Spain! Need suggestions for 1st visit.
 

We are traveling through the south of Spain this October by car. We would like to stay in smaller towns as we drive from France to Barcelona then south to Jerez (to see the horses), then up to Madrid. Any hotel suggestions in towns along the way would be greatly appreciated! Our preference is for smaller hotels with lots of ambiance, charm, and/or genuine-ness to them. Thanks! <BR>

Have you checked out information on spanish Paradores? They are run by the spanish gvt, usually in historic buildings I'm not sure what your budget is, some may be pricey but would seem to be worth it.

Deena-- Smaller Spanish towns we've liked especially are; <BR>Girona-- fantastic historic district; <BR>Tarragona-- quaint, lots of archaeology; <BR>San Feliu de Guixols-- a real town, stuck in the middle of the Costa Brava. The Hotel Plaça in San Feliu is open year round. <BR>If you prefer small towns, you can stay at any of the above, and see Barcelona during a day trip. <BR>Farther south; <BR>Alcoy-- Northwest of Benidorm, and worlds apart from that resort town. Beautiful, mountain scenery. We stayed at the Hotel Reconquista, which is sleek, but mostly for businessmen, not tourists. Stunning view across the river to the old town. Goat was on the menu, which is a good sign it's not geared to Americans; <BR>Cazorla-- Stay in one of the pensions in town, but take a tour of the nearby Parc Natural to see deer and wild boar. <BR>Priego de Cordoba-- (Between Granada and Cordoba) tiny, hard to find a place to eat, but did find a pretty town, a charming, little hostal, and wonderfully friendly people. <BR>If you get farther west: <BR>Merida-- Great Roman ruins. Stayed in the Emperatriz on the Plaza Espana. Ate in the tapas bars across the square; <BR>Salamanca-- gorgeous, historic, university center, still lively with students. <BR>Ciudad Rodrigues-- like a smaller, quieter Salamanca. <BR>In Spain, we often travel without reservations, stop early in the day, and look around for a small hotel or hostal, where the owners have made it clean and attractive. The only place this didn't work too well was coming north from Andalucia. If you don't go farther west by way of Merida, or get going early enough to stop in Toledo, Manzanares is the oasis in the big, dry plain. <BR>Spain has a lot of tourist development along the coast and in places like Granada. Elsewhere, we've found it more "off the beaten track" than most of Europe. With a little adventurous spirit (and a little Spanish) you should have an absolutely great experience. Martha

Hello Deena!: Southern Spain is very unique with its beautiful Pueblos Blancos and Moorish history. I am sure you'll find Ronda, Nerja and Granada very charming. <BR> <BR>P.S. Regarding Martha's reply, it truly is a pity that her remark about Americans has soiled the good opinion that I would have had of her otherwise. The majority of American tourists promote a country's culture by visiting their historic sights, learning about their art, and buying their products. If a town doesn't want or have the American tourism, I think it may be due to more than having goat in the menu (hello!?....).

Maira-- I'm really sorry if that comment soiled your opinion of me. If I were not aware of how many thoughtful, American travelers there are, I would never contribute to this forum. What I was objecting to was not Americans, but the "touristic" (sic) restaurants which THINK they are appealing to "Anglo-American" (sic) tastes. It should tell you how far off the mark they are, that they don't understand British and American tastes are quite different. One trick we have found useful in spotting restaurants which serve authentic, local food, is to look for items like rabbit, goat, kidneys, or tripe in the menu-- even if we don't want to eat those things. But I must say, the goat was delicious. Martha

To Martha: Your point is now better understood and well taken. I hope you continue contributing to this forum, as I truly enjoyed the (other!) pointers you gave Deena's on your prior posting. <BR>