hi <BR>my husband and I are going to Andalucia in September. we plan a few days in Ronda and a few days in Nerja. we want to stay in a parador in either towns. i checked the site of the paradors, the picture show the one in ronda to be much more beautiful but pics can be tricky. in your opinion which one would you choose?<BR>Also when should we start the reservation process, or is already too late. <BR>thanx

Tauck World Discovery is a top rated tour company that gets rave reviews. I check out the hotels they use to help make decisions. You might want to go their website and check out their "Week in Spain." Go to:<BR>www.tauck.com.

The Parador in Nerja is just a modern hotel. Nothing out of the ordinary, unless the remodeling job last year was a big change. The Parador in Ronda is also modern, but nicer. Neither has much local character. Either would be fine.<BR><BR>There are better places to stay, however, in each town.

We didn't go to Nerja so can't help you there. But we did stay at the Ronda parador along with a number of others. The parador is very nice and has an unbelievable setting on the edge of the gorge. We requested a room facing the gorge, and found it to be a minor mistake. You sit back from the gorge so you really don't get the effects of it from your room. On the other hand the valley view rooms had spectacular views out to the distance. The rooms were very nice, but it is a surprisingly "new" hotel, with less charm than some of the other paradors we stayed in. Our dinner there was outstanding. <BR>It may be too late, but by all means try. Do try to book directly with the parador -- not with one of the central booking agencies, especially not the New York one which will charge you much more.<BR>

we are also going to sevilla and Barcelona but in the site i did not see that there were any paradores in any of these cities. is that right?

I don't know about the paradors but I loved Nerja. Ronda was nice but I didn't think you needed more than a half-day in Ronda. Nerja had a beautiful beach and you should definitely not miss the caves. I never thought I would feel this way about caves. If I had to redo my trip, it would have been to include more time in Nerja.

We stayed at the Don Miguel in Ronda.<BR>We had a small balcony right over the<BR>gorge with a tremendous view. The hotel<BR>is not as deluxe as the parador, but<BR>has much more character for a lot<BR>less money. The restaurant at the hotel<BR>was great. Ronda is definitely worth<BR>spending the night. The town is much<BR>more enjoyable when the tour buses from the Costa del Sol have left for the day.<BR>I read recently that a deluxe hotel had<BR>recently opened on the other side of<BR>the gorge. You might also want to look<BR>into it. The Ronda parador was really<BR>ugly.

We spent one night in the Ronda parador and loved it. The rooms are spacious with wood floors and small decks with french doors leading onto the deck. We asked for a valley view - and actually got a corner room with both a valley and gorge view - I would ask for that. Can't remember the room number. The parador is centrally located, the breakfast is good and the atmosphere is fantastic!

i stayed at the parador when it first opened a few years back and our room there was great with a wonderful view. However, the general area downstairs was fairly sterile. Last year I stayed at the San Gabriel instead which is much smaller and located in the old town - the rooms are darker (overlooking a central patio) and don't have the views but this place is full of character and the Spanish owners are lovely. I checked out many hotels while i was there and this was my favourite. I will be going back next month. you can read our detailed review on http://www.i-escape.com - select Andalucia