Joan

going to Mallorca for one week and then to Marbella for a second week. I would like some travel tips on what to see and what to bypass. Thanks Joan

Maribel

Joan, <BR>For the Marbella area, bypass the overdeveloped, oversaturated concrete jungle area east of Fuengirola to Torremolinos; concentrate on the coastal area west of Marbella-there's great people watching at the Andalusian village yacht harbor of Puerto Banus, head up to the scenic white hill towns above the coast (Benahavis, Ojen, Coin, Casares and Gaucin), take a longer drive west on the coast to the Atlantic side and the less crowded and prettier beaches around Conil and the white hill town of Vejer de la Frontera, visit ancient Cadiz, the sherry bodegas of Jerez de la Frontera (or attend on a Tues/Thurs a performance of the Carthusian dancing horses of the Royal Academy of Equestrian Arts-a horse ballet set to classical music), and while in the area proceed a bit further to San Lucar de Barrameda for a taste of manzanilla (their brand of sherry) and a leisurely, delicious lunch of langostinos (prawns) or paella at one of the seaside promenade restaurants at the Bajo de Guia, take a scenic day trip up to lovely Ronda with its dramatic perch atop the Tajo Gorge. Hope this gets your thread started.

Joan

Thanks for your quick response. I really appreciate the information.

andrea

Get an early start and visit Gibraltar-take an hour tour that will drive to the caves,see the apes and hear about its history.Great duty free shopping.If you are adventurous take a hovercraft from Gibraltar over to Morrocco,to Tangiers,really a challenge, arrange a two hour tour in Gibraltar otherwise you'll be overwhelmed by guides as you get off the ferry!Then go back in the evening to Marbella and watch the beautiful people.......

Thomas

Gibraltor wont' disapoint. Malaga is very near and has plenty of bodegas and interesting sights including Roman theater. Rhonda slightly inland will seem a world removed from the touristy beach area, and is home of modern bull fighting (1780s?), small town dating to Roman times. Almost all the towns along the coast have homogenized and are aimed at a relaxed time laying on ones towel and enjoying the beach. Great beaches, by the way. Granada is doable, too, but barely.

Myriam

If you follow Maribel's advice you will have seen all of the beauty of Andalucía. Especially the white villages are a must. Ojén was my favourite because of very little tourists. <BR>Stroll around in downtown Marbella and have a drink somewhere on the Plaza de las Naranjas. <BR>If after all these suggestions you have some time and energy left I can highly recommend a daytrip to Cordoba to visit the Mezquita (mosque) and the Judería (Jewish quarter). <BR>Personally I wouldn't bother going to Gibraltar. This British enclave has very little to do with the real Spain. <BR> <BR>Regarding Mallorca, I really liked Palma and its beautiful cathedral. Also great for shopping (nice shoes overthere, and very inexpensive!!). Furthermore there are the numerous calas (creeks) and cliffs at the eastside of the island where you can also visit the Cuevas del Drach in Porto Cristo. In Valldemossa you can visit the place where Chopin lived with George Sand. And drive all the way to Cabo de Formentor, the northernmost point. The coast is very rough overthere.