My husband and I are looking at Spain or Portugal in late Sept. to early Oct. 2007 (8-10 days).

Interest Details:
- scenic coastline (interesting features/landscapes...not just flat white beach to sunbathe on)
- history, sightseeing, and beauty...not just lying around
- mixture of urban and rural experiences (coastal and/or inland)
- great food availability and clean accomodations (no pets and smoke-free due to allergies and asthma) w/ private restroom in room
- we speak only English...so will need to be where this is issue is not too isolating

Thanks for any ideas!

Definitely Spain. Costa del Sol. Should be around 30.C in the day time. Endless miles of coast. You can travel inland by car or coach tours to Seville, Cordoba, Ronda, Granada, etc. Or along the coast to Cadiz or Gibraltar, even into Portugal. You can also get a tour to Morocco for a day or more.

Some nice beaches there too and the Brits have been going there so long (that time of year is quietish) that just about anyone you come into contact with will speak/understand enough English. A huge choice of foods there from all countries. Lots of good hotels for all budgets but do say you want somewhere a bit quiet. Lots of shops (many shut midday for 2 hours). Go very few miles inland and you are in the mountains and countryside.

Just one point. Lock your apartment/room up (even the windows) when out and don't leave any valuables in your car. A sad sign of the times.

Not speaking Spanish in Spain will tend to limit you somewhat, but not completely.

Some of the most scenic coastline is in the north, the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia, and along the Costa Brava (Girona). In the south you’ll find terrific scenery in the provinces of Almeria, Cádiz, Huelva, Alicante and Murcia.

The beaches in Valencia tend to be flat, wide and seem to go on forever.

The most scenic coastal area of Portugal is from Cascais, north to Porto.

I used to work with a guy who had been practising Spanish for years as he intended to retire there. One year on holiday he went to an area he had not been before and a local man there told him (in English) to speak English as he could not understand his Spanish.

I have come across people in the (Spanish) Canary islands who have trouble talking with Spanish people.

We live in Galicia and although it has a lot of what you are looking for you will not find much English spoken here. A completely ‘non-smoking’ hotel will also be hard to find in Spain. If you want a vacation mainly amongst the English Speakers then you best head for the Mediterranean coast.

Ian and Irene

My husband and I spent about a fortnight in Spain and Portugal a few years ago. We had no Portuguese, and had no problem, whereas we did need to use our minimal Spanish in Spain. For 8-10 days I would definitely recommend Portugal for its compact size, lovely people, food, coastline and history.

I'd also probably recommend Portugal given what you have listed as interests/needs. I found no language barrier in Portugal - most places someone at least spoke English, where as in Spain I did find many times there was no one who spoke English. They were perfectly helpful and I managed to get by with my almost non-existent Spanish, but there was more of a barrier than anywhere else I've been in Europe.

Portugal also meets your criteria for nice mix of cities and small towns. We did Lisbon (medium-large city), Evora and Coimbra (small cities) and Obidos, Marvao, and several other small towns. Very easy to get a great taste of rural and city experiences. I don't recall smoke being an issue anywhere. Most of this can also be said for Spain but since Portugal is smaller the distances between the towns, coast, etc is less.

Thanks for your suggestions...time for more research.

How did each of you get around these countries? Rent a car? Train? Taxi? Some of each?

We flew into Oporto and spent time in the NW of PT and Galecia in July '04 - loved the Pousadas and esp the Parador in Baiona.
Just returned from Barcelona, but the northwest is "better".
Buen viaje.
M

I would vote for Portural. Wonderful, happy, friendly people....lots of history, beautiful architecture, red tiled roofs.. You'll do fine without speaking Portuguese. The weather should be beautiful at the end of Sept, first of Oct. The coastline out of Lisbon is lovely,and a trip to Sintra is beautiful. The whole country is interesting and clean. AND they EAT dinner at a decent time. More like Europe (7 or 8) than the custom of "starting dinner after 10PM as is Spain". &gt

I guess I'm bias because we lived in Portugal for 2 years in the mid 70's, with our three school age children. It was a magical time. Renting a car would be a great idea and you can get the feel of the country....(IF you feel comfortable with maps and navigating.)
Accommodations are good, and food is good, and you can get a good mix of urban and rural small villages if you like.
We returned for a visit 2 years ago ....flew to Lisbon...stayed 2 nights "downtown" in the city and two in Cascais/Estoril area out the coast. You could then drive 'upcountry" to towns of Nazare,Obidos.etc or to the south (Algarve). There are walled towns, fishing towns,...and you can stay in Pousadas if you choose.
Of course Spain is nice also....but "different'...and here's my vote for Portugal.

