I'm trying to plan a vacation to Spain, I don't know where to go or where to stay I just know that I want to vacation in the south of Spain near the Sea. Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best locations, best hotels, etc.

Thank you kindly.

Abeka80,
Good luck with your planning. To me, the planning is a great deal of the fun. I've been trying to plan a trip in Spain for May, and it's hard to choose one part of Spain over another. Every part of the country is unusual and worth including.

Maybe that says it... you might need to plan more than one trip.

One thing you might try is to get to know Spaniards by participating in a week at Englishtown (www.vaughanvillage.com/) If you don't mind being in one fixed area for a week it's a fantastic way to meet Spaniards and get to know what they know about their country

Then you can figure out where you might want to go on your own.

One thing you might investigate are the Spanish paradors... state-run hotels/castles throughout the country. In many instances they are significantly cheaper than they would be if they were privately owned. You can pick a region of the country, find a few paradors that you like, and base your trip in that district.

Good luck, and post a trip report when you return.
Rita

The drive from Madrid (via car rental) is terrific--more interesting than you would imagine. (Go on side roads.) In Cartagena, the La Manga Hyatt resort is superb. The little village on the Med beneath the resort is quaint and untainted by change. They don't like Russians though; so don't be mistaken for one. The town of Cartagena is quiet...Hannibal landed his fleet there, and old Roman ruins dot the hilltops. Fabulous port.
Alicante is for the tourists...and badly-mannered Russians.
At La Manga, request a golf course/pool view...Have fun!

Unless you like concrete and package tourists, stay away from anywhere on the Costa del Sol. Just my 2 cents/pence worth.

Though M�laga, despite it's despotic tourist-destination stigma, is worth a visit... the bullring, Gibralfaro, Cat�dral, etc., are well worth seeing.

I was really taken in by in-land Andaluc�a. The Sierra Nevadas, Grenada incl the Alhambra, the Mezquita in C�rdoba, Jerez de la Frontera, Arcos... I can't wait to take another visit. It was during Semana Santa as well (Holy Week) with all the processions. Fabulous. Getting misty-eyed and want to go back now!

Of course, you did say you wanted to be by the sea, can't really help you out much there.

IMHO, while Spain is a beautiful country, there are far too many Brit and German boozers on cheap holidays for one to safely/sanely enjoy the spanish costas. If I were you I'd go for Italy or (mainland) Greece.

When I was an undergraduate student years ago, I spent a semester in Seville, Spain. We would take trips on the weekends. The coolest weekend trip was a trip to Gibraltar. You go up onto the mountain and get an amazing view. There are caves to visit & monkeys to see.

I would suggest the hotel Playa Victoria in C�diz.

The area is loaded with Spanish tourists, but almost completely free of Brits/Germans/etc. It won�t feel touristy to you and the beach is fantastic. This is not a luxury destination, but you will be very comfortable. On the downside, the nearest airport is Jerez de la Frontera which is maybe 50km away.

I would recommend anywhere on the Costa de la Luz - long, uncrowded, beautiful beaches, though a bit windy. Check out the Hurricane Hotel www. hurricanehotel.com just west of Tarifa. I was last there in 2001 and their popularity has soared so it may be hard to get a reservation. I am headed that way in April but have a stay booked in one of their companion properties in the area.

The whole coast there is quite quiet, not much night life, like Cadiz or Sevilla.

In Sevilla, take a look at the Hotel Dona Maria www.hdmaria.com next to the Cathedral.

I absolutely love Anadalucia - wonderful climate, people, food. Am looking at a small place outside of Jaen to spend several months each year.

I too love Andalucia. I have spent a lot of time in Alhaurin El Grande which is quite a peaceful and beautiful area just inland from the coast.

I second the ringing endorsements for Andalucia. As a Brit, I'm well aware of the negatives of the Costa Del Sol and having spent two nights there last summer agree with them - to my mind there is no point including it in a trip and when we got there never felt incline to visit the beach, the original reaon to go (Marbella would appear to have some of the best hotels on the Spanish coast but also some of the biggest/worst so this is not a redeeming feature). If you enjoy independent travel rather go elsewhere; fortunately you don't have to go far inland to escape this.

The cities are wonderful - specifically we enjoyed Seville, Cordoba and Granada. They also form a natural route that allows you to stop-off in the countryside (personal favourite was around Zuheros but am no expert). With more time you could start in Madrid and/or finish in Murcia as suggested (La Manga, in a less over-developed area of the coast). The best area of coast probably is the Costa de la Luz, west of the southern tip but I'm not sure how you fit this in, or if the hotels are as well-established (perhaps that's a plus). As mentioned, the Paradors - government-run (don't be put-off) hotels, often occupying historic buildings such as a convant inside the Alhambra - are great value and totally unique. They don't show up on expedia, etc. but are popular: book early at www.parador.es. They have various special offers including discounts if you're under 30.

With respect to the Italy comparisons, I like both but I came back with the verdict that Italy is overrated (it rather plays off it's famous landmarks) and Spain is an underrated gem. Not sure which I prefer, but Andalucia was a lot quieter in August and certainly deserves more good press than it gets (thanks to the north-Europeans).

Andalucia is wonderful. We spent a fabulous week between xmas and new years driving around between Sevilla, C�rdoba, Granada, and C�diz.

The Alhambra is great but honestly the rest of Granada is such a ****hole that I can't see staying for more than a day trip (the saying here is that there's a reason they call it "Granada"). Sevilla was great but surprisingly packed with loud drunk Americans no matter where we went, which kind of ruined it. The Silken Al-Andalus Palace was quite nice for a four-star and a bargain, though it's a long walk to the center. We had a terrific three days in C�rdoba at the NH Amistad in the center of the old town, very close to the mezquita. I was taken by C�diz as well, though they don't have much of a beach.

FWIW, here in Catalunya, we don't see many drunken brits or germans on our beaches or prancing around our restaurants crammed into a hot-pink Speedo while we're just trying to eat our ****ing dinner. Thank god for EasyJet flights to the islands and the south!