advice on travel in late march/early april

Looking for information on a place in Andalucia or simply asking for advice on somewhere to visit? Post here and someone out there may know the answer.
franliu
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advice on travel in late march/early april

Postby franliu » Tue Feb 21, 2006 4:40 pm

Hi,

I'm travelling during the end of march through the beginning of april and want to travel around Andalucia. But since this is my first time in Spain, I have many questions...

What is the weather like along the coast? Is the water swimable? Is it warm enough to tan? How are the beaches in Costa de la Luz vs. Costa del Sol? There seems to be many beaches dotted along the coast. Are most of them within walking/bicycling/scootering distance? Or will you def have to take a bus? Which towns have easy access to great beaches and would be great to stay in?

What is the best way to travel around in Andalucia? I know there's the AVE but are buses frequent and more convenient? Is it easy to bicycle around Seville and other towns?

I'd appreciate any advice and suggestions. Thanks!

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Postby Valencia_Paul » Tue Feb 21, 2006 4:52 pm

Hi,

I don't think you would want to swim in the sea or an unheated pool at that time of year!

Costa del Sol beaches tend to be a bit gritty. Costa de la Luz has superb sandy beaches although it faces the Atlantic, not the med.
At that time of year the weather could go either way - a week of glorious sunshine or a week of cold rainy weather or anything inbetween.
You could tan if it is sunny and you find a spot out of the wind.

Personally I would (and do) hire a car to get around.

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costakid
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Postby costakid » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:02 pm

We have been out at Easter many times and the weather is usually very warm in the day but chilli at night. Bring a coat. Saying that two years ago it rained nearly every day. I would rent a car and you can then explore if the weather is bad. you may find the cds is the warmest. would not fancy going in the sea at time of the year tho.

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silver
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Postby silver » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:39 pm

I know people who swim everyday of the year no matter what the weather..the sea is warmer when there is a north wind. Costa de Luz is much colder but good for surfing (with a wet suit) Alicante and Murcia have the warmest sea...er you forgot to say where you were staying.
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franliu
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where i'm staying?

Postby franliu » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:43 pm

thanks for all the suggestions!

i haven't planned where to stay yet.. if you know of any places/hostels that would be great too. =)

my friend recommended going from sevilla -> jerez -> cadiz but i was hoping for warmer temperatures and didn't know if cadiz would be drastically colder than cds since it faces the atlantic. i'm only going for a week though and would rather concentrate on a smaller area that has many really cool things to do closeby

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silver
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Postby silver » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:51 pm

concentrate on a smaller area that has many really cool things to do closeby
So whats cool for you???
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franliu
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what's cool for me?

Postby franliu » Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:29 pm

anything amazing geographically, culturally/historically, gastronomically. towns that are particularly "spanish". so famous sites, museums, beaches, neighborhoods that are striking...

i know this and "cool" are very vague but essentially i'd love to have a taste of the culture (w/o the high rises and beach resorts)

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costakid
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Postby costakid » Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:09 am

if you want tows that are spanish stay away from the coast from Torremolinos to Calahonda. You will struggle to hear any spanish spoken on this part of the coast. Try Malaga city and Malaga east or Sevilla. Granada is nice but always busy. You could drive to Ronda as well but in a week you will struggle to do everything.

Alan-LaCala
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Postby Alan-LaCala » Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:22 am

You will struggle to hear any spanish spoken on this part of the coast.
That is just not true; at least not here in La Cala.

While there are plenty of ex-pats there are also plenty of Spanish. Go down to the beach any wekend and see how many spanish fishermen there are!

Go to the supermarket and see what language is most spoken at the till. Go and have a coffee at any of the cafes down by the tower, where there are lots of spanish having a coffee.

You may not be the only Brit in the village, but there are very many spanish here.

