Parador in Ronda or Nerja
 

I'm going to Spain in May and I wanted to know if anyone would recommend a parador in either Ronda or Nerja. I prefer something not too modern. Price range of about $100. Thank you for any help you have.

This web site shows the paradores of Spain: http://www.eurosun.com/parador.htm <BR>The parador in Ronda sits on the edge of the gorge. It was once the old town hall but the interior is modern. The parador in Nerja is a common looking building but the grounds are beautiful and it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. Would you rather spend the night (or nights) in Ronda or Nerja? I have day tripped to Ronda but have spent many nights in Nerja and am partial to that town. I would assume they would both be more than $100.

Thank you Judi, I checked out the website and its was really helpful. I would like to stay in both for one night. I also came across a Parador in Malaga called Malaga Gibralfaro. Have you heard of this one? You mentioned your partial to Nerja...any recommendations of places to stay other than the parador? What do you like most about Nerja?

If you are interested in situation, the best of those three paradors is the one in Ronda. No doubt the one in Nerja is nice and have beautiful views. Malaga-Gibralfaro has just been renewed, is really quiet and has also beautiful views over Malaga, but is up the mountain and a bit far from city centre.

I understand that if you are age 55 and more that the Paradors are half-price. This is according to friends who traveled there last year.

We understand from friends of ours who stayed at various Paradors last year the Paradors are half-price if you are over the age of 55

Here's the website for paradores in case you don't have it: <BR>http://www.parador.es/cgi-bin/en <BR>We stayed at the one in Ronda last November and really liked it. We used a special offer (still available) that was 20% off for 2 nights with breakfast and dinner. The meals there are excellent!

Monica, I haven't been to Ronda, but we loved Nerja! The parador was quite a modern building though, but it had a great view. It's a charming little town, if you go drive up in the hills behind and you'll find a little whitewashed village called Friggliana (sp)? Also don't forget to check out the cave tours, they are amazing! In the summer they hold concerts in there! Have fun, Nerja,Segovia and Toledo were our favorite towns. Don't forget to visit the Alhambra if you get to Granada.

Thank you all for you great suggestions. Unfortunatly I'm under 55 and won't be able to use the discount and I only wanted to stay 1 night in Ronda. If you have more information keep it coming. I love this fodors discussion room. Liz you mentioned a tour to the caves? Where can I go to sign up?

Monica, the caves are right out of town, probably less than a dollar for the bus ride if you don't have a car. There are no tours of the caves that I know of; you just walk through them by yourself. They are pretty awesome. I have been there twice. <BR>Did you get my email? What I had to say about Nerja was too long to post but if anyone else is interested I will be happy to send it along. Have fun in Spain!

Monica, my husband and I will also be visiting the Andulsia area in May and driving there from Madrid. I have searched all the sites on Paradores and we decided on the Parador in Ubeda. It is a 16th century castle and looks and sounds fabulous! I found it on www.paradors.es. Have fun!

Donna, from Ubeda you have two trips you will probably love: <BR> <BR>-Baeza: One of the richest places monumentally talking in Andalucia ( as well as Ubeda ). Both Ubeda and Baeza together are firm candidates to become World Heritage Sites. <BR> <BR>-The scenic drive to Cazorla, La Iruela and Guadalquivir Source and Valley ( Cazorla Natural Park is the biggest of all parks and one of the gems of nature in Spain. Cazorla is beautiful and inside the park you have stunning viewpoints.

Gracias Pedro, we definatly will check out all of your recomendations. We love to drive and explore. Will spend a week in the south and then move up the coast and spend a week closer to Valencia.

Thank you Donna and Pedro for the good ideas. Maybe we may meet up Donna! What is your itinerary. I'm starting off in Barcelona and taking the train to Granada and renting a car and driving aroun the coasta del sol and Andalucia area and up to Madrid to fly to Lisbon.

Between Ronda and Nerja, mountain and coast, you are comparing an apple and orange. I stayed both paradors a week ago. Ronda has more modern and spacious room than Nerja. Ronda has a good view if you get a room on the cliff side but not much of a view if your room is on the other side. You will have a good sea view from every room in Nerja. Neither building impresses you with history. As for the town, Nerja is much larger than Ronda, more places to eat but Ronda has more history and more places to visit. Both are small towns anyway and won?t take more than an hour or two to walk around. As for the cave, you don?t need any guided tour, there are buses connecting Nerja and the cave, buy ticket (5 euro), and enter.

Paradores report: Ronda, M&aacute;laga Gibralfaro:

We just got back from Spain, and stayed at both the Parador in Ronda and the Parador M&aacute;laga Gibralfaro.

At the Parador in Ronda, we paid 107.28 euros a night for two, INCLUDING breakfast. I think that was a special rate for being over 55. It seems they have a limited number of rooms at the special reduced rates, so it pays to book early. I got one parador reservation at the special rate, but didn't get that rate on the other. We booked both our paradores on their website, which worked flawlessly, and is available in English as well as in Spanish.

The setting of the Parador in Ronda is gorgeous, on the edge of the gorge, which our balcony overlooked. [Parenthetical note: the English words &quot;gorge&quot; and &quot;gorgeous&quot; are related, both deriving from a Latin word meaning &quot;throat&quot;, the latter referring to jewelry and other adornments worn around the throat or bosom. The French word for a brassiere is &quot;soutien-gorge&quot;.] The rooms are large, and pretty modern. We stayed only one night at Ronda, but in retrospect, I wish we had stayed longer. It's a lovely town.

We didn't stay in Nerja, but passed through it. It's also a very attractive town, with a site called the &quot;Balcony of Europe&quot;, high over the sea. It's a haven for British vacationers, to the extent that the language you hear around you the most is English, not Spanish.

We stayed at the Parador M&aacute;laga Gibralfaro on our final night in Andaluc&iacute;a, 11/17. It's a beautiful setting, high on a hill overlooking the port of M&aacute;laga, although I should point out that it overlooks the industrial port, not some pristine coastal setting (the port is full of cruise ships). It cost me 119.38 euros per night for two people. The room was large and comfortable, and we had a good dinner in the restaurant and a good buffet breakfast in the morning (NOT included in the room price). The room was fairly modern, and had good triple glazed heavy widows in the big doors that opened over the port, which kept out any noise from the port way below.

We had to drive into M&aacute;laga the next morning to return our rental car. Despite the fact that we could virtually SEE the Avis office from our balcony, a single wrong turn and the one-way streets of M&aacute;laga sent us in a huge circle before we actually managed to get there.

Of all our six hotels in Spain, the two Paradores were the nicest. If we go back to Spain, I might well try to stay in all Paradores. If you stay in five or more, you can get a special rate. There are some, though, like the Parador in Granada, that can be booked solid up to six months in advance.

Let me know if you have any questions. We got so much help from the forum before our departure, I'm glad to provide any information I can now that we've returned.

- Larry

This message is for Monica or nayone who has gone from Barcelona to Malaga by train. We too want to take the train from Barcelona to Malaga (on May 15). We found many trains to Alicante but none with easy connections to Malaga. Can you tell me your train schedule.