spain
 

i am going to spain may/june(2 weeks)in2011. i plan on 5 days in barcelona, but am also looking for a lazy place to spend the next 5. i've heard the smaller islands are wonderful, also andalucia or other southern cities. i figure that 5 days of hustle bustle in the city allow for 5 days of r and r. any ideas on a small town with tons of charm?

you may try to title your question "a a small town with tons of charm in Spain? "

"Spain" is too general

ibiza and formentera

fly to Malaga and relax there?

If you like to swim, check out Calella da Palafrugell, not all that far from Barcelona if you are also flying out from there.

But I also recommend you rethink your plans. If you expect 5 days of being in Barcelona "allows" for relaxing, consider instead going to Spain and having an entirely relaxing trip. It sounds like you are planning to spend five days doing things you find irritating and tiring but for some reason feel obliged to do in order to have fun or take a vacation.

There are many ways to enjoy the art and history and beauty of Spain for 10 days straight.

Check out Cadeques, up the coast from Barcelona. We loved our stay.

We just returned from Barcelona, the Costa Brava & Girona & I plan on writing a trip report soon. I second MichelleY's suggestion about Cadaques. We spent an overnight there, stayed at Playa Sol. We loved it here & is one of the highlights of our trip. Very relaxing. You can rent a car & drive up the coast & perhaps overnight in other places, too, such as Tossa de Mar, S'Agaro or Callela Palafrugell. I've also heard that Begur is nice but we didn't have time to stop there.

Zeppole, I'm not sure where the OP mentioned doing things she finds irritating or won't enjoy. Cities are a bit more hustle and bustle than little towns. Many of us like to split up our trips between the two and enjoy both of them.

Beautifulbug, as others have done I recommend Costa Brava. I have not been to the area yet but will split time between Costa Brava and Barcelona next year. I think we will likely stay in Begur. You can find incredibly scenic and relaxing areas and have very little travel time getting from the hustle and bustle part of your trip to the r and r part. Enjoy!

Kwoo - we stayed at Playa Sol also!! Loved the setting and the pool area. Would love to go back some day.

"oopsy on Oct 19, 10 at 9:07am

Zeppole, I'm not sure where the OP mentioned doing things she finds irritating or won't enjoy. Cities are a bit more hustle and bustle than little towns. Many of us like to split up our trips between the two and enjoy both of them."

could not agree more..
I don't even like to spend more than a day or two "exploring"small towns. As someone said on another post
referring to ( not so small) Strasbourg " after an hour of walking you find yourself in the same spot"
What one finds enjoyable and "relaxing" is often influenced by interest, age, travel experiences, etc.

@all-many thanks to the suggestions! playa sol was definately on the list, as well as costa brava, and the possiblilty of basque country. Suggestions on places to stay in those areas???? our time frame is late spring-i haven't read i'll need to book in advance, as it's not quite summer, but i'm rethinking. We are renting an apartment in Barcelona, but should we look into reservations ASAP on the others? Thoughts???

@kwoo-excited to read your trip summary-i'll keep my eye out for it!

@danon-great suggestion on the "small town"

@zeppole-certainly didn't intend my comment to graduate to "irritating". barcelona is our main focus in spain, but we also wanted to explore other parts of the country that were not so "Western" driven(i.e. going go Paris/London/Berlin can feel like NYC at times)

beautifulbug1927,

You've confused me even more, as I don't know what you mean by "Western" driven. You mean capitalist? Global economy? (I'm guessing here).

Most of coastal Spain is driven by a tourist economy from the UK and other points north in Europe. If you would like an experience of Spain that isn't about New Yorkers or Londeners "plotzing" -- burning to a crisp by the seashore -- you'll have to dig a bit. Otherwise, there is one tourists resort after another everywhere you look on coastal Spain and its islands - and I doubt you'll need reservations.

How "late" in spring do you mean, and will it overlap Easter holidays? Do want any experience of small town Catalonian culture, or is beach and sun and poolside the point?

beautifulbug: Here is a link to our trip report. It is long and somewhat boring, but it may be helpful in planning your trip. We also were in the Basque region and Rioja on the trip.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ue-cousins.cfm

Good luck.

What about going to the small and beautiful fishing village Lekeitio (pop. 7-8000) in the Basque Country? Close to marvellous cities such as Bilbao and San Sebastián. Food heaven, great beach and a very distinct culture that people take great pride in. Fly Vueling from Barcelona to Bilbao in one hour for some 30-50€.
http://www.lekeitio.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U5L5UUA92E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu77h...eature=related

At this time of year, you could expect some 70°F, much sun and much rain.

About the Basque Country in New York Times: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/09/27...l?pagewanted=1

@michelle-the trip sounds like it was everything and more! you have me quite excited to get ours underway!

@kimhe-what wonderful links!