Hi! We are planning to go to Madrid and Marabella in late May. We will be in Madrid three days and Marabella four days. This is our first trip to Spain. Any suggestions on where to stay in Madrid? How safe is it in general? How expensive? Any foods we should stay away from? <BR> <BR>I would appreciate any advice you have. Thanks in advance.

Vidya, Depending on your price range, here are some suggestions for well located hotels in Madrid. The Carlos V is run by Best Western (which makes reservations through their 800 number quite easy) is in a great location. About one minute walk to major metro station and walking distance to many places. room with breakfast about $85 per night. The Tryp chain has a couple of very nice renovated old hotels (one a duque's palace, I believe). One is near the Opera, the other not far from Puerta del sol. They run a bit higher, around $150 a night, but are really charming. There are plenty of pickpockets in Madrid, but if you're savvy and don't walk down deserted streets or have valuables dangling in open view, you'll be fine. We rode the metro there till 1 in the morning and never had a problem. <BR>

Vidya, My mom and sister stayed at the Carlos V earlier this year and they loved it. It was centrally located, reasonably priced, good rooms, and they gave high grades to the staff for friendliness. They stayed at the Tryp Colon in Sevilla, and found it to be not as welcoming.

We just returned from Madrid and Marbella. We stayed at the Carlos V and while the rooms were small the location was great. We stayed at The Four Seasons Resort & Country Club in Marbella. We really enjoyed our stay. Though it is a timeshare resort, there were many people renting as well. Each unit had a full kitchen, terry cloth robes, jacuzzi, washer/dryer and more. We had two porches with views of the Mediteraenan. The resort is right at the beach with indoor and outdoor pools, a workout room and more. There were scheduled tours and activies as well. I believe the price of a unit was less than the room at the Carlos V. <BR>

what is the weather like in Marabella the first week of March?