Just repeat that genuine Málaga city would be a very obvious daytrip from Marbella:
"Secret Spanish pleasures" (Telegraph): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalis...pleasures.html
"Picasso's city of hidden treasures" (Guardian): http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...el?INTCMP=SRCH

Kimhe - that sounds wonderful!

dorkforcemom - that is so great! I am happy to hear the positive feedback about the hotel in Granada!

You will love Alhambra! It is one of the most interesting places I've ever visited. I was anxious about the visit - timing, for example. Nit was very well laid out Nd organized for visitors. Be sure to share your experiences upon your return.

Goto AAA and obtain idp for $20 or risk 200 euro cash must be paid on the spot fine for not having one.

Marble - not sure what you mean?

Spain requires non EU residents to obtain an international drivers permit. This is essentially a different form of your passport, but required by law in spain. You obtain one at your local AAA for $20. Folks go and get by without one, the car rental folks will not even ask for it. But, get stopped without one and the fine must be paid in cash and on the spot. Don't take the risk!
Btw: i have done all the places you listed in spain, the following is my two cents. Take the Ave from madrid to malaga. Purchase second class tickets on the renfe site for the ave. The ave is a great experience. Rent the car at the malaga train station, get a gps. From train station to marbella is less than an hour, an ez highway drive. Suspect you are using points for the marriott so must stay the five days. Thats ok, do the pool/beach on the second day and the on the third venture out. Fyi: road from marbella to ronda is a two lane mountain climb. Beautiful, but do not try to keep up with the local drivers. I pity the person in the back seat due to potential of being car sick. I would not drive back after dark on this road. I would spend the night in ronda and then continue the trip to granada. Drop the car when you arrive in granada as you do not want to drive in old town. Take a taxi from where you drop the car.
I would skip morroco.
Two nights in madrid would be best. Can you drop one night in marbella?
Enjoy!
A former Tylerite

Thanks Marbleskies -
My daughter has a huge carsick issues :-(

We are using points but I can shorten it... I am thinking today of staying just a few days and heading out from there.
thanks for your the tip on the AA International Drivers Permit.

You can take a long route via highways through malaga, adds about an hour. I would shorten by a day .

I am rethinking things... (too much thinking!)
How is this area for Madrid?
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ph-collection/

C Santo Mauro, Autograph Collection®
Zurbano 36
Madrid, Madrid 28010 Spain

I am thinking of staying in Madrid when we arrive for a few nights....

So I talked with my daughter and we are toying with not going to Marbella at all -

She wants to hike...

Only thing "unchangeable" right now is our apartment in Seville - we arrive there on May 14-18 and train back to Madrid on May 18 for a departure on May 19...

Land mid-morning on the 6 in Madrid...

So we are back to the drawing board...

Thinking of staying a few nights in Madrid when we land -

And then.... ?

Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, Avila?

Whelp...spent my day off rethinking this, talking with dd and figuring out alternatives...

So now we have this...:

Day 1: Flight from DFW to Madrid
Day 2: Arrive Madrid stay @ AC Santo Mauro, Autograph Collection® for 3 nights - 2 rooms
Day 3: Madrid
Day 4: Madrid
Day 5: Train to Cordoba - Stay 2 nights @ AC Hotel Cordoba Palacio by Marriott
Day 6: Cordoba
Day 7: Train to Granada stay 2 nights @ AC Palacio De Santa Paula, Autograph Collection
Day 8: Granada
Day 9: Train to Seville - stay 5 nights in Apartment http://sevilla.spain-select.com/en_U...uerta-de-jerez
Day 10: Seville
Day 11: Seville
Day 12: Seville
Day 13: Seville
Day 14: Train to Madrid - spend one night AC Palacio Del Retiro, Autograph Collection®
Day 15: Madrid to DFW -

I think we are happier with this plan... will now fill in the time... I may stay 4 nights in Granada - the hotel is not available right now but I will check back... we can hike from Granada if we do it that way... I would rather not move 2 X in those 4 days... Thanks for the feedback and help!!!

Could be a great trip!

If I understand, you are committed to flights into/out of Madrid, so I wonder if there is any possibility of putting all the time in Madrid at the end so you have one less change of hotels.

And given my personal interests, I'd be tempted to cut one night from Sevilla to have either one night (no more than that!) in Ronda OR an extra night in Madrid. But I don't think you will regret the time you have in Sevilla. And I am glad you are planning on 2 nights in Cordoba! :-)

You're going to have a great trip!

Wonderful trip with fabulous hotels. Enjoy!

I stayed at the AC Santa Paula in Granada. We were there for three nights, after four nights in Madrid. Here is the report from that week; if you want a guide in Granada, I have a great contact for you, his name, Juan Cobo, and details are in the report.


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...k-in-spain.cfm

In Sevilla, you stay close to one of my favourite traditional tapas bars in town, more than a century old Bodegas Diaz Salazar in C/García de Vinuesa, 20: http://www.minube.com/fotos/rincon/1...slideshow-mode
http://www.bodegasdiazsalazar.com/

In Madrid, you are fairly close to one of the city's most emblematic cafés, Belle Époque Café del Círculo de Bellas Artes. Grab a window table and watch Madrid life on bustling Calle Alcalá. Take the lift up to the roof topp terrace (the azotea) for great views of the city. http://www.esmadrid.com/en/cargarApl...ntificador=179
http://www.timeout.com/madrid/madrid...e-bellas-artes

Thanks again everyone! Esk - looking forward to reading your report - yes, would love the guide information - My email is Dawn Noel M at g mail dot com

I decided to rent an apartment in Madrid for the first four nights - we may take a day trip from there to Avila...

No rental car - unless we rent one in Seville to make day trips or from Granada to hike...

So here is the final ;-)

4 nights in Madrid - apartment - http://www.spain-select.com/en_US/re...ope-de-vega-ii

3 nights in Granada - Marriott

5 nights in Seville - https://sevilla.spain-select.com/en_...uerta-de-jerez

1 night in Madrid

I am planning on taking the train from Madrid to Granada and Granda to Seville - Seville to Madrid

We will rent a car for day trips I think... if need be... I will get on researching that... I am spending a little more than I wanted on lodging (before I was using Marriott points for the first 5 nights) but I feel better about not spending that first day on long travel...and think that this will work out better...

So...

Nuts and bolts of the trip

For the Alhambra...we are going to take the train from Madrid to Granada on a Sat. We have to be out of our apartment by 10 am and will go to the train station from here and head to Granada.

I am looking at tickets to the Alhambra - wondering if we should go around 5:00 pm or so that evening?

We are there Sat, Sun, Mon night...heading to Seville on Tuesday. Want to go once during the day and once at night...could do it in the evening that night... ?

Also in Madrid am looking some of the different Context Travel tours - we had great success with them in Italy...
https://www.contexttravel.com/city/m...-walking-tours

This was also recommended...seems interesting...
http://madrid-experience.com/en/category/gastronomia/
Thinking of the cooking class..my daughter would love that!