are well soundproofed side to side, the upstairs room was not. Every footstep above us could be heard. However, this is such a nice hotel we would definitely stay here again. Seville may be our favorite city in Europe - it is fabulous.
Ronda - Hotel Arriadh. This is a new, small hotel in the countryside just outside Ronda overlooking the small village of Arriate. It is a wonderful, clean, roomy hotel with 'Sound of Music' views of the Arriate valley. A very relaxing place with new age music, lots of candles, and friendly owners.
Apr 2nd, 2004, 06:04 AM
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More -
The Ronda/white villages area is very, very beautiful. A car is a must to fully appreciate the area.
Granada- Hotel Los Angeles. This was an unplanned stop. Due to some rainy weather, we decided to stay in the city instead of out in the countryside. The Los Angeles is a fairly large hotel that is a 15 minuite walk to the Alhambra. A nice, comfortable American style hotel with clean, roomy rooms.
Nerja - Pariasio del Mar. Fabulous! A small luxurious Mediterranean style hotel right on the beach. Nerja (especially the eastern end) is a perfect seaside resort town.
Some general observations and comments:
Spain was very easy to drive in, the cities were quite clean and safe, and the countryside for the most part was beautiful. The people were very friendly, and we felt safe everywhere (except for 3 elderly gypsy women that were trailing us in Madrid!). I must admit, the food was not our favorite. We had some good meals, and doing the tapas thing at the local bars was fun; but if you are a salad and veggie lover, you may be getting a lot of pizza!
Our favorites were probably the Alcazar in Seville (WAY underrated), Ronda, and Nerja. Unfortunatly, every 3rd or 4th business in Nerja is a real estate office, and I feel that this area is quickly becoming a vacation haven for northern Europreans, possibly forcing out the locals.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
The Ronda/white villages area is very, very beautiful. A car is a must to fully appreciate the area.
Granada- Hotel Los Angeles. This was an unplanned stop. Due to some rainy weather, we decided to stay in the city instead of out in the countryside. The Los Angeles is a fairly large hotel that is a 15 minuite walk to the Alhambra. A nice, comfortable American style hotel with clean, roomy rooms.
Nerja - Pariasio del Mar. Fabulous! A small luxurious Mediterranean style hotel right on the beach. Nerja (especially the eastern end) is a perfect seaside resort town.
Some general observations and comments:
Spain was very easy to drive in, the cities were quite clean and safe, and the countryside for the most part was beautiful. The people were very friendly, and we felt safe everywhere (except for 3 elderly gypsy women that were trailing us in Madrid!). I must admit, the food was not our favorite. We had some good meals, and doing the tapas thing at the local bars was fun; but if you are a salad and veggie lover, you may be getting a lot of pizza!
Our favorites were probably the Alcazar in Seville (WAY underrated), Ronda, and Nerja. Unfortunatly, every 3rd or 4th business in Nerja is a real estate office, and I feel that this area is quickly becoming a vacation haven for northern Europreans, possibly forcing out the locals.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.
Apr 3rd, 2004, 06:27 PM
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We are heading to Madrid and Barcelona at the end of April. Loved the info on Spain and glad to hear that you felt safe. We were trying to decide whether to go to the South of Spain (Costa del Sol or Seville) or maybe take a quick trip to France or Italy. This is my first time reading your trip information. What other places did you go to in Spain and what would you recommend as a must do? We are going to be there for 8 days.
Apr 4th, 2004, 06:26 PM
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Scoobydoo: I would do both Seville AND the coast, travelling from Seville to Granada, then down to Nerja.
When leaving Nerja we drove to Malaga to fly out - west of Nerja the Costa didn't look too inviting - lots and lots of concrete high rises and construction. Nerja seems to be the dividing line between the concrete jungle and the tasteful. However, I understand that there are some areas west of Gibralter that are also nice.
As for must dos:
In Seville - The Alcazar and the Giralda Tower. A flamenco show at El Arenal. Wandering the Santa Cruz narrow streets. Wandering the Alfalfa area (where the locals hang out). The Casa Pilates.
We were only in Seville two nights, could have easily stayed several more!
Ronda is every bit as beautiful as everyone says it is. It's a small city, and somewhat touristy, but very, very scenic.
If you rent a car, do the pueblo blancos. Grazelema and Zahara were the nicest.The road connecting them is a white knuckle drive, but actually fairly safe. The Pilates Caves are worth seeing, but could be tricky if you have trouble walking - the steps and walkways in this cave are slippery.
Nerja is very pleasant, especially east of the Balcony of Europe. The western side of town is more high rises and lots of traffic. Just outside the Nerja caves parking lot are some wonderful hiking trails. Get the free hiking booklet at the tourist information office.
When leaving Nerja we drove to Malaga to fly out - west of Nerja the Costa didn't look too inviting - lots and lots of concrete high rises and construction. Nerja seems to be the dividing line between the concrete jungle and the tasteful. However, I understand that there are some areas west of Gibralter that are also nice.
As for must dos:
In Seville - The Alcazar and the Giralda Tower. A flamenco show at El Arenal. Wandering the Santa Cruz narrow streets. Wandering the Alfalfa area (where the locals hang out). The Casa Pilates.
We were only in Seville two nights, could have easily stayed several more!
Ronda is every bit as beautiful as everyone says it is. It's a small city, and somewhat touristy, but very, very scenic.
If you rent a car, do the pueblo blancos. Grazelema and Zahara were the nicest.The road connecting them is a white knuckle drive, but actually fairly safe. The Pilates Caves are worth seeing, but could be tricky if you have trouble walking - the steps and walkways in this cave are slippery.
Nerja is very pleasant, especially east of the Balcony of Europe. The western side of town is more high rises and lots of traffic. Just outside the Nerja caves parking lot are some wonderful hiking trails. Get the free hiking booklet at the tourist information office.
Apr 4th, 2004, 09:23 PM
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My friend and I just returned from a 9 day stay in spain as well - we stayed 2 nights in Seville and we loved the flamenco performances, the small quaint tapas bars near the Guadalquivir?? river...the alcazar which I agree is underrated..but we still found Seville at night dead, especially the Calle Bettis and the surrounding streets... Any thoughts on this or were we just wandering the wrong places?? We used Rick Steves to help us navigate our way... a lot of the restaurants/pubs on that street were playing music but hardly any people around!!
