will be going to Madrid, then Santiago de Compostella. Any suggestions for either city?

Quiet and friendly hostal in Madrid
http://www.hotelsearch.com/madrid/dulcinea/
Also apartments
http://simarro.net/apartahotel/Apart...sDulcinea.html

Went to Santiago last year for a week and had a fine time. Park your car in a pay garage as most sights can be visited by walking in the central city area. Try to visit La Coruna on the northern coast as it has a nice beach area and good sea views. Good seafood in Santiago and pretty good restaurants in general. There's a place on the coast which has beautiful views of all the area but it's a bit hard to get to by car as signs not abundant. Turnoff to the mountain has a small shrine. Use Michelin guide for usual excellent description of things to see. Prices reasonable in Spain now. Try some churros con chocolate which is a cold weather treat but it can be found if you look for it.

Just visited Santiago de Compostela as a cruise excursion from Malaga. Do not miss the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. It is magnificently beautiful and one of our favorite sites we visited in our 15 days cruising Europe. There is a quaint little shopping village in that general vicinity as well. Don't forget about siesta and visit in the morning or late afternoon hours.

Just to correct, we went to Santiago from Vigo, Spain, not Malaga. I think I still have jet-lag as Malaga was our second stop in Spain.