AnnieGoo

Hello Fellow Fodor Friends:
In May I will be traveling wih my 75 year old parents to see my brother who lives in Geneva. We want to leave Geneva and spend a few days in Spain. Both my parents and brother have been to Spain several times- this will be my first trip. We all agree that we want to see either the White Villages, Sevilla or Granada. Here are the issues: #1 we only have 2.5 days.
#2 With this limited amount of time, which cities are the most memorabale for a 1st time visitor?
#3 With older travelers in tow, which cities are the easiest to get around? My parents are young at heart and in good health but nevertheless in their mid 70's...

I want this trip to be easy and not stressful. Beautiful countryside and picturesque views would be wonderful but my mother gets car sick quite easily. I love the idea of seeing the Alhambra and the lovely views from that city. While others suggest that if you are only going to see one city in Spain you should not miss Seville.

Any advice will be appreciated!!

laclaire

Granada and Ronda. . . the Alhambra is a sight to behold and Ronda is a fantastic village. More to come. . .

Claire

AnnieGoo

LaClaire-
Thanks for the post... I confess I am obsessing over the decision...

AnnieGoo

If you selected Granada? Whould you stay in Malaga and drive to Granada and Rhonda as day trips or stay someplace else? I love quaint villages and small local hotels. I don't want a Marriott or Westin hotel. We will be flying in/out of Malaga (easyjet from Geneva)...

laclaire

If you only have 2.5 days (please tell the exact timeframe, as it is important to the plans), I would arrive in Malaga and get directly to Granada (driving probably easiest). See the Alhambra, enjoy the time there, then head to Ronda for a visit, then back to Malaga for departure.

Claire

AnnieGoo

We would be there the second week of May. Would you spend one night in Granada and then one night in Ronda?

buongiorno

I totally agree with Granada over Sevilla. If you want a really great hotel, try the AC Palacio de Santa Paula. It is a converted monestary and is one of the coolest hotels we've ever stayed at. The location is fabulous, right in the center of town so it's easy walking distance to things to do at night and restaurants. The Alhambra is not to be missed!

laclaire

Assuming you arrive in the morning to Malaga:

Travel to Granada and check into hotel. Stroll city and get oriented. There is an excellent flamenco dancer there named Raquel Heredia (daughter of La Repompa) who sometimes performs. If you don't see her up to anything, but want to see flamenco, try to get seats at the Cueva de la Rocia in Sacromonte. Their musicians are very good (some played in the Saga de los Habichuela a few summers ago. . . many are from flamenco dynasties) and I like their dancers.

Next day, get up and go to the Alhambra. Plan on spending the morning there, either eat lunch there or on the road, and head off to Ronda. Spend the afternoon enjoying the scenery, sleep there, and in the morning, head back to Malaga to go home.

Short and sweet. Sevilla can wait.

Claire

AnnieGoo

Clarie-

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the help!

lincasanova

granada-ronda about 2.5/3 hours.
ronda- malaga about 1.5 hours.

AnnieGoo

My mother gets car sick on hilly roads. Are these roads especially hilly?

AnnieGoo

Is the road from Malaga to Granada hilly?

laclaire

I always sleep the entire way, but I am pretty sure it is hilly, as the terrain is such.

When I was in Mexico a few weeks ago we were on some incredibly hilly roads, so all of us swallowed Dramamine and voila, no problems. Perhaps that is a good idea.

Wherever you go there will be hills leaving Malaga, and Granada is in the Sierra Nevada, so I am not sure what to say exept to dope her up and put her to sleep.

Claire

Viajero2

Given all the factors you presented, you should stay in Sevilla. Ronda is an hour away from Sevilla, up in the mountains; not the easiest of drives for an elderly person who gets car sick easily. Granada can be done as a day trip, but I wouldn't recommend it given the conditions and timing of your trip. May should be getting quite hot and Sevilla's main sights, while concentrated around the Cathedral, are meant to be explored (I bet your Mom will love the gardens at the Alcazar).

