Western Europe honeymoon in Jan/Feb
Sep 13th, 2021, 11:38 AM
#21
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Hi!
I know it's not what you asked, but anyway... have you thought of Cabo Verde? With 10 days you can visit something like 3 islands. Sal has very good beaches, and beach things to do (wind-surf, diving, etc). It has some recent very good hotels, I Was there 20 years ago and stayed at Hotel Morabeza, That was ok, but I know by friends that there are much better now. It's a desert island, without water, so one must be carefull - cannot drink tap water. At Boavista you can visit the Volcano, and it's a completely different island, very green, with lots of agriculture. And then at Santiago Island you can visit Tarrafal, the terrible prison for portuguese political prisioners.
Of course that me, being portuguese, felt at home at Cabo Verde. Their oficial language is portuguese, and we have a common history and culture.
Last but not least, it's cheap.
Well, that's just an idea, perhaps to make you even more confused (sorry!)!
Helena
I know it's not what you asked, but anyway... have you thought of Cabo Verde? With 10 days you can visit something like 3 islands. Sal has very good beaches, and beach things to do (wind-surf, diving, etc). It has some recent very good hotels, I Was there 20 years ago and stayed at Hotel Morabeza, That was ok, but I know by friends that there are much better now. It's a desert island, without water, so one must be carefull - cannot drink tap water. At Boavista you can visit the Volcano, and it's a completely different island, very green, with lots of agriculture. And then at Santiago Island you can visit Tarrafal, the terrible prison for portuguese political prisioners.
Of course that me, being portuguese, felt at home at Cabo Verde. Their oficial language is portuguese, and we have a common history and culture.
Last but not least, it's cheap.
Well, that's just an idea, perhaps to make you even more confused (sorry!)!
Helena
Sep 13th, 2021, 12:49 PM
#22
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A few years ago we spent some days in southern Spain in February and while it certainly wasn't terribly warm, it was shirtsleeve weather for part of most days. We based in Gibraltar for a couple of days and in Tarifa for the rest. We'd been to Gibraltar before and found it as interesting as ever, even though the crossing to/from Spain was subject to some delays (only for cars; pedestrians can cross easily, and there are rental car offices on the La Linea side of the frontier if interested.)
From Tarifa we visited a couple of wonderful "white villages" in the Andalusia hills, and also visited the Baelo Claudia Roman ruins near the sand dunes and beach where the kiteboarders and windsurfers were enjoying themselves immensely. Every day was sunny, the roads and restaurants pretty empty, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We didn't go into Cadiz but could have easily; Seville is a couple of hours from Tarifa as well.
From Tarifa we visited a couple of wonderful "white villages" in the Andalusia hills, and also visited the Baelo Claudia Roman ruins near the sand dunes and beach where the kiteboarders and windsurfers were enjoying themselves immensely. Every day was sunny, the roads and restaurants pretty empty, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. We didn't go into Cadiz but could have easily; Seville is a couple of hours from Tarifa as well.
Sep 13th, 2021, 12:51 PM
#23
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We visited Andalusia in southern Spain in December (I'd been there twice before in warmer months) and we absolutely loved it. The weather was mild with some sunny days (check historical weather at wunderground if you wish). I would not hesitate to return again in winter, although I have never visited in January or February. If you have 10 nights on the ground, then I agree that a maximum of 3 stops would be best. I suggest you focus on Andalusia, with stays in Seville, Granada and Cordoba. This is a classic itinerary and for good reason. In this area, the main airports are Seville and Malaga.
Sep 13th, 2021, 12:59 PM
#24
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Most Europeans are outdoors 365 days a year.
If you're looking for beach weather the Canaries are fairly busy during the winter. It won't be my definition of hot but you'll have no trouble finding places with Northern Europeans swimming in the ocean. Problem is you'll lose at least a morning getting there and a second one on the return. A ten day trip makes those mornings precious.
The second thing is don't think north south. Granada IIRC is 700 metres above sea level. That means it'll be colder than say Valencia which is further north.
The only red flag I see in your requests is the want/need for adventure. What's that? Remember on the mainland many of the adventure activities are likely closed for the off season. You'll find surfing,scuba, sailing etc easily on the Canaries.
Final point your personal cold tolerance ends up playing a big role. I wouldn't call any of the places discussed cold or even that cool. If OTOH you're from Hawaii or other warmer parts of North America you might have a totally different cold tolerance.
