We are planning our first 2 week trip to Andalucia this spring, (April/May.) We are flying in and out of Madrid. Our tentative itinerary is:

3 nights Madrid (optional day trip to Segovia or Toledo)
2 nights Granada
3 nights Malaga (with day trip to Caminito de Rey)
Rent car from Malaga, explore Rhonda, white villages on the way to Seville.
4 nights Seville (with day trip to Cordoba)
Last night in Madrid Depart early next day.

Do you recommend reversing the order of our plans and trying to be in Seville for the April Fair?

Wondering where to stay in Seville. Considering Triana of Santa Cruz Barrio

These are a few of the hotels or apts we are considering in Seville
El Rey Moro
La Casa de la Juderia
Hotel Casa 1800
Puerta Cathedral Apts
Suites Murillo Cathedral
Casa Poeta Triana

In Granada:
Gar Anat Hotel Boutique
Shine Albayzin

In Malaga
Palicio Soleico

In Madrid
Urban Hotel
Oriente Palace Apts

Your experiences and advice is appreciated.

20nRway,
1. Here is a post that I wrote about the April Fair in Sevilla
Seville for 8 nights/ April Faire

To be really a part of the Feria fun, it's helpful to have access to a private caseta, to wear the appropriate clothing (it can be rented) or at least it's helpful to like sherry!

2. Seville hotels: I know all of your 1st five. They're all in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, where the majority of tourists stay.
There are currently more tourist beds (hotels/airbnbs) than Seville residents in this district. But sightseeing is walkable.
The Rey Moro is tucked away on a tiny, narrow street that taxis can't access, so they will drop you off on a nearby square.
The Casas de la Judería consists of many different buildings, so you need to choose your room carefully if you have any mobility issues.
The Casa 1800 and Puerta de la Catedral Apartments are just about as close to the cathedral and the Alcàzar as lodging gets, so the area gets crowds.
I like the quieter location of the Suites Murillo Catedral, tucked away from the fray and not so busy/congested as the immediate area around the cathedral.

3. Granada: I like them both. The Shine is on the busy Carrera del Darro in the lower Albaicín, and the Gar-Anat has a quieter, tucked away location (but taxis can access it), not in the Albaicín.

4. Málaga: Yes!! Palacio Salecio is the most elegant boutique hotel in the city now, a member of the Marugal management group. It's beautiful and perfectly located for touring.

5. Madrid: The Urban is very contemporary (strikes me as cold) in style, the entry level rooms run small, and not really my favorite, although it now has a great restaurant, and the location is very handy, just a short walk from the Prado.
The Oriente Palace Apartments sit on one of Madrid's most beautiful squares, directly in front of the Royal Palace. It's not quite as convenient for visiting the Museum Triangle (Reina Sofía, Prado, Thyssen, Caixa Forum) if that matters.

Have you considered other properties in Madrid? Catalonia Las Cortes? Room Mate Alba? Atocha Tapestry Collection?, all in the Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter)
further from the Museum Triangle, the Only You Boutique? The Pavilions?

Your itinerary is almost identical to our itinerary in 2017 except that we spent one night in Toledo and 2 nights in Cordoba. I am happy to see that you are also visiting Malaga, which is a wonderful city with a lovely pedestrianized center and lots to see and do, in addition to having some wonderful coastal ambience.

We spent 2 nights in Malaga and while we wish we had a 3rd night, I wonder if you should drop one night from Malaga and add it to Cordoba so you can spend the night in Cordoba. However, because of the day trip you have planned, you might not be able to or want to drop a night from Malaga.

Have you made your airline reservations yet? If not, can you add a night or two to your trip so that you can stay overnight in Cordoba? Have you researched open-jaw tickets (or multi-city) so that you can fly into Madrid and home from Seville or vice versa? This way you save time by not having to backtrack to Madrid.

In Granada, we stayed at El Ladron D'Agua located on Carrera del Darro. Unfortunately, the hotel is temporarily closed, but we loved the location on del Darro. Very convenient and it was nice being on the lower Albaycin so we didn't have a lot of up and down walking.

In Seville, we stayed at Apartamentos Suites Santa Cruz. Another awesome location. Taxi dropped us off in a nearby square and we had to walk to the hotel, much like the Rey Moro.

In Madrid, we stayed at the Mercure Madrid Centro on Calle Lope de Vega, in the museum triangle. Very convenient if you are focusing on these museums.

Based on what Maribel said, your hotel in Malaga is nicer than ours.

The Shine Albayzín has the same location as El Ladrón de Agua and the Casa 1800 Granada, all on the Carrera del Darro, which is flat.

The Apartamentos Suites Santa Cruz has the identical location as the El Rey Moro, just one minute from each other. I stayed twice at the El Rey Moro when on a strict budget. It's the most modest of the hotels on your Sevilla list. The taxi dropped me off at the Plaza Santa Cruz and I walked to the hotel in 2 minutes, 140 meters.

Just a note about Feria---here is a YouTube video of José Andrés and daughters at the Feria del Caballo in Jerez, that explains very, very well what Andalusian ferias are all about----the dress, the action in the casetas, the food, the sevillanas dancing (takes practice!) the daily parades, etc. The video is an outakee of his new series, José Andrés and Family Go to Spain, on Discovery Plus. We've watched all 6 episodes, very well done, very entertaining.

To Everyone,
Thank you so much for all your insight and advice.
No one commented on staying in Triana vs Santa Cruz Barrio in Seville.
What are your feelings about that, for a first time visit to this area?

I definitely wouldn't stay in Triana. I would take a nice walk across the bridge to Triana to the market, have some tapas at Las Golondrinas II and to see two of the most beautiful chapels there (Capilla de los Marineros & Nuestra Señora de la O)--it's also home to several ceramics shops--
but the more convenient location is the Barrio de Santa Cruz to the east of the cathedral (tourist central) or El Arenal to the west of the cathedral, closer to the river and the Plaza de Toros (great tapas bars in this district as well).
https://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilleta...olondrinas-ii/.

Tickets are bookable now for the Caminito del Rey up to March. You probably know that it's closed on Mondays.
Purchase tickets here-
https://www.caminitodelrey.info/en.

If you're still interested in Casas de la Judería in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, because it consists of several buildings, with a tunnel, and is somewhat of a labyrinth, you may want to look at the TA reviews, clicking on "room tips"; ditto to the booking.com reviews

I would not want to stay in Sta Cruz due to the congestion of tourists on the streets and in the restaurants. Can't you include other areas besides Triana and Santa Cruz?

I would always defer to Maribel on choosing a hotel.

We were just in Madrid and stayed in the Arenal area, I wouldn't recommend Triana and Santa Cruz is quite congested. Enjoy, we loved Seville!!

ekscunchy and transmits are both correct about the Santa Cruz congestion.

We now stay in El Arenal or near the Plaza de la Encarnación, close to Las Setas, to avoid the mob around the cathedral and on "restaurant row", Mateos Gagos, after many years of staying in the Barrio de Santa Cruz.
In El Arenal there's the Hotel Boutique Las Casas de El Arenal. Gets a 9.0 rating on booking.com

My favorite hotel near Las Setas is the H10 Casa de la Plata, where I'll be staying soon, with a booking.com score of 9.4.
It's on a narrow side street but easily walkable to the cathedral and other sites, and within a stone's throw of my favorite iconic place for chocolate & churros, Bar Comercio, a local institution.
https://azahar-sevilla.com/sevilleta...r-el-comercio/

I am finding this thread very helpful. Thank you! We are trying to plan the trip to this region 2-3 weeks in March.