Again, I've been to Andalucia many times, once with my elderly Mom. She definitely enjoyed the leisure pace in Seville.

Sevilla shopping rec: shoes in Calle Sierpes (stop at 85 Calle Sierpes: while now a bank, there used to be a jail in the spot; Cervantes started writing "Don Quijote" while jailed in this prison; yes, this is the same Calle Sierpes he mentioned in his classic). Time for another trivia? Stop over at the Hosteria del Laurel near Plaza de los Venerables; wonderful restaurant and where Jose Zorilla wrote "Don Juan Tenorio". I guess I am just trying to get you excited about Sevilla!!!

Chele60

I have to agree with those who state that the Alhambra is just something that shouldn't be missed, and therefore your limited time is best spent between Granada and Ronda. IMO that alone far out shines anything Seville might have to offer. But then, I was very disappointed by Seville.

Everyone kept telling me the drive to Ronda was terribly mountainous and curvy, and I was all set for a wild ride but it didn't happen for us. If you enter Ronda from either Seville or Granada, you simply do not have that horrible mountain drive that most speak of. And even though Granada sits at the base of the Sierra Nevadas, driving in and out of it isn't bad at all. (coming from Ronda, that is) Now, we didn't go anywhere near Malaga, so perhaps that's where the problems arise? If so, anyway to avoid Malaga and fly in/out of another airport? I'd hate to say use dramamine, as I know it always wipes me out. Perhaps the non-drowsy formula might work?

julies

Personally I'd vote for Seville. It is such an interesting city and there are the mansions with the interior courtyards to visit. Just sitting and having tapas on a square is also marvelous.

While the Alhambra was interesting and there are a few other minor things to visit I really don't kinow if you could fill your time in Granada. I am also wondering if your parents would be able to make the hike up to the belvedere (can't remember what it is called) where one can watch the gorgeous sunset over the Alhambra. I suppose you could always take a cab though.

sabatino

Spain is one of my very favorite places to visit in the world and I have to say that I loved the whole town of Granada much more than I thought I would. I really expected it to just be the Alhambra, but the whole place was increadably beautiful. But, it was VERY hilly which makes a difference because the most enjoyable part for us was walking through the beautiful little streets. I think this would probally be hard for an older person. Also, aside from being hilly, I remember them not being paved too well. With that said, if you do decide to go, stay at the parador inside the walls of the Alhambra. It was one of the most beautiful settings I have ever seen. But keep in ming the rooms are not luxurious. They're very plain, and the beds are hard. One more thought on Grenada...if you decide to do an Alhambra tour, I would highly reccomend hiring a personal guide. We went on the tour the hotel arranges and it was a nightmare. Not only were we in a big group that was slow moving, but there were so many big groups around that it was really loud and crowded. As hard as we tried, we couldn't hear our guide. If you have a private guide you should be able to easily get to quieter places.

I also have to say that we loved Sevilla. We stayed at Hotel Alfonso, and it was really fantastic. There's a lot to do there, and the food is great. It's a tough choice since I love both places so much, but with your considerations, I would probally go to Seville and wait to do Grenada on your own.

lincasanova

perhaps go to sevilla and JEREZ.

you stated you wanted it to be relaxing, and beautiful countryside would be great.

jerez is the home of beautiful cortijos and free-roaming horses, sherry wineries, and is a slow paced-low key town.

and very near sevilla by autopista.. and will give you the countryside.. no mountainous treks, you are looking for.

AnnieGoo

Many thanks to all who posted comments and suggestions. We have decided to stay one night in a small town outside of Cordoba and then one night in Granada. That way we will have the small quaint village experience combined with the larger town experience. We are currently searching for small B & Bs in the olive country...We also decided that we couldn't miss the Alhambra, so Granada is a must.

Any advice on hotels in Granada? Party of four- either two double rooms or one quad room. Moderate price range... 120euro max per room.
Thanks to all...