If you're looking for beach weather the Canaries are fairly busy during the winter. It won't be my definition of hot but you'll have no trouble finding places with Northern Europeans swimming in the ocean. Problem is you'll lose at least a morning getting there and a second one on the return. A ten day trip makes those mornings precious.
The second thing is don't think north south. Granada IIRC is 700 metres above sea level. That means it'll be colder than say Valencia which is further north.
The only red flag I see in your requests is the want/need for adventure. What's that? Remember on the mainland many of the adventure activities are likely closed for the off season. You'll find surfing,scuba, sailing etc easily on the Canaries.
Final point your personal cold tolerance ends up playing a big role. I wouldn't call any of the places discussed cold or even that cool. If OTOH you're from Hawaii or other warmer parts of North America you might have a totally different cold tolerance.
For adventure, it could be anything and not necessarily those with an adrenaline rush (although some of it would be nice
). This is the first time to Europe for both of us so it's difficult to contextualize what kind of adventure we are looking for (if that makes sense). I think we would survive lows of 8 degrees 
Sep 13th, 2021, 01:03 PM
#25
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Hi!
I know it's not what you asked, but anyway... have you thought of Cabo Verde? With 10 days you can visit something like 3 islands. Sal has very good beaches, and beach things to do (wind-surf, diving, etc). It has some recent very good hotels, I Was there 20 years ago and stayed at Hotel Morabeza, That was ok, but I know by friends that there are much better now. It's a desert island, without water, so one must be carefull - cannot drink tap water. At Boavista you can visit the Volcano, and it's a completely different island, very green, with lots of agriculture. And then at Santiago Island you can visit Tarrafal, the terrible prison for portuguese political prisioners.
Of course that me, being portuguese, felt at home at Cabo Verde. Their oficial language is portuguese, and we have a common history and culture.
Last but not least, it's cheap.
Well, that's just an idea, perhaps to make you even more confused (sorry!)!
Helena
I know it's not what you asked, but anyway... have you thought of Cabo Verde? With 10 days you can visit something like 3 islands. Sal has very good beaches, and beach things to do (wind-surf, diving, etc). It has some recent very good hotels, I Was there 20 years ago and stayed at Hotel Morabeza, That was ok, but I know by friends that there are much better now. It's a desert island, without water, so one must be carefull - cannot drink tap water. At Boavista you can visit the Volcano, and it's a completely different island, very green, with lots of agriculture. And then at Santiago Island you can visit Tarrafal, the terrible prison for portuguese political prisioners.
Of course that me, being portuguese, felt at home at Cabo Verde. Their oficial language is portuguese, and we have a common history and culture.
Last but not least, it's cheap.
Well, that's just an idea, perhaps to make you even more confused (sorry!)!
Helena
Sep 13th, 2021, 01:11 PM
#26
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As a northern European I tend to go as south as possible for this sort of holiday and as close to the coast as possible. The Canaries are the obvious visit as they are geographically part of Africa. I also go to Morocco as they offer a European-lite version of Africa and Islamic Africa (partially because Morocco has a number of religions and a good policy of positivity to other religions) Two obvious places to stay are Marrakesh (often warmer here than on the coast) or Essaoiura on the coast(more traditional) but there are plenty of others. I'd also look at the Azores but note that the weather changes a lot on an hourly basis in the Azores.
Southern Portugal and Southern Spain is also possible but I'm not convinced unheated water will be ok. Some people reckon that Sicily is also good and certainly prices fall heavily in winter and I've been frozen in Sicily in February.
Another option would be to go to a spa (fresh or salt water). There is a culture of spas (both out doors and indoors) on line from Germany to Hungary and some of them can be fantastic. When combined with skiing or at least cross country skiing or just snow that can make for a great holiday.
Southern Portugal and Southern Spain is also possible but I'm not convinced unheated water will be ok. Some people reckon that Sicily is also good and certainly prices fall heavily in winter and I've been frozen in Sicily in February.
Another option would be to go to a spa (fresh or salt water). There is a culture of spas (both out doors and indoors) on line from Germany to Hungary and some of them can be fantastic. When combined with skiing or at least cross country skiing or just snow that can make for a great holiday.
Portugal is something we are strongly considering. Do you have any suggestions on a Portugal vs Spain honeymoon?
