Spain and Portugal or Greece for a Month
 

We are seniors, in good health, looking for a laid back destination for a month in September/October 2010. We did Italy last year, basing ourselves in Tuscany for 2 weeks and Amalfi Coast for 2 weeks. Loved it!!!! We like to immerse ourselves in the culture, get to feel "at home" in a small town or village and make day trips from there. Love water views, beaches, good food and "small town shopping." Were not looking a lot of museums and ancient ruins (did plenty of that in Italy). Welcoming your thoughts on which destination would suit us best.

I am unfamiliar with Greece.

There are many coastal towns in northern Spain where you would feel at home. The cultures change as you travel across. The northwest is Gallego where they speak a combination of Spanish and Portuguese and play the bagpipes and in the northeast corner they speak Basque and have their own distinct culture and history. In between there is a variety of great natural beauty and historic sights.

Also northern Portugal is beautiful with some magnificant sites as well and a cuisine that is different from the regional foods of Spain.

I also am not familiar with Greece but Sept Oct are GREAT months for travel in southern Spain and Madrid.

another vote for Spain.. several coast to choose from.
San Sebastian ( Basque country) is close to France..you can spend some time in each country.

Yes, we had also thought of Spain and France as opposed to Spain and Portugal.

sept and oct are ideal for northern spain. mushrooms in the basque country. i'll be there, literally!

We prefer to travel this way, staying in one place for an extended amount of time. We have stayed in Hondarribia near San Sebastian and liked that area and the French Basque region nearby.
We also would like to return to Galicia and Northern Portugal, Santiago de Compostela and the Minho, with beautiful coastal areas in the Rias Baixas.
But we also loved our month in Greece. We rented a cottage near Chania, Crete for several weeks. I would like to return and do a longer term rental in the Peloponnesean Peninsula as well. We gravitate to coastal areas as you can see, and love seafood. We enjoy immersing ourselves, shopping locally and getting to know an area well.

sloopy: we've done the same thing. spent a month on the Algareve once, loved it, traveled in the north of Portugal several times, loved it; also Mexico; PV is great, loved it. Also love slow cruises; lots of sea days, small boats, etc. Just staying put....thrashing about is too much trouble when you are a senior.

sloopy: we've done the same thing. spent a month on the Algareve once, loved it, traveled in the north of Portugal several times, loved it; also Mexico; PV is great, loved it. Also love slow cruises; lots of sea days, small boats, etc. Just staying put....thrashing about is too much trouble when you are a senior.

Another vote for the basque coast and countryside of Spain (and I live in Italy, but that's where i like to vacation for, relaxation, the food and beauty).

Wow, some great ideas. Happytrvlr, haven't we met?? lol You know what I'm talking about. I'm going to check out the places you mentioned. Thanks to all of you.

I love Spain and Portugal and have enjoyed them on 6 varied trips over the past 20 years. My favorite Spanish destinations all start with "S":
Sevilla
Segovia
San Sebastian
Salamanca

Be sure to find Maribels Guides for wonderful detailed information on all things Spanish.