I have the choice of taking a time-sharing condo in Malaga or Alicante for a week the end of May. I know nothing about either place. Any suggestions and must sees?

Just returned from both (time-shares for a week in both) and highly recommend Malaga over Alicante. There's so much more to do in and around Malaga--new Picasso Museum is fabulous, as is the Alcazar, castle, and day trips to such places as Granada, Ronda,and Nerja. Do a goggle search on both cities and check out some guidebooks, but my vote goes to Malaga without a doubt!

Do you both own time shares or just found ones to rent in the area? I am thinking about going to Malaga in June and an looking for something to rent.

We have a timeshare through Interval International, but I think you can find weekly rentals. Maybe do a post and ask (or someone will respond here?) or check out various websites such as okspain.org, spainish-living.com, spainalive.com, etc.

Hi artlover, I am an artist! Anyway, we have to be in Alicante for business for 3 nights- dinners are taken care of, but what to do in the daytime? Any good ART?

Alicante is the Shoe Capital of Spain in case you are interested in shopping for Shoes. I also found prices (in the small shops) in Alicante to be less than Madrid or Malaga. Alicante is more of a Spanish resort rather than one teeming with large numbers of 'Brits' like Malaga, Torremolinos, etc. Of course there are lots of Germans a short ways up the coast (in Benidorm). I prefer the beaches on the Costa Blanca over those on the Costa del Sol.

Generalizing, I would say the Malaga area would be more expensive. I don't know of any museums or art galleries in the Alicante area, so Malaga may have the edge there.

Malaga certainly and add Córdoba to the places for trips - it's wonderful.

artlover..can you share which condo you stayed at in Malaga? We are staying at a RCI condo between Marbella and Fuengirola...how did you make out with driving in the area? was it crazy busy with traffic? we are planning to be there for a week taking day trips to the white villages..any restaurants that stand out?

SHOES?????? Who doesn't love shoes? Please advise as to quality and to location for best shopping ? We will be at Melia Hotel on the water. Are the eathers comparable to Bottega or Ferragamos or are they stiff like Kmart shoes (bit of humor there)? Also: I've heard that the museum which houses contemporary artwork is closed for renovations, have you found this to be so?

Sorry, I don't know about the Museum.
The Melia Hotel is on the water, a nice location. It's within walking distance of the main drag.

Don't shop for shoes at el Corte Ingles, s a large Spain-wide department store that doesn't feature local items.

For quality leathers comparable to Ferragamos you meed to shop at the smaller, local shops along the avenues. It seems like I have been on a street in Alicante that had several ladies' shoe shops. Sorry, I can't pinpoint it for you. Good luck with your shoe shopping!

don't shop at corte ingl'es??? for shoes???
well, to say they dont carry local spanish shoes is a bit much.
the return policy is the BEST in spain, if you have a problem.
also, their sales are very good, as are the smaller boutiques just at ends of sales, but i certainly would NEVER take corte ingles off my list for ANYthing.
they also pre-arrange the tax retrun for non-eu persons.
etc. etc. etc.
check out their website for general available products. www.elcorteingles.es

for excellent food, at bar or upstairs at EL NOU MANOLIN. central. ask anyone for exact address.

Just seconding Cordoba - the Mesquita is fantastic. The whole of the old city a delight to wander around.

lincasanova: Like all major Department stores, el Corté Inglés has centralized purchasing and distribution. You can buy the same item at their Puerta del Sol store in Madrid as their Praça Maria Cristina store in Barcelona or their Alicante store. They do not feature locally manufactured items.

I like shopping at el Corté Inglés. It's a great store! But when I am in the 'Shoe Caoital' of Spain I prefer to shop for shoes at the smaller shops.

Small specialty shops in Alicante buy from local manufacturers when possible and do feature items manufactured locally.

As I said earlier, Alicante is Spain's Shoe Capital. Buyers come from all over (incl. Corté Inglés) to buy shoes manufactured in Alicante. Some of those shoes atay in Alicante and are purchased by local Boutiques for sale to their customers.

Actually, our timeshare wasn't right in Malaga, but in nearby (about 20 miles) Marbella and is the best timeshare we've stayed in yet--the Marriott Marbella Beachclub. I couldn't say enough good things about the place--it's right on the beach and the facility is gorgeous (marble floors, beautiful pools, etc.) and the staff has always been absolutely fantastic to us--so helpful.

We've found this to be a great place for taking daytrips to such places as the Alhambra in Granada, Nerja, Ronda, and the white villages, to name but a few. Also, we were pleasantly surprised at Malaga on our last visit--the Museo Picasso and Picasso's house, plus the Castle and Alcazar and Cathedral make it well worth the visit.

It's fairly easy to negotiate with a car, although some of the roads (such as to Ronda) are a bit "hairy" for me (or it may just be DH's driving).

There is a contemporary art museum in Allicante called Museu Coleccio Art del Segle at Plaza de Santa Maria, but it was closed when we were last there in November, but may be open now. Anyone know?

Hope that answers your questions. Have a great trip.