Sep 13th, 2021, 01:23 PM
#27
Thanks for sharing your lovely photos and experience - it definitely looks something worth considering for our honeyoon. Since you went in February which is the time we are planning to go, do you have an itinerary we can use as a guideline? Also, how would spending nights in Gibraltar and Taifa compare to the typical Seville, Cordoba and Garnada stopovers?
It's been 20 years or so since I was in Seville and Cordoba (never got to Granada) so no current info, or course. On that same trip (as Seville) we spent a couple of days in the Alentejo region of Portugal and loved, loved it. (It's in the warmest part of Portugal - too hot in summer but nice the rest of the year.) If I were going on a honeymoon (congrats by the way) I'd head in a minute to a hotel in that area where we stayed - quite a wonderful place, the Horta da Moura near the hill village of Monsaraz.
Sep 13th, 2021, 03:54 PM
#28
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Gardyloo, Horta da Moura looks so wonderful, the kind of place that really leaves a memory. Don’t know how much more traveling is in my future, but this is going on my wish list of places to stay.
Sep 13th, 2021, 06:38 PM
#29
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We planning on extending our trip to a total of 12 days to fit in the Canaries - this is something we really want to do! I see the flight from Barcelona is about 3 hours so if Spain does work out, we are planning to start with Tenerife, go up to Andalucia and finish off at Barcelona. Does that sound like a good plan?
For adventure, it could be anything and not necessarily those with an adrenaline rush (although some of it would be nice). This is the first time to Europe for both of us so it's difficult to contextualize what kind of adventure we are looking for (if that makes sense). I think we would survive lows of 8 degrees
For adventure, it could be anything and not necessarily those with an adrenaline rush (although some of it would be nice
). This is the first time to Europe for both of us so it's difficult to contextualize what kind of adventure we are looking for (if that makes sense). I think we would survive lows of 8 degrees
Sep 13th, 2021, 07:13 PM
#30
12 days will leave you approx 9-9.5 free days on the ground after accounting for transatlantic flights, immigration/logistics, and jet lag. If you plan three bases the transit time cuts another 1.5+ days from your sightseeing/exploring/relaxing time. So you are talking about 7.5 to 8 free days for 3 places.
With less than 2 full weeks and being winter time I'd probably limit myself to two destinations
With less than 2 full weeks and being winter time I'd probably limit myself to two destinations
Sep 14th, 2021, 12:01 AM
#31
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This is a valid point - we also don't want to exhaust ourselves after the running around from the wedding. Is Canary Islands + Barcelona a good option then? We can leave Andalucia for some other time. Otherwise, we are also looking at Portugal which we might be able to fit better in 12 days.
Sep 14th, 2021, 12:44 AM
#32
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I don't think you're going to the islands but one specific island. There are quite a few Canary islands and some are fairly large.
Plan out what you want to do. For example in Barcelona
Sagrada Familia ?
The museums?
Some people like going to the main market but I find it touristy.
That time of year at most you're walking along the beach
Make your own list and then decide how long you want to spend in each. Two stops will be much easier
Plan out what you want to do. For example in Barcelona
Sagrada Familia ?
The museums?
Some people like going to the main market but I find it touristy.
That time of year at most you're walking along the beach
Make your own list and then decide how long you want to spend in each. Two stops will be much easier
Sep 14th, 2021, 12:44 AM
#33
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Canary Islands, at least the popular ones eg Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura are busy in the winter season ie very touristy. There are some really built up areas, I think you need to research where to go if you are looking for local culture. There are some lesser known islands which have been on my list to visit.
Did you look into Madeira already?
The Andalusia itinerary looks like a great option for winter.
Did you look into Madeira already?
The Andalusia itinerary looks like a great option for winter.
Sep 15th, 2021, 02:22 AM
#34
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For the Canary islands, we're leaning more toward Gran Canaria. You would not recommend this for an end of Jan honeymoon?
Barcelona is definitely in our itinerary so now the decision is whether we would like to split our time between Barcelona and, Gran Canaria or 2 cities in Andalucia (Seville and Granada?). Any thoughts?
Barcelona is definitely in our itinerary so now the decision is whether we would like to split our time between Barcelona and, Gran Canaria or 2 cities in Andalucia (Seville and Granada?). Any thoughts?
Sep 15th, 2021, 03:34 AM
#35
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It really depends on your interests.
Granada the Alhambra.
Granada the Alhambra.
Seville the Alcatraz , the bullfighting ring , the square from the worlds fair (I think). Plus the city in general
Or do you want beach time?
