Hello... looking at visiting the south of spain next summer with some friends. the condition of our house rental is that it is in walking distance to a great town... preferably one with a great market and some yummy places to eat.
Some of the place we are considering are in Gaucin, Jimena de la Frontera, Montefrio, Montecorto, Restabal, Orgiva, and Puerto Serrano. I think I am leaning towards one in the Pueblo Blancos, but am open to persuasion!!
Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Tanya

Had a house in Orgiva for a week. Fairly dead and sleepy town, and not pretty in any remarkable way, only good if you have a car and drive away every day - to Trevélez (2 hours), Malaga (90 min., worthwhile despite the many negative mentions), Granada (1 hr).

We stayed on the outskirts of Arcos de la Frontera and loved it. Pick your spot, though - it's a hilltop town, you can't get in from all sides, so check the lay of the land.

I enjoyed staying in Iznájar very much (also "sleepy") for a week, not far from larger Antequera, where there's a station and where we left our car and took the train for an overnight in Seville. Iznájar is on a lake, interesting hilly terrain covered in olive groves

http://tinyurl.com/ju3o2tx

I've rented in Gaucin and am happy to answer any questions about the town and surroundings.

If you care to post the name of the rental there I can tell you if it was the same place we rented.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...and-malaga.cfm

Southern Spain is painfully hot in the summer. The only place I would want to be is the North coast where the beaches are world class and so is the food. Zarautz, Getaria, Zumaia, Mundaka, Lekeitio, on through Cantabria and Asturias. If you must be in Andalucia I would choose somewhere on the coast in between Tarifa and Cadiz.

I found the wind in Tarifa very unsettling. It likely varies seasonally and by location but do check before heading there if constant wind would be an issue for you.

Many good suggestions here, and see if you can stay relatively close to wonderful Málaga by the Med, "the province's city of culture with its so-called 'mile of art' being compared to Madrid, and its dynamism and fine dining to Barcelona".
"https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/andalucia/malaga
"Beauty, but now a cultural capital, too": http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...isit.html?_r=0