Andalucia in late December

How do you plan on travelling from Barcelona to Granada?

The weather in Andalucia in December can vary from heavy rain to sunny and lovely. Generally speaking, the difference between the climate on the coast, (e.g. Málaga) and inland (e.g. Seville) is that the coastal towns get a bit milder weather. Grazalema and Alpujarras being in the mountains, will be cooler but will not necessarily have "worse" weather for walking, unless it´s raining which can happen in all of Andalucia in December.

Good website to check for weather forecast is eltiempo.es, I find it to be reliable, especially for 3 days in advance. Anything over a week away can change form day to day.

Grazalema does get snow and roads can be snowed in, however only occassionally and for short periods of time. The amount of snow is not comparable with what you would get in colder northern climates in a mountain village in winter.

I cannot speak for Alpujarras from my experience, but I believe the mountains there get a bit snowier than in Grazalema.

Walking in Grazalema in winter can be very pleasurable, you´d need to check the forecast in advance and in case of rain, have an alternative plan e.g. Ronda, Seville, Arcos or Jerez.

Jerez is a lovely place but requires a bit of research or a visit to its tourist office in order to fully enjoy the town´s treasures. Apart from obvious attractions like the big name bodegas and the dancing horse show there are scores of small cultural events and nooks and crannnies to discover.

As you would be flying out of Málaga - why not spend some time there? There are many things to do in Málaga, from museums to the El Palo fish restaurants and maybe a trip to Montes de Málaga for a bit of walking?

If you´d like to discuss more options, please respond to our posts first so that we can see you´re still reading this thread.

Granada is likely to be FREEZING, so dress accordingly! I would agree that Malaga deserves some time - a lovely city. Similarly, Cadiz is hugely atmospheric, full of great food and to my mind slightly more relaxed and welcoming than Jerez.

I agree with Drush and would take Cadiz over Jerez any day if you had to choose.
Also, I forgot to mention that the Spanish for agristurismo is casa rural. Casas rurales are often a better choice over regular hotels whenever possible. I can recommend some of them once you have made a commitment to a destination.

Useful site http://www.toprural.com/

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. In response to the earlier question, we plan to fly from Barcelona to Andalucia.

Based on what I've read at this point, it sounds like Grazalema would be great if the weather is okay. Otherwise, Arcos and Ronda both sound really nice. Of course, we could be swayed if people think there are towns that would be nicer. Cadiz sounds great but I think after five days in Barcelona we'll feel like being in the countryside as opposed to in larger cities.

Given that we'll be there between Christmas and New Years, the availability of accomodations might be the deciding factor for where we go.

Any recommendations for casas rurales (or other lodging that folks like) in these places would be greatly appreciated! Also, in case it makes a difference, we speak Spanish so going off the beaten path shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks!

I´ve spent quite a bit of time in both Ronda and Arcos; Ronda gets my vote every time. In fact, if you went from Ronda to Arcos I´m sure that the latter would be a bit of an anticlimax. Ronda is small enough to be peaceful, especially in the evenings: population 35,000. Dozens of places to eat and drink. The nice thing about basing yourselves in Ronda is that there are things to do there even if the weather is unkind.

You´re right about the availability of accommodation. Many rural hotels close over the winter months, including the one in my signature line. If you´re going to rent a car, you have a lot more flexibility regarding where to stay.

Grazalema itself is a lovely village and I can unreservedly recommend La Mejorana; wonderful value for money and the bedrooms ooze charm. They don´t have a restaurant so you are free to eat when and where you like. There are several places that serve food in the village.

Another place in Grazalema that has a very good reputation is Casa de las Piedras. I´ve never stayed there but have met people who have and they all said how good it is. They have apartments too.

In Ronda I always recommend the Hotel San Gabriel because it´s an absolute gem in a fabulous location and it´s owned by a lovely Spanish family: English is spoken there too. One of the owner´s sons is very knowledgeable about the surrounding mountains and the wildlife. You can always try for a discount for a stay of 5 nights but if that´s too expensive, there´s the Hotel Ronda which is also in a great location and comes highly recommended.

Try http://www.booking.com/: it´s an excellent source of discounted rooms. You can even use the rates on that website to negotiate a better deal if you approach the hotel direct. Hotels have to pay booking.com a commission if you book through that website. You can trust the reviews. You have to have stayed at the hotel in question before being invited to submit a review, unlike another famous (infamous?) review-based website whose reviews I never trust.

If you need any help with contacting them for opening dates, post on here and I´ll phone them up for you.

La Mejorana is probably the best choice for Grazalema, however - what´s your budget?

Our budget is fairly flexible - expensive places are an option, although not necessary for us.

We're leaning towards Ronda, as it's closer to Granada (where we arrive) and Malaga (where we depart). The tentative plan:

Day 1 - fly from Barcelona to Granada, where we're tentatively booked at the Santa Isabela hotel.
Day 2 - morning in Granada, then travel to Ronda - tentatively booked in Hotel Montelirio (the only place so far where we could find a vacancy)
Day 3 - Ronda
Day 4 - travel to Malaga
Day 5 - fly from Malaga to Barcelona

Does this seem like a good way to spend the five days? Should we have less time in one place and more in another? And of course, any recommendations for lodging would be appreciated as many places are already full! (We will be there between Christmas and New Year's).

Thanks again.

There is very little wrong with Montelirio. It´s superbly located and the staff are friendly.
Two things I would suggest: do not eat at their restaurant as it is overpriced (normal for hotels in the center of Ronda) unless you´re feeling lazy and don´t want to move. The food is OK apparently but not fantastic considering the price.

If you can, contact the hotel and ask if they have rooms with a view and not on the street side.

Parking is quite difficult, please contact the hotel and let them explain it to you. Also, do not rely on signs to the hotel to get there, you will get frustrated. You will need to know exactly how to plot your way using a map or GPS to drive through the center of Ronda and into the parking, this way you will save yourself some stress.

I checked availibility for your dates in Ronda and there isn´t much so I would stay with Montelirio.

Food in Ronda: the closer to the gorge (El Tajo and Puente Nuevo) or the main square (Plaza El Socorro) you are, the more tourist traps. There are some notable exceptions:
Bodega El Socorro run by father and son - not super cheap but delicious and honest
Bar Maestro on the Calle Espinel (main walking street) very fresh tapas, the place has been run by the same family since 1950´s, standing room only and you can
point at what you want at the bar which is great!

Further away in the lovely San Francisco neighbourhood: Bodega San Francisco (NOT Restaurante San Francisco) - excellent home made food at good prices and good service. tapas downstairs and dining room upstairs.

Bar Benito - good food, right behing Bodega San Francisco, it is open on Thursdays when Bodega closes.

Across the street from Bodega is Almocobar - more upmarket with arabic influences, gets great reviews.

Places to avoid at all cost: the quite famous Pedro Romero restaurant across the bullring is well known for fleecing tourists.Any of the small places around Plaza del Socorro overcharge notoriously.

I hope that doesn´t put you off - Ronda, though it can get touristy in the mornings is a lovely town. Tourists mill about the famous bridge and go back to their tour bus :))

There are fabulous little corners in Ronda, and several beautiful walks (ask Tony)
Also, you can easily make a day trip to Grazalema (an hour´s drive max) and other small villages. There are Roman ruins (Acinipo) on top of a hil with great views, only a few kilometers away, and you can taste and get to know the (getting more and more famous) Ronda wines.