lauramsgarden

Our vision for our trip this summer is shaping up. Right now we are thinking Madrid - Barcelona - fly to Seville and then visit Seville, Granada and Cordoba before finishing in Toledo and flying home. Somewhere in there we would like to spend a few nights in the countryside with a rented car exploring villages, national parks, countryside etc. In the past this doing this has been a favorite part of our trips and intriguing as the cities are I don't want to skip at least a few days in the countryside.

Sooo, looking for recommendations of either a village or country inn or Posada that would fit the bill as a good "base camp" for exploring. Any and all suggestions would be helpful. Thanks

lauramsgarden

sorry, meant Parador - not posada, thinking Portugal lol

Nelson

We spent a week in Jaén Province with a rental car last year. In some ways the highlight of our trip. Check out the Parador in Úbeda, lots to see within 60 minutes of there in most any direction: castles, Renaissance palaces, Roman ruins (small), mountains (bigger), miles of olive groves, good food.

Have fun!

MmePerdu

I stayed a week one with a friend in a vacation rental on the fringe of Iznájar, a small town near Antequera and between Seville & Granada, in a unique setting (look on Google maps and you'll see what I mean. I liked it very much.

I am in no way promoting the listings in the following link, just had a look to see what was available these days. It gives something of an idea of the place:

http://tinyurl.com/zfzvyg4

Antequera is a bigger town with a train station. We parked the car there and took the train into Seville for an overnight.

kja

Perhaps Las Alpujarras?

"Madrid - Barcelona - fly to Seville and then visit Seville, Granada and Cordoba before finishing in Toledo and flying home."

I hope you have a LOT of time for this trip!

ribeirasacra

Confused. What has changed since you write this itinerary?
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-andalusia.cfm
16 days on the ground is very little. What are you plans now? how many days are you allocating for this base? How are you moving around? Bus, train or car?

lauramsgarden

The itinerary was just a beginning foray - still playing around with the best balance of towns/cities/countryside - figuring out how many days we can manage (it's inching up to 17 or 18 I think). The only thing that really changed was our realization that we don't want to spend the whole time in cities.

We will travel mostly by train I think, but perhaps follow earlier advice to fly in between Barcelona and either Granada or Seville - and then rent a car for a few days as per above post.

Great ideas, I'm intrigued by all three. I can see Mme Perdu what you mean about the location of Antequera, and Las Alpujarras and Ubeda also look like what we are searching for. Do you have any suggestions in Las Alpujarras of places to stay?

MmePerdu

I was actually referring to the location of Iznájar, on a peninsula, almost surrounded by the lake. It makes it feel far from everything but it's not. I chose it because a friend's brother lived there and had the rental attached to his home, then found it was a very good location to do what we wanted to do.

kja

With even 17 or 18 days, I think you are pushing it -- I'd want closer to a month for what you are planning! But it's your trip, your call.

While in Las Alpujarras, I stayed in Capileira. I believe I may have stayed at the Hotel Finca las Llanos, but if so, it didn't have a pool when I was there. As I recall, it worked for me, but wasn't anything special. The views from the balcony were the best thing.

kja

BTW, before making a decision about Las Alpujarras, consider how you will get there. I took a bus to and from Granada; as I recall, it was about 3 hours each way. The hour or two nearest Granada were fine. What followed, for me, was an hour or more of sheer white-knuckled terror! The bus swept up and around a seemingly endless series of blind switchbacks that were too narrow, at the turn, for a car to pass and where no guardrail separated the bus from the near vertical drops just inches from the edge of the road. The views were stunning, but I thought each view might be the last I ever saw. Maybe the road has been improved since, or maybe you have no problem with that kind of experience ... just something to consider.

ribeirasacra

OP unless you get a car you will never be able to hit
** <i>looking for recommendations of either a village or country inn or Posada that would fit the bill as a good "base camp" for exploring. Any and all suggestions would be helpful.</i>**
A car will be necessary to allow you to explore at your own pace.

lauramsgarden

we would borrow a car for that part of the trip and thanks KJA for the road warning - I love driving country roads, but mountain switchbacks without guardrails are not my cup of tea to put it mildly lol

kimhe

A little more about Antequera, the so called heart of Andalucía or the crossroads of Andalucia, almost right in the middle of the Málaga, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada rectangle. First of the Granada emirate towns to fall to the Christians in 1410 and as genuinely Andalucía as it gets. Here you'll find dolmens (some 5000 years old burial chambers), Roman baths, a Moorish Castle, Gothic churches, Renaissance fountains and Baroque bell towers.
http://turismo.antequera.es/en/

I love the terrace in the corner of the peaceful Escribanos square in front of the Real Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor, the first partly Renaissance-style church in Spain (built 1514-1550). Up here it's totally peace and quiet. Next to the recently excavated Roman baths beneath and looking up on the 13th century Moorish alcazaba/fortress. Great views over unique landscapes (the spectacular Torcal limestone mountain, the Lovers leap etc.) My favourite spot in all of Spain. http://www.wild-about-travel.com/201...ing-antequera/

lauramsgarden

Kimhe - can you recommend somewhere to stay? thanks