fortenba

Hello! We are looking to book a trip in Spain and looking for a recommendation on which town we should make our homebase. We plan to go mid April- end of may, approximately 5-6 weeks, with our two children (ages 3 and 1). We would like to rent a home in one town and make a few weekend trips to other places - Portugal, moracco, or just other places in Spain. We have a few criteria for where we stay and would love any contributions from others on where may meet these:
1. Not super small town, but not a super big city. Stroller friendly place that feels safe, and also has enough options for things we can do and explore nearby. We likely will not have a car, so very walkable.
2. On the water - Mediterranean is a plus
3. Easy access to airport and train station
4. Spanish speaking - (not Catalan) - part of our reasoning for visiting Spain is to work on our Spanish.

And ideas for day trips and weekend trips would also be welcome!

Oh, also - we are open to northern Spain too- but it seems like the weather will be nicer and preferable in the south...

Thank you in advance!

kimhe

Beautiful and very walkable Nerja stands out as an obvious option. 40 minutes driving from the big international Málaga airport. Nerja has got all the amenities that make it popular with tourists, but it has also retained much of its Andalucian small town charm, especially in the Old town. Fabulous tapas bars and restaurants, as well as very good international restaurants. http://www.nerjatoday.com/
http://www.onepennytourist.com/nerja-andalucia-spain/

Perfect for kids (some friends of us bought a house here ten years ago because it was fun and safe for the kids and at the same time plenty of both nature and culture to enjoy for them. They stay here a couple of months every year and fall deeper and deeper in love with both the town, the people and the surrounding area with the mountains, the walks, the history etc. etc. Their four year old daughter speaks fluent Spanish): http://www.nerjatoday.com/nerja/nerja-for-kids/

30 mins driving to wonderful 3000 year old Málaga city itself, my favourie big city in the region after intensive travelling here the past 15 years: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/andalucia/malaga
http://www.malagaturismo.com/en/

Nerja is also close to Granada with the spectacular Alhambra etc.
http://www.andalucia.com/cities/gran...hamhistory.htm

Nine beaches in town, many of them in between the cliffs: https://www.spain-holiday.com/Nerja/...ja-beach-guide

The new water cleaning plant is hopefully operating before May, but all beaches in Nerja have the highest bathing water quality ("excellent quality") every year since 2011 according to the European Union's European Environment Agency. Some 350 beaches in Spain (some 15 %) with less than "excellent quality" in 2015 according to the agency.
http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/wate...bathing-waters

Aqua Tropic Park is in neighbouring Almuñécar: http://www.aqua-tropic.com/en/

Recommend to stay in or close to C/Carabeo, the oldest street in town. Runs along the cliffs on this photo.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/trondjs/3735908317/
Plenty of excellent apartments to rent here, and in April/May you should get good rates: http://www.nerjavacations.co.uk/casa-annona.html
http://www.rentinnerja.com/calle-carabeo/

And of course the Nerja Caves, were people here more than 30 000 years ago: http://www.cuevadenerja.es/index.php?lenguaje=en

I come back here all the time since 2002 and could give you tips about most things in and around Nerja.

Alec

I second the suggestion of Nerja. Had a fabulous week last month. Ideal with young children, with plenty of beaches, child-friendly restaurants, and no rowdy bars or nightlife. While bus connections are good, with young children I suggest renting a car, for at least some of the time. Make sure you book suitable child seats/harnesses in advance.

Alternatively, some of the low-profile resorts along the Costa de la Luz in the Cádiz and Huelva Province like Puerto de Santa Maria, Tarifa and Zahara de los Atunes tick all the boxes. You then have access to Cádiz, Seville, Hill Towns, Gibraltar, Morocco (ferry from Algeciras) and Algarve (Portugal).

annhig

kimhe/Alec - the OP says that likely they wouldn't have a car - does that make any difference?

What about Malaga? I know it's bigger but it does have both buses and trains and is close to an airport.

kimhe

< the OP says that likely they wouldn't have a car - does that make any difference?

What about Malaga? I know it's bigger but it does have both buses and trains and is close to an airport.>

Easy to get to Nerja, buses to and from Málaga all the time. Excellent public transportation in all of the area and a busy bus station in Nerja. Been here some fifteen times and never had a car.

Málaga is a big city (pop 500 000+) with a great vibe, lots of sights, fabulous food scene and #1 museum city in Andalucía, but something completely different than small Nerja (pop 20 000).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...pt-secret.html

annhig

the OP's question is whether the place they choose would make a good base for travelling around. My point was that Malaga certainly does but does Nerja?

fortenba

Thank you so much for this feedback. This is fantastic. I'm interested in both Nerja and Malaga.

Here is another question. Because we have two little ones, we spend quite a bit of time at our home, instead of out and about. Though - we are also very active, we find that when we travel it is really nice to have a yard - a way to easily get out of the house for some fresh air, without having to pack up the strollers. Is it easy to find a house (as opposed to a condo) in either location? Is one place more budget friendly than another?

Thank you again for this very helpful feedback.

Becca

kimhe

<the OP's question is whether the place they choose would make a good base for travelling around. My point was that Malaga certainly does but does Nerja?>

Yes, Nerja is a good baae for travelling around. Nerja bus timetables: http://www.nerjatoday.com/nerja/bus-timetables/

Easier to find a house with a yard or patio in Nerja where there are lots of holiday homes, especially up in town a little behind the Old town. And you'll find houses in the best street in town with wonderful patios.
Example of the first: https://www.spain-holiday.com/5589
Example of the second: http://www.nerjavacations.co.uk/casa-annona.html

Houses with a yard/patio tend to be very exclusive in Málaga city, but you might find something in charming El Palo/Pedregalejo just east of the city center: https://www.spainfoodsherpas.com/thi...egalejo-beach/

In both places many restaurants serve bargain lunches (menu del día), three courses with drinks included for some 8-12€. This is the main meal of the day for most Spanish. But in Nerja most bars and restaurants also serve free tapas to choose with every glass of whatever for some 1,50-2€. http://themaritimeexplorer.ca/2015/1...rawl-in-nerja/

garethdavey2

It's always worth a trip to Sevilla - check out a quick tip post here: https://goaskbecki.com/2016/10/24/ho...rs-in-seville/