Back after barely seven days in southern Spain. Amazing how much one can pack into that amount of time since distances are not so great. Stayed at HH Campomanes in Madrid. Highly recommend it. Very comfortable, perfect location near teatro real, 5 minutes from the palace and cathedral, friendly staff. Chocolate and churros is a must do on the Plaza St Gines off Arenal. Stumbled by chance upon Vinotecha Barbichera in the plaza across the Reina Christina hotel. The tapas and wine selections were wonderful and the bar with its glass topped wine barrels was a mix of modern and rustic.

Hotel Amadeus in Seville, charming but a bit tight for 3 in one room. Modesto for a lunch and then tapas the next night, so so. Casablanca for tapas was outstanding as was Estrella. Had the prix fixe lunch at Taberna del Alabardero. At 10 Euros it was not outstanding but a good experience. Shopped a bit at El Corte Ingles - bought some saffron to give as gifts. Picked up some desserts from La Campana and they were all excellent.
Drove from Seville to Granada via Ronda. Gorgeous vistas, easy driving.
Granada, 2 night stay at Melia Granada. Great location, good rate, comfy room. Not sure if I would do Alhambra at night in addition to the morning visit. As we were off season there were not too many crowds to contend with - perhaps the summer visitors would enjoy the quieter night time.

Drove from Granada to Malaga via Nerja. Very scenic drive through the Sierra Nevada and then along the Meditarranean coastline. Stopped at the parador in Nerja, and from there walked through winding and delightful streets to the Balcon de Europa. Stunning view of the sea and the white town surrounded by green hills. It had been drizzling all morning but then suddenly the sun broke through and it was the most breathtaking scenic end to our days in Spain. An easy drive got us from Nerja to the Malaga airport where we dropped off the car and caught our flight.

I tried to post this message earlier but don't see it listed so am trying again. Apologies if it has been seen and read before!

What route did you take from Granada to Nerja through the Sierra Nevadas and along the coast? How long is the drive in both time and distance? I am considering a similar drive in early May but from Nerja to Granada. Thanks for any information you can give.

The via michelin web site helped to plan the route, and we found it to be very accurate. We used the main highway (I think it is 323?) out of Granada through the Sierra Nevada. Very scenic, and the traffic was light perhaps because it was Feb. All the exits were clearly named and numbered. Time wise, it took us about 2 hours to get to Nerja at an easy pace.

4ash, great report and great info. Re Alhambra at night - do you mean you wouldn't do the night tour plus the day tour because the night was crowded, or the night was not crowded?

lol we might have been at the Almadeus (29 Feb and 1 Mar) and Reina Cristina (24-25 Feb) on the same days (we were 3 also and just got back).
The Almadeus was charming but if you stay do not take breakfast, go down the street to the bar...

4ash, how was the weather? How you liked Ronda? How you liked Madrid? How you got from Madrid to Seville?

4ash, that was a great description of Nerja! I'm glad you stopped there. We spend two weeks in Nerja every year. It's the only place in Europe that we return to every year.


Good report!

Sorry 4ash, but this is a note to Judi. Hi from Vancouver. Finally well enough to do the cancelled trip to Spain, and here you are still helping folks. It's Nerja or bust this year. Love to hear from you [email protected]

Hi - this is in reply to graydens query. The alhambra was not crowded in the morning and even less so at night. The cost of both tours was the same, and only parts of the Nasrid Palace were open at night. There was some lighting in the enclosed rooms, but the open patios were unlit. Perhaps this was because it was off season, but I felt a bit ripped off, especially since NOTHING else is viewable on the grounds at night. There was no one at the entrance to check our tickets, and the longish walk to get to the Palace from the entrance was unlit and unmarked. Luckily, since we had been there just that morning we could find our way. Over all, I thought it was not worth the price of taxis, tickets, and the extra time spent. The morning hours were spectacular enough.

Hi chatters- the weather was perfect -cold and crisp. Luckily we had all sunny days except for the last one in Granada. We did a lot of walking which may not have been so much fun in the heat of summer.
Ronda is gorgeous, breathtaking, stunning...wish we had had more time there. Madrid is a lovely city, easy to walk to the major sights, and beautiful buildings to look at while you walk. We had no trouble with pickpockets or gypsys in any of the cities we visited. Just a lot of friendly and helpful people who did not laugh at our halting spanish! Took the AVE from Madrid to Seville.