Alan
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frank
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Postby frank » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:07 am

Whilst of course you will hear Spanish there, there's more than a chance that you will hear a lot of English. The original poster said "anything amazing geographically, culturally/historically, gastronomically. towns that are particularly "spanish" and "(w/o the high rises and beach resorts)" Those sort of requests rule out everything on the CDS IMHO. There's nowhere remotely "paritculary Spanish", it's everything she doesn't want. ie high rises and beach resorts, populated by Brits! It's great for the bucket and spade, junk food, getting out of yer head, sun worshipping brigade, but that doesn't sound like what she is looking for.
Regards, Frank

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Postby MaggieMay » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:26 am

I think Alan was just pointing out that La Cala has a large Spanish population, which it does. Same as Marbella, and Fuengirola.
I don't think she specifically said she doesn't want to bump into any Brits, (which would be difficult even inland). Also the original post concentrated on beaches and sea temperatures. Kinda need to be coastal for those.
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safeashouses
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Postby safeashouses » Wed Feb 22, 2006 11:34 am

I have PM'd Franliu with details of a website for an area further down the costa del sol which is still predominently spanish. Virtually without highrises and where even the majority of holidaymakers are spanish.

franliu
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wow thanks for all the help!

Postby franliu » Wed Feb 22, 2006 4:00 pm

=) thanks for everything! all this information is helping alot.

have been looking into driving around, and i guess the area is smaller than i think it is, cuz didn't think it was possible to drive from cadiz to tarifa in a little over an hour... unless i'm miscalculating the roads, etc.

what would be a reasonable time? and what about from cadiz to granada?

thanks again!

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safeashouses
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Postby safeashouses » Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:35 pm

According to Autoroute:-

Cadiz - Tarifa 64 miles about one and a half hours.
Cadiz - Granada 211 miles about 3 and a half hours.

:idea: If you want to visit the Alhambra in Granada don't forget you will need to book in advance.

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silver
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Postby silver » Wed Feb 22, 2006 5:45 pm

anything amazing geographically, culturally/historically, gastronomically. towns that are particularly "spanish". so famous sites, museums, beaches, neighborhoods that are striking...
Quite honestly you are spoiled for choice..here in Andalucia you can find all of this and more...you can spend your time traveling to see the cream or relax and find all in just one town.
No muerdes la mano que te da de comer.

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silver
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Postby silver » Thu Feb 23, 2006 9:01 am

easy to bicycle
forget the bike..traffic is too heavy.
Places to look up to see if your are interested.
Alhambra palace at Granada
Torcal mountain range at Antiquera
Caves at Nerja
Picasso museum/castle at Malaga
Gibralter
Sand dunes/surf at Tarifa
Sevilla...lots to see
in Cordoba you can get a free bike from the town hall who have called it CYCLOCITY..there is a lot to see here too.
but there is far too much to tell all.
No muerdes la mano que te da de comer.

lis48
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Postby lis48 » Thu Feb 23, 2006 2:53 pm

cadiz would be drastically colder than cds
It's also further south than CDS. Friends just back from the CDS said it was much colder than Cadiz at the moment. Cadiz though has far more variable weather and we tend to get the storms first. The big difference in temp is not between the Atlantic coast and the Med but between coast and inland. If you have only a week and rely on public transport, I would suggest a base in Ronda. From there take a day trip train to Granada, train in the other direction to Algeciras (not impressive but hostels for 15 euros a night so you could stay over and then visit Gibraltar), a bus trip down to Malaga and the CDS if you must, a bus trip to Grazalema and/or Zahara etc. Frankly you're unlikely to be spending much time on the beach at end of March so enjoy the mountains and cities instead.
Last edited by lis48 on Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

spanish hopes

Postby spanish hopes » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:02 pm

Malaga and the CDS if you must
This anti coast atitude is both snobbish and unhelpful to the questioner. Some people feel that being anywhere but the CDS is a horrific thought.
Each to his or her own but let's not keep running down one part or another just to score brownie points.

MaggieMay
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Postby MaggieMay » Thu Feb 23, 2006 3:23 pm

Well said Spanish Hopes.

Funny, generally you never hear the folks that live on the coast bad mouthing "life inland" or life in the"typical" whatever that is, Spanish village.
I know people that would hate living on the coast and people that would hate living out in the sticks. Both places a lot going for them, and lucky are we that are able to make the choice and go with it.
But there is plenty stunning scenery, culture and history along the coastal resorts too.
I wear it well...........

spanish hopes

Postby spanish hopes » Thu Feb 23, 2006 8:30 pm

Not at all lis48 but I for one get a little tired at the elitists running the coastal areas down all the time. I'm sure they are happy where they live but I just wish they would let us Coasties be happy too. Apologies if I read your post wrong.


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