CathyM

ribeirasacra - too funny. In Southern California we've hardly had any summer at the beach - marine layer and cool temperatures. It hasn't changed much since March except for about 2 weeks of nice weather!

Hopefully Southern Spain will be nice in December for the OP.

amsdon

Fuengirola.... If you can get out of staying there, do it. Stay in Malaga and the other great places mentioned here by so many helpful people. But if there were one place i would not stay it would be Fuengirola (too many tightly squeezed older ugly condos and confusing access to beach. I actually would pick Torremolinos (which also has condos just not such horrid ones and more interesting as a city) over Fuengirola any day if it HAD to be one or the other. I enjoyed Torremolinos for it's shopping and beach access. Malaga city itself though is somewhere I would like to return for a few days though if I had to pick one.

And yes in the past we used Gate 1 for an INDEPENDENT package. I am not so sur about them as an actual guided tour company. They did the air, and hotel arrangements but there was no organized tour. Keep in mind all these hotels can help with that if you like. I would look into switching out your deal to one of these. They offer combos Madrid/Barcelona for instance. We just did 7 days in Madrid then extended on our own. I also suggest to review the Gate 1 hotels offered on Trip Advisor and here for 1. location 2. reviews.

kimhe

ribeirasacra,

As you probably know, it is not weather forecast but statistics and is of course only good for giving people an idea. And by the way, I was in the area late november last year and had summer temperatures and great weather, some 25°C.

Egbert

Massachusetts has been in a summer long heat wave in the 90's. Just wanted to let everyone know.

ribeirasacra

It is into the mid 30s Centigrade here in, so called, rainy Galicia.
So does that help any one plan their next vacation up in the North? I hope so as it is going to form some sort of statistic.