My DH and I went to Spain and Portugal for our honeymoon 2 years ago. We heard English a bit more in Portugal, but there were many Brits in the town we were staying in. In any case, I wouldn't worry about not being able to speak the language. My DH knew a bit of Spanish (me none) and neither of us speak Portuguese. We had useful phrases in our guidebook that came in handy. As long as you learn how to say hello, goodbye, please, thank you and the likes in the other language, you should be fine.

Both countries had scenic coastline (although we were more impressed with Portugal). We only visited the Algarve, but left with a very good impression and will return someday to see the rest of the country.

Smoke-free rooms are unfortunately not as widespread as in North America. I think some hotels have them, and you'd have to specify when reserving your room that it's for health reasons.

We liked both countries for different reasons. We arrived and left from Barcelona and rented a car to explore the rest of the Iberian Peninsula.

Not sure this helps you decide which country to go to!

Hmmm...both countries do sound appealing! I think my plan will now be to research some of the "itineraries" suggested for both and then decide! As always, Fodorites are a great help! I absolutely love to plan my trips this way, with the help of all of you, rather than relying so much on a travel agent! Until later, thanks!

Come to Barcelona for La Merce festival, Barcelona's biggest cultural gathering at the end of september.
"-Barcelona Musical Action: to discover new sound proposals
-Barcelona Street Arts: with artists who perform within reach of the audience
-The Festival of Tradition: human towers, capgrossos (dwarves with big heads), giants and an entire menagerie of festive animals, accompanied by guests from Mediterranean countries.
-The Festival in the Sky: acrobatic gathering including jets, balloons and gliders.
-The Festival of Fire: all types of sparks, from the pyrotechnical music show to the correfoc (literally a fire-run)"**that's a great one.

check out good area guide:
http://www.way2stay.com/area-info-Barcelona-en-52.htm

and also 4 great apts(operating in english):
http://www.way2stay.com/Barcelona-ap...-en-52-452.htm
http://www.way2stay.com/Barcelona-ap...-en-52-634.htm
http://www.way2stay.com/Barcelona-ap...-en-52-828.htm
http://www.way2stay.com/Barcelona-ap...en-52-1484.htm

You shouldn't have much of a problem with speaking english here, a lot of the time the locals will want to practice their English on you anyway!

Yup, the La Mercè festival is great! We were there for the last 3 days of our trip and took in concerts, the torchlight parade, fireworks and the famous giant marionnettes. There were thousands of people in the streets - Barcelona was a huge party and the weather was really nice to boot!

Maybe you would like to consider the Canary Island La Palma. It is small, so maybe you would be happy spending only part of your time there.
It is very green, has a lovely dramatic coastline, a few (black) beaches, wondeful walks, mountains, an active volcano.....You can fly there from mainland Spain. The west coast has the better weather and is the nicer area to stay.
You can get an idea of the place at http://www.islalapalma.com/en/index.html

Forgot to mention petroglyphs and history in my list for La Palma!

To answer your question about travel in Portugal:
We caught trams all over Lisbon and walked, a local train to Sintra, and an excellent train to Porto. In Porto we caught more trams - my husband loves trams - and from Porto to Salamanca, in Spain, we caught a coach/bus, because there are no direct trains between those two places. We loved Portugal and would have liked more time to go to Evora and Obidos etc. The train did go through Coimbra, so we had a fleeting glimpse. We found that trip, between Lisbon and Porto, scenic and very interesting. Likewise, the bus trip up and over the mountains to Spain was fascinating.
On a previous trip, many years ago, I saw somewhat more of the coast near Lisbon, but I hear the Algarve has the best cosatline in Portugal.]

The Algarve in Portugal wins, hands down. We lived in Southern Spain for six years. The beach goers there are boorish, to say the least. If you leave your towel for a dip, it will be moved, with someone else in your spot upon your return. Albufeira is lovely, but Villa Moura is even lovelier. Rent a car, and take short trips into the countryside. Silves is utterly charming, an entire town crammed into a hillside, with a castle visited by King Richard the Lionhearted. Walking the ramparts, you will practically see the same view he did all those years ago. In another little town near Silves, an ancient Roman site is being excavated. Pay attention the architecture, particularly the chimney pots on the houses, and the cork oak groves. You'll want to purchase handpainted ceramics, and fabric made from cork. Looks like leather, feels like silk! Costly, but well worth it. Try the local restaurants, and Vinho Verde, a wine made from unripened grapes, which is refreshingly zingy to the palatte, going well with quite a bit of meals. Hope this info helps.

Thank you all! I think I am leaning a bit more towards Portugal this time around...saving Spain for another trip. (Part of the appeal for Malaga Spain would be a day trip to Morocco, which, after reading about on Fodors, does not seem quite so appealing.)

I am more and more intrigued with Portugal, the Algarve coast, and the things mentioned by "Daetrips."

Deatrips: Are you recommending Villa Moura as a central point to branch out from?