Dear community, looking for some suggestions/ideas please.

We have started the planning of our next trip to the south of Spain. We have 5 weeks in total from Jan 22 to Feb 28. The first week we will be in Malaga and the next two weeks in Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Looking for some suggestions for the remaining two weeks (which will be the last two weeks of February). We fly back home from Malaga early on Feb 28 so need to be back there sometime on Feb 27.

We want this to be a slower trip than some we have done in the past so we are looking at a minimum of one week at any location, more chance of sun the better, open to flying somewhere from Malaga.

We have already visited Granada, Ubeda, Seville, Jerez, Cadiz, Ronda, and Cordoba and loved them all.

Thanks for any ideas!

Amar

This is the trip we did in February-March 2024 to see some of the lesser known places.
Priego de Córdoba could make a good base, or Antequera.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...early.html?m=1
But when we finally arrived back at the coast the difference in temperature was noticeable. Although even inland it was always sunny.
In the context of a slow holiday, the coast east of Malaga, between Nerja, Salobreña, Almunecar is worth a week. (We stayed 10 days one November)
We also loved Tarifa and the Costa de la luz area

Thank you just_tina

I appreciate you taking the time to make these suggestions. I will be looking them up!

Amar

I've not been to Cabo de Gata but my neighbors spent a week in the area and loved it. Mostly scenery but you might find interesting things to see in the expanded area:

https://www.andalucia.org/en/cabo-de-gata


Maybe the area around Jabugo or Huelva..especially if you are a lover of jamon:

https://www.andalucia.org/en/provincia-huelva


https://www.spanishtaste.com/jabugo-...iberico-jabugo

I think you have been on the Costa Blanca/Valencia area (??). If not: Denia (we will go in November), Elche (Never been myself), Valencia (??)

I am sorry I cannot offer more personal info as I have not been to Huelva or Jabugo......but perhaps???

Where do you enter Spain? That will help a lot in guiding.....(or ATTEMPTING to guide!!)

Thank you ekscrunchy

I will look into your suggestions. All of them sound very interesting and I appreciate you taking the time.

We arrive into Spain at Malaga.

Amar

Have you consider going across the straits to Morocco. Marakesh at that time of year is still lovely and warm and far enough away from the Atlantic to minimise rain (unlike say Agadir or Essouira)

Thanks bilboburgler

We have discussed this idea and it is appealing. Do you like Marrakesh? Is it welcoming?

Thanks for helping out!!

Amar

If you want to stay in Spain, the Costa Cálida (province Murcia, south of the Costa Blanca) will be warmer and sunnier than the Costa del Sol.
Flying to the Canary Islands may be another option. Look at Fuerteventura or Lanzarote.

I love Marrakesh. The rose city. Still walled. It has a modern international quarter (strong French influence) the souk, some governmental shops (so not full on haggle more European type shopping), the main square and both traditional and international hotels. I feel very safe in town, lots of hustle and bustle (how do you spell that). Normally about 25C. You can just see snow on the Atlas mountains and even visit them on day tours.

Sorry for piping in, but I liked Fez much more than Marrakesh, which I thought resembled a film set. Especially the main square. But of course you can do some lovely day trips up into the mountains.

Faz, certainly feels more authentic while Taroudant even more so. Bits of Essaouria, especially where the great concerts in March occur are even more interesting, but I'm not sure I'd send a first time visitor to Africa there.

Thank you MyriamC

Will check out Murcia and Costa Cálida.

Amar

Thanks!!

OMG..I forgot about Lanzarote!!! We went in May for two weeks. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
And there are many cheap flights from cities in Spain mainland


https://www.hungryonion.org/t/lanzar...arias/39096/32

AMAR, always take a peek at the HungryOnion.org site for food talk.

Thanks to all for your generous advice. We settled on the following itinerary for our trip next January / February.

Malaga ( 7 days) > Marrakesh (7 days) > Valencia (7 days) > Sanlucar de Barrameda (12 days)

We're super excited.

Sounds like you made good decisions on your itinerary. Two years ago we spent the month of January in Valencia. It was wonderful. Here is what I posted on this site: This winter was warmer!!

We love Valencia. Last year we were there for three weeks in March and this coming March we will again be back, staying in the same house we rented last year.

That sounds like a great itinerary, I'm sure it'll be fantastic

For Sanlúcar de Barrameda and your 12 days there,
I´m assuming that you visited last year from Jerez and have found a great place to relax and unwind for 12 days, you have a car to get around and know that it´s a very small community and will be quite quiet in winter, without the summer, veraneo, community. But this quiet may be exactly what you´re looking for, completely and entirely different from Marrakech and seaside Málaga and Valencia.

For sampling the locally-produced manzanilla (the sherry unique to this town), you should book a visit to Bodegas Barbadillo in the upper town. They do a very nice tour and tasting. In the lower town, there's Bodegas Hidalgo La Gitana. Both do English visits.

Sanlúcar was Spain's gastronomic capital for 2022 (this year it's Oviedo).

For dining, please don't miss (if you haven't experienced this already) having the famous, actually legendary tortillitas de camarones at Casa Balbino on the main square, Plaza del Cabildo, (go early as soon as it opens to get your order in line),
also churros at Churrería La Calzada,

for a more formal meal on the lovely Bajo de Guía head to Casa Bigote upstairs (not to the outdoor terrace that doesn't belong to them) and order all the seafood your heart desires---gambas blancas, almejas a la marinera, langostinos, carabineros, cigalas...treat yourselves to a crustacean feast here!
Also, since you have so many days, on the Bajo de Guía in the same area, try the Mirador de Doñana, actually same quality but less "famous" as well as Casa Juan.

And for very finest wines (the Robert Parker Spain taster, Luis Gutiérrez loves this place) and some great tapas, find the Taberna der Guerrita, the wine "sanctuary" of Sanlúcar.

And while you're there for 12 days (that's a lot for this small town in winter), try all the local fish specialties; acedías, chocos, puntilllitas, pijotas, cazón en adobo, there are so many. it's a fish lover's paradise.

And you might enjoy attending the Monday-Friday fish auction in Bonanza, if it´s open to visitors in winter, at the Lonja de Pescadores, the second most important in Andalucía.

Thanks. I enjoyed really your trip report for Valencia!

Thanks so much Maribel. We spent 2 days in Sanlúcar last year, also in February, and really enjoyed it. We know it will be quiet but we don't have much planned except to enjoy the food and sherry, work on our Spanish, and make some day trips. I'll also be watching the local football team. Thanks for all your suggestions!!