Never had a problem as you describe in forty years. There is many a guide on the web, including that on seat61. A hugely comprehensive and up to date guide is on TripAdvisor.
My afterthought - did you buy your tickets from an agency or from RENFE?

A google gives me this in moments - http://www.upbustleandout.co.uk/1/zahar ... spain.html - last few lines.

Much the same as immediately above. Note - if you go for San Bernardo, you change at Santa Justa for the short journey to S.B.

Why were you unable to purchase? Is this at the station or on-line? Legislation dictates trains will run and for your day only two appear to be a problem on the website.

To repeat mentioned above - muggers are muggers and extremely rarely do muggings happen in Spain compared to the U.S. and other parts of the western world. Pickpockets are a different animal.

Media Distance trains service El Chorro.

'ALSA will only process Spanish credit cards online'.
Have you tried? I had no problem with my British Nationwide VISA card, or perhaps it was Amex, the last time used in April. Additionally there is PayPal.

You may want to visit all these places but you leave yourselves little time to see, do and appreciate with ten days. Sorry, but this is too many places and would be foolishly paced. I suggest you recognize the amount of time spent travelling, from door to door in unfamiliar surroundings and the litt...

Simple. Malaga city eleven minutes by rail from the airport every twenty minutes, except between 2330 and 0520 hours.

'It seems that Alsa buses depart hourly from Granada airport. ' - Unless you can show me some change in the last few days and not yet published on the schedules, certainly not so. 'I will call the other company when I am there for the local details.' - I am puzzled as to what more you would you want...

Between Jaen and Granada is certainly www.alsa.es

And a few moments googling gives this http://martos.es/index.php/tu-ciudad-2/ ... -autobuses

booking.com is one of very few which has reviews from those who have certainly stayed at a premises and no others. i.e. and e.g. on most websites, anyone can slate somewhere or big it up if they have an agenda .

As a guide to taxi fare I work with €1.10 per km. in Spain. Therefore Malaga airport to Estepona about 80kms. x €1.10 plus airport surcharge which I cannot imagine is greater than €10. Double check all that follows. There is a bus direct with AVANZABUS.COM a couple of times a day, which I suggest wo...

Malaga to La Palma - there is no such ferry route.

http://www.thebarefootnomad.com/travel- ... -portugal/

Without knowing what the three of you want to see in this huge area, whether 'home base' is intended to mean you will make day trips from this base and how you wish to travel to and from wherever, I could only say neither are conducive 'to see the south'.

See the guidelines - http://www.green-nomads.com/local-area/natural-parks/

Almost next door to Antequera - Archidona.
http://www.andalucia.com/province/malag ... a/home.htm

If the 'comfort' is a big deal, why not train?

'places of interest in the city' - at least -
The view from the Santa Catalina castillo over the city - you can drive up almost all the way.
The largest Arab bath house remains in Spain.