Andalusia in January
Replies: 16 - Last Post: Dec 5, 2012 10:48 AM Last Post By: robertlloyd
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Andalusia in January
My husband and I will be flying into Sevilla January 4th and will have 7 days. Our plan is to rent a car and go see Spain. My question is if we do not book rooms ahead will we be safe to plan on finding clean hotels along the way? We do not need fancy, but clean is good. We are cattle ranchers from the western US and are more interested in rural Spain and small towns. We like history and plan to spend one day going to Merida. I am also interested in trips to some of the Pueblos Blancos also. So is my plan crazy? I am happy for any advice you have.1
Spain isn't my best subject but one thing I do know is you need to have an IDP...some European countries don't require them, but they are needed in Spain.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Driving_Permit
AAA can provide on for a low fee. There are stories of people who have been to Spain many times and not needed it, but since it's the law, better to spend a little and be prepared.
Hope you have a great time!
2
(stifling stories)Back in Austin, I saw a big pick-up, with an Austrlian map decal, in the window. I yelled something indicating that I was a former Aus. resident,
Turns out, the older couple were from a tiny farming community, in Queensland. Our yank big cities scared them. So they were looking for towns of the same name as their's.
They'd been to 4 so far.
Serendipity; they were all small farm comunities.
We all travel for our own reasons. Serendipity has served me better, than any plan I started with.
money belts do not detract from macho..
My Rick Steves money belt has served me for ten years. Washable. Saved assets and all fixtures, 3 times that I know of.m I'm a 72 yr backpacker and merchant mariner. I use a money belt that holds passport.
I think you're smart for not booking ahead. I only prebook for my first night on a continent.
4
Some small towns and villages have very few accomodations available. It shouldn't be a problem though as you'll have a car so if you don't find an OK accomodation (for you) in one of them you can go to another one... The weekend will be more busy so it could be a good idea to look for your accomodation earlier than other days. In fact as those will be your first days in Spain it could be a good idea to book your accomodation in advance (e.g.: in Sevilla).Regarding your plan it's difficult to say if it's crazy or not as we don't have many details about it. Mérida seems a detour from the rest of your route though. Do you plan to visit the city of Sevilla? It would be a pity to miss it if you don't know it.
5
I second Anillos and can just add that Spanish hotels are usually very clean.Merida is fine. So are the other towns further north: Caceres, Salamanca, Ciudad Rodriguez ....(I suppose you know that it can get really cold there, in January).
But I fear that you have not time for all that. Even if you prefer small places, you shouldn't miss the visit of Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada, the real gems of Andalucia. That alone, may be combined with the pueblos blancos and Ronda, can easily take a whole week.
6
I forgot to say that Mérida isn't in Andalucía but in Extremadura.So are the other towns further north: Caceres, Salamanca, Ciudad Rodriguez ....
I doubt the OP wants to go to those beautiful places because neither of them is in Andalucía and the OP asked for info about Andalucía. Just in case it was useful, Cáceres is in Extremadura and Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo (btw note spelling) are in Castilla y León (Castile and Leon if you translate it to English).
you shouldn't miss the visit of Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada, the real gems of Andalucia. That alone, may be combined with the pueblos blancos and Ronda, can easily take a whole week.
In fact, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada and (some of) the pueblos blancos would be too much for a single week.
9
I live in a white village/pueblo blanco near Ronda, Andalucía. If you think I can be of any help, send me a Private Message. I no longer post detailed replies on public travel forums. There are too many posters who never return.Maybe you are one of those people, maybe not. However it has now been two days since we last heard from you, so you will have to excuse me if I take the same amount of time to reply.
13
I am not one of the posters! My real life just got in the way of trip planning for a short time :-). Tony I am very, very interested in any and all help and advice you could give me! And I very much appreciate all of the advice I have already received. We are going to be Andalucia for the epiphany on January 5 and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on wether we should stay in Sevilla for their parade, or if another location would be as good or better.
