giadav

We would like to visit Spain next summer for 2 weeks. Not big on lots of sight seeing. We like to relax on vacation and don't mind traveling to more than 2 locations. Would like some suggestions on what areas to visit. Thank you

Robert2533

When in the summer? We head for the north coast (Basque coast) during July and August for both the beach and cuisine. The only beaches in the south worth visiting are around Cadiz. In the northeast you can head for the Costa Brava.

justineparis

I loved our visit to Tossa De Mar,, on the Costa Brava coast.. is very small, its filled with great places to eat, a boat pulls up each day and you can take it to other beaches and towns.. but we never bothered, we just hung out there for 5 days! Its was very mellow.. yet still had shops , cafes etc.
Google for photos.. its a pretty as it looks,, the old fortress remains look amazing a lovely walk up the hill.
No Starbucks or McDonalds there though..

If I go back to area I would visit Tossa for 3 days, then hit Lloret de Mar ( busier and bigger) and Girona.. ( have not been there )

giadav

Robert2533 It would be July. Any suggestion for a very nice resort?

stevewith

Do you want a resort with certain amenities? Some place exclusive or that has nightlife? Do you have kids? People differ in what they consider to be a "very nice" resort. You would get more helpful answers if you said what your top budget is.

In July -- especially the middle and second half of July -- it is often very very hot in some parts of Spain, and less so in others. Do you care about heat?

Will you have a car rental?

Travelbound44

We prefer San Sebastian in the Basque Country. It is a small town with gorgeous beaches. The city has more Michelin star restaurants than anywhere else. The Pintxos are heavenly. Easy to get around. You could do a day trip to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim museum which is architecturally stunning. One of our favorite museums in the world. If you rent an apartment, it will be less expensive than a resort or hotel. There are several markets for fresh food. Check, Home Away, Feel Free rentals or on Trip Advisor, Flipkey for holiday rentals.

Grindeldoo

Do you want to swim in the sea? The Mediterranean is considerably warmer than the Atlantic or the Bay of Biscay.

Robert2533

Resorts are in short supply along the north coast. One of the ones I can highly recommend is the Chateau de Brindos near Biarritz (www.chateaudebrindos.com). Another would be the Palacio de Luces in Asturias (www.palaciodeluces.com).

25 minutes north of Barcelona you'll find the Hotel Spa Blancafort (www.spablancafort.com). On the coast in Pals is the small resort hotel Mas Salvi (www.massalvi.com).

Robert2533

If you want to head to Mallorca, then you can check out Cap Rocat (www.caprocat.com). It is another world!

Aramis

San Sebastian = small town ?????

186,000 people in the city with a metropolitan area of over 430,000 qualifies as a small town?

Christina

Formentera island (south of Mallorca) is attractive

LuisJp

The beaches that I want to revisit are San José and Laredo. Their sands and waters were outstanding. Faro(Viveiro), Conil de la Frontera, Guardamar del Segura(Torrevieja), Matalascañas were superior as well. El Sardinero(Santander), Donostia, La Coruña, Alicante, Valencia, Nerja and Estepona have some additional attractions other than beaches. Islas Cies(Vigo) looks nice, though I have not been there.

LuisJp

Playa de las Catedrales(east of Foz) has been ranked as the 6th best beaches in the world by TripAdvisor. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travelers...eaches-cTop-g1 I enjoyed there at both high and low tides. The difference in water heights is quite a lot in this area. Gijon and San Sebastian has great walls along the beach and I used them for an indicator of such tide changes.

giadav

Well as for water temp. warmer is better and as far as quality Resort. The US 4* I believe is Europes 5*. We like to have a nice gym to workout in at the Resort, as well as have a pool.

LuisJp

Here are the sites which maximum water temperatures are over 23C.
25 Palma @Aug
25 Alicante @Aug
24 Mar Menor @Aug
24 Valencia @Aug
23 Barcerona @Jul/Aug
23 Santa Cruz de Tenerife @Sep
23 Tarrgona @Jul
All are in Bareares, eastern Spain and Canarias.
In July, only Palma, Barcelona and Tarragona mark 23C.

Formentera in Bareares ranked as the 12nd in TA.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travelers...eaches-cTop-g1

For a higher class famous beach resort,
I could nominate Benidorm, Gandia, Sagunto or Peniscola...
I am not familiar with the islands and Cataluña.

LuisJp

Some more info for water temperatures:
http://www.meteoprog.de/en/water/WestMediterranean/
http://www.meteosurfcanarias.com/temperatura-del-mar/
http://assets.weather-forecast.com/m.../Spain.sst.jpg
http://assets.weather-forecast.com/m...sstanomaly.jpg
The source of my previous post is
"temperatura media del mar" by Michelin (España & Portugal).

http://www.touropia.com/spain-beach-resorts/
http://www.fivestaralliance.com/luxu...2/europe/spain
might help you to consider.

giadav

thank you for all the great hotel suggestions!

lincasanova

Benidorm.. high class beach resort???????

Beautiful beaches but not exactly surrounded by high class.

I think your main question is.. do you like crowds.. long, wide beaches, or small coves? July is very busy everywhere but knowing what you are looking for around you might help. No beaches are private in Spain but some are more secluded and harder to get to.

The resorts Robert has suggested look lovely.

My daughter goes to ibiza a lot and LOVES Formentera because it feels so undeveloped.

lincasanova

This place has it all for certain age groups

http://www.ushuaiabeachhotel.com/es/restaurants/

giadav

We realize it is a busy time. As long as the sunbeds aren't on top of each other, we are fine. We are really liking the sound of Formentera. Ideally, we would like to do 14-16 days and would like to go to maybe 2 more areas in Spain. I am still googling some of the suggestions mentioned above.

Love all the information, keep it coming. Thank you!