Madrid In; Barcelona out and fun in between!
 

We have refined our itinerary with your help. Please offer any advice. Also, please suggest hotels or restaurants in each place.

Leave NY -Sept.14
Madrid (Sept.15,16,17,18 - 4 nights) Day trip to Toledo and Segovia.
Cordoba (Sept. 19, 20) Train to Sevilla
Sevilla (Sept. 21,22,23) Rent a car and go to Ronda
Ronda (Sept. 24,25) Use as a base to visit whitle villages. Return car.
Granada (Sept. 26, 27) Is Sunday a problem? Fly to Barcelona
Barcelona (Sept. 28,29,30) Rent a car
Costa Brava( Oct. 1,2,3) Return car (Best place to use as base? Want to see art and relax.)
Barcelona (Oct.4,5)
Fly Home Oct.6

I guess this title wasn't as catchy as I thought!

There have been thread after thread here on hotels and restaurants in various cities in Spain. Have you taken a look at those?
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/spain/

What's your hotel budget? How many people per room?

Yes, and I have used the info. I have booked the hotel Prada in Madrid. I have been reading the other postings and used them to refine my itinerary. Now I am looking for some criticism befire I begin to lock in. I am still studying the White Villages and Costa Brava and trying to be clearer about these two locations.

milliebest,
For your research on the Costa Brava, you might want to read these valuable threads, filled with info about lodging, etc.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-barcelona.cfm
(JulieV's trip report)

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...aiguablava.cfm
(lots on lodging)

www.begur.org
(the tourist board's site for the lovely town of Begur)

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...osta-brava.cfm
(traveller1959's trip report)

And you'll find lots more in the archives by using the advanced search function.

I read all the links. They were great. Thanks!

Maribel left out one of the most informative links about Spain: the guide she has written and made available at www.maribelsguides.com.

The three days we go to Costa Brava, I was thinking of making Aiguablava our base. Is this practical or do you think it would be better to stay in different places?

Thanks, Nikki, you are truly very kind!

milliebest,
For those 3 days I would stay lodged in Aiguablava (with day trips) and soak up those gorgeous views!

If you only have three nights and your aim is to relax plus see art, which would be your priorities?

milliebest,
Do you refer to relaxing and seeing art from your base in Aiguablava?

I've been reading and revising this itinerary so now this is how it looks for our trip in mid Sept.:

Madrid 4 nights
Cordoba - 2
Sevilla 3 or 4 (Here is a question) Should I stay in Sevilla three days or stay 4 and spend one day doing the tour of the White Villages then rent a car stay one night in Ronda before going to Granada? Is three days in Sevilla too much?
Granada - one or two nights.
Fly to Girona - spend one night in Girona or Figueres.
Rent a car and spend three nights in Cadaques.
Barcelona -4 nights.

My question is can you do justice to Barcelona in 4 nights?
Is one night in Ronda too rushed?
Any suggestions?

For me 3 days in Seville would never be too much-there's just so much of merit to see and do.

One night will be adequate in Ronda, if you do the Paul McGrath white villages tour.

And for me, Granada merits 2 nights-to arrive in the afternoon and visit the downtown monuments (cathedral, Royal Chapel, Monastery of the Cartuja, Monastery of San Jerónimo, etc.) and the next morning to tour the Alhambra (buying online timed tickets for the first entry from 8:30-9 to the Nasrid Palace) and the Generalife plus Palace of Charles V, then maybe an afternoon walking tour of the Albaicín.

If you're flying to Girona, I would spend that night in Girona and soak up the wonderful atmosphere of the medieval quarter, visit the cathedral and its museum and other treasues. It's one of my favorite cities.

Do you want 3 nights in the more isolated, harder to get to, bohemian art colony Cadaqués (winding, hair pin road)
or would you prefer a base where it's easier and quicker by car to make day trips?

such as these:
to Figueres for the Dalí museum
to Pubol (it seems you're interested in the Dalí triangle)
to medieval villages
to Iberian settlement of Ullastret (from 7BC)
to the Greco-Roman site of Empúries, etc

Depends on what you want Cadaqués to be for you for 3 nights.

Yes, you can do justice to Barcelona in 4 nights.

WHY are you renting a car IN Barcelona?????

You are getting perfect advice here as to how long and where.

And never rent a car while in Spanish cities.

I was only renting the car for Costa Brava and then returning it when we go into Barcelona. The plan would be to rent the car when we leave Gerona, use it for three days and return it when we go into the city.

milliebest,
That's what I had assumed. A manuel transmission and diesel engine will save you some euros with your rental. We do 5-6 car rentals a year in Spain and book through
Auto Europe or Kemwel (under the same umbrella).