olchard

My husband, 2 teenage boys and myself plan on being in Spain for one month. Flying in and out of Madrid. Arriving June 29, leaving July 27. I have read alot and its all a bit overwhelming for a first timer. But tentatively we thought:
June 29 - take AVE train to Seville. (catch up on sleep while on train) Do we buy tickets before we go or buy them at Madrid airport?
June 29 to July 2 in Seville. I would appreciate accommodation recommendations. We would need airconditioning and swimming pool as I realize it will be very hot.
July 3 to 10 we have a time share in Mijas. So we plan on day trip from there and we would appreciate any recommended day trip suggestions. Should we spend a night in the parador at Los Arcos de Frontera on the way to time share?
July 10 to 14 in Grenada. 2 days for Granada and a day trip to Alpujerras?
July 14 Fly to Barcelona. Spend 4/5 nights at Aiguablava parador? Then 4 days Barcelona.
July 22 fly to Madrid for 4 days. 2 days Madrid and 2 days for Segovia and Toledo.
July 27 fly home. Home is Toronto.
I would appreciate hotel/inns recommendations for each of the cities I have mentioned above. As there are 4 of us we will need 2 rooms and so the accommodation criteria is clean, friendly, well situated, air conditioning and hot water. We realize europe is expensive but do not want to spend $300-$400 per room per night.Occasional splurge maybe. 100 euros per couple would be more reasonable. Has any one stayed at the above mentioned paradors? Would you recommend buying airline tickets via iberia.com or a travel agent? Any tips on getting tickets for the Alhambra, Granada?
Are we spending too much time in each of these places? Our objective is to see some of Spain, but also to relax and enjoy our surroundings. We don't want to rush everwhere and come home feeling we need a vacation.
Maribel, if you are reading this - I have taken the liberty of e-mailling you as well, however, realize that you have been away.
Also, I would like to hear from OAKTOWN TRAVELER, who spent 2.5 months in Spain. I would love to have your views aswell.
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply to me.

nytraveler

If you want to stay in any of the paradores you shuold book them ASAP as they often book up 9/10 months in advance in high season. Sorry I can't help with hotels, the places we stayed were not in that price range. I'm sure others on this board will have great suggestions - and perhaps you'll look for hoel info at the top of the page.

olchard

Thank you for your advise, nytraveler.
What hotels would you stay at? Perhaps it would help me out?

olchard

I realize I may have gone on abit. Have been doing a lot of reading on this site.
Would really like accommodation recommendations. In Seville - Hotel Amadeus or Casas de la Juderia?
Where in Granada. In Barcelona - Hotel Balmes or Onix? Any thoughts on other hotels.
Also, would you recommend flying to Seville from Madrid as we arrive in Madrid in the morning. Or should we go into town and get the AVE train?
I have learned alot from this site and thanks to all of you for your trip reports, and suggestions, etc.

kaudrey

Olchard - I am not going until Feb 6th, but this is what I've done so far that may help:

Book the flight on Iberia.com. Search at different times of the day - you can find cheap fares but you have to be a little flexible. The website is easy to navigate - I got my ticket from Granada to BCN for $35.

I know you can buy train tickets at the Madrid airport - but I remember reading that the AVE can sometimes be booked up in advance in the summer, so to be safe you might want to book in advance. I'm buying mine when I get there, but I'm not going to Sevilla until 4 days after I get to Madrid, and it's February, so less crowds.

There are tons of hotel websites to look at. I found a good deal for Madrid at www.hotelpronto.com. Also, www.hotelsearch.com peruses other websites for hotel deals - it's a great resource.

You can buy tickets for Alhambra at http://www.alhambradegranada.org/gui...ntradas_en.asp. They email you a receipt with a number on it to give at the window when you arrive.

Since I haven't been yet, I can't give you opinions about the hotels I am staying in, but look for my trip report at the end of February!

Hope this helps a little!
Karen

PVB

We have driven to and from on all our trips, so I can't address the train question. If you are spending one night en route, I would go to Ronda instead of Arcos de la Frontera. Both are charming, but Ronda has more to offer, and your boys would probably love the Museo Taurino. We stayed in Paradors both places in November. Both have great views (from the pricier rooms). Ronda's is new, so it doesn't have quite the charm of most Paradors. However, I don't think they are in the price range you mentioned. (Marketing Ahead in NY can give you prices in dollars and probably Canadian dollars.)Alternative plan would be to do Ronda as a side trip from Mijas. We drove from Seville to Jerez de la Frontera (not a very nice town, but we loved watching the horses and riders practice at the Royal Ecuestrian School), got lost several times, drove on to Arcos and got there in time for a late lunch. We got our Alhambra tickets at www.alhambratickets.com. By all means buy them ahead of time and get the first or second time slot, so you can see things before it gets too crowded. I think three days each is enough for Madrid and Barcelona. You could spend the extra time out in "the country," which is interesting and also less expensive.

OaktownTraveler

Dear Olchard:

Report is on the way...

Thanks for your interest!

Oaktown Traveler

olchard

Thank you Karen, PVB and Oaktown Traveler for your suggestions. A lot of you seem to book your flights on line with iberia.com. Is it reliable and does one get an e-ticket?
Oaktown - where are you sending your report to? This site? I am looking foward to it. Thanks again.