1 - Which are the best paradors?
2 - Does it make sense to drive between Granda or Malaga & Madrid - or is it better to fly and then re-hire a car in Madrid for Toledo, the Palace and knocking around Madrid town.
3 - Which hotels are recomended in Madrid - 5 star - like the Pestana Palace in Lisbon.
4 - How oppresive is the heat in late August / early Sept.
Thanks in advance.

In August Southern Spain and Madrid are hot as hell- think 100 or higher.

A car is of no use in Madrid - as in any other european capitol. Within the city either take public transport or cabs.

(We did one road trip from Lisbon to Madrid - picking it up in Lisbon - to Merida, Sevilla, Marbella, Granada, Cordoba, Ubeda etc and then dropped it in Madrid. In Sevilla, Cordoba dand Granada we simply dumped it in the hotel garage. From Marbella we used it to Ronda and Gibralter.)

For the paradors are you thinking about next year? (The better ones are usually fully booked 4/6 months in advance. Also - many of them are historic, unique and interesting - but not especially luxurious. If you're looking for the best place in town it's usually not a parador.

For Madrid, try the Ritz - traditional hotel with a great location.

I would think that a car in Madrid would be more of an encumbrance than a convenience. Many of the points of interest in Madrid are within easy walking distance of each other, and if you do not want to take public transport to the first point on your itinerary, you can always take a taxi.

There are frequent trains to Toledo, and I believe a very fast service will be introduced soon, if it has not already been.

The general consensus seems to be that the best paradors are the ones in Leon, Granada and Santiago de Compostela.

I have stayed at the parador in Leon, and I cannot imagine that there is a better hotel in the city.

The parador in Granada is, if nothing else, superbly located within the precincts of the Alhambra. I had lunch at the parador and stayed at the Alhambra Palace, which is very close to the Alhambra precincts and is, I think, generally regarded as one of the best hotels, if not the best, in Granada. I found the Alhambra Palace stuffy and pretentious (although it does have a terrace with a wonderful view of the city and the surrounding mountains); I remember my lunch at the parador as very pleasant from all points of view: the service, the food, the view of the Alhambra gardens.

I have no experience of the parador in Santiago de Compostela.

Is it possible to book the AVE train in advance? I can find agents offering this service but not the actual train co.

It's not a 5* hotel, but a nice 4* if you are stuck -- I really liked the Palacio San Martin in Madrid. A very nice 4* hotel.

As for the AVE, I booked it ahead from the Spanish train company (RENFE's web site). I don't know why you can't.

I thought all the Paradors we stayed in last trip were wonderful, each in its own way. Avila was great because of its location right at the city wall and it's magical garden; Leon was spectacular--historic and gorgeous; Segovia was very modern with an incredible view of the town (a bit of a walk from it though, but short taxi drive) and Salamanca was the least interesting structure (almost businesslike), but had a great view of the town and was a short walk. I really thought the Paradors were both an excellent value and a good way to experience Spain (although it was weird that they played non-Spanish musak throughout.) I plan to stay at them again. Some of the rooms are more luxurious than others, though all had marble bathrooms and very nice soaps, lotions, etc. You could request suites, which would be more luxurious. Check out their website--Parador.es.

We stayed in the Granada parador a few weeks ago. The location is excellent as has ben mentioned...right on the grounds of the Alhambra. It is the most popular parador in Spain and books up months in advance. If nothing else, have dinner on the terrace which overlooks the ravine and the Generalife.

I agree about not needing a car in Madrid...public transport is excellent. It will be hot there but not nearly as humid as in, say, Barcelona, and that makes a big difference IMO.

You can easily fly between Madrid and Granada and since there is competition on that route you can probably get a fairly cheap rate.

Take the train between Madrid and Toledo if all you are going to do is explore the city of Toledo itself.

Hi

The Palace Hotel is beautiful - http://www.westinpalacemadrid.com/eng/informacion

When I was last in Madrid many years ago i stayed at The Ritz. I'd choose it over the Palace as the interiors and facilities (now updated) seem to be far superior. Also, the position is most convenient if you're the walking sort.

And as for the heat, I find temperatures of 42C or 120F perfectly bearable in cities. People still walk around in suits and ties at this temperature, it really doesn't feel that hot.

I agree no car in Madrid. It really wasn't necessary.
We went in 2003 and Flew into Barcelona for a few days and flew to Madrid, did Madrid for 4 days then we picked up a rental car and went a longabout route to Lisbon.
On the way we stayed in the Alhambra but not at the Parador because you need to book that 3-4 months in advance and I didn't learn of them in time to do that but we stayed at the hotel next door to the Parador, the only other place to stay "in" the Alhambra. We did eat our dinners at the Parador and they were really great and we toured the Parador and it was beautiful.
We did stay at the Parador in Rhonda which was beautiful and is right on the edge of a cliff and the views were breathtaking. I would defintely stay there again.

I'm now trying to books tickets for the Alhambra. I cannot believe this site does not let you query visit times without punching in credit card details. does anyone know if there is another way?

https://w3.grupobbva.com/ALHAMBRA/alhambra/home.html

Hi

Try this site - http://granadainfo.com/ticketsalhambra.htm

Our favorite parador of the five or six we've stayed in was at Leon. We also had what was probably our best meal in all of Spain there.

The most disappointing was the "flagship" parador at Santiago. Our room needed redone, the service in the restaurant was almost non existent, and the whole place was just one big mob of bus groups.

m_Kingdom2 writes:...<<as for the heat, I find temperatures of 42C or 120F perfectly bearable in cities. People still walk around in suits and ties at this temperature, it really doesn't feel that hot.>>

You need to work on your temperature conversion formula: 42 Celsius converts more closely to 108 Farenheit than 120. For many Spaniards, 40 degrees or more is what they consider HOT.

F = 9/5 C + 32 (i.e., 40C = 104F)

I can't speak to Madrid, having only been through the airport, but we truly enjoyed having a car between Seville, Cordoba, Grenada, the coast and Ronda.

As for the Paradors, I would highly recommend the one at the Alhambra (rooms were small, but very nice, excellent staff and wonderful restaurant). We went in November and booked about 4 weeks in advance. We also stayed at the Parador in Ronda and it was perhaps the best accomodation anywhere in Spain! Get a room with a view over the gorge - it is truly amazing. Rooms and bathrooms were huge - even by American standards - and again great good and service. Enjoy!