Hola,
Looks like my wife and kids will be trying to come to Spain around Around Semana Santa (Mar 31-April 11). Where would be a nice place to go? Mind you, my girls are small, 6 and 3, and we are looking to have a fun bonding time and NOT interested in going through a checklist of famous sites.

I picture one or two places, good weather, strolling at a leisurely pace. Breathing and Viewing the culture rather than beating a path to this place and that place.

We were thinking Andalucia--Cadiz, Granada, Sevilla. I have never been, though my wife is visiting next weekend (sans munchkins) and we will spend three days in Cordoba. I am posting here in the Hotels section, since it sounds like I had better plan muy rapido, but really I am interested in any and all advice for travel to Southern Spain during those weeks. We wish to avoid the throngs and party crowds. At the same time, we have no intention of sequestering ourselves in monastery, no matter how beautiful.

SO from air tickets, to hotels, to cities, to general tips, I seek the collective advice of this board, which I have followed to a "T" since arriving a month ago. Oh, and by the way, we are not loaded, so homey B&B type places oozing with tradition are 1000% better than majestry.

Muchísimas Grácias,
A

Hola
I stayed in a B&B Granada in November. It was called LAGUALUZ in the Albayzin district. Web site www.bbgranada.com
Amazing views of the Alhambra, especially at night when its floodlit. walking distance to Sacromonte caves. Kids would love them.
Bus stop virtually outside, buses every few minutes.
Fernando couldn't have been more helpful, will def stay there on my next visit to Granada.
Also try www.lanierbb.com , looks interesting.
feliz vacs
S

hi! i was studying in Spain last spring semester in Granada, so I was able to see and experience both Granada and Sevilla for Semana Santa. It really is an incredible experience. There were always LOTS of children at the processions. As far as comparing Granada to Sevilla, that is harder to do.

Granada is a little more low key. People arent quite as dressed up, if they are dressed up at all. It is easier to get a good close up look at what is going on as it is not as crowded, and there are not as many tourists. That said, the processions, and events in Granada were still absolutely amazing! They go on pretty much day and night for the week.

Sevilla was a little more elaborate, it is more well known, so there were MUCH bigger crowds and more tourists. So it was harder, and took a lot more planning to get a close look at the processions.People were for the most part more dressed nicely.

As far as lodging... In Granada I had it easy as I was staying with a host family for the semester. In Sevilla, it took forever to find a place and when we finally did (around Feb I think), it was way further out than Id have liked. Do a search and I think you will find my posts on that.

Good Luck!
Kelly

I am an American who has lived in Andalucia twice--one in Sevilla and once in El Puerto de Santa María. I have experienced Semana Santa in both places and both times went to processions with local friends who knew the *right* places to view the processions from.

With small children, I would recommend El Puerto for a couple of reasons. First of all, there are local beaches in walking distance of the downtown. It won't be swimming weather but if it is not windy, it is great to get the little ones out on the beach and let them run off some of that energy. There is also a ferry (boats-a big hit with kids) to Cadíz for a day trip. We have stayed and had friends stay at Hostal Chaikana in Puerto. I think you should be able to find it on the web. Very small rooms (as in most of Europe) but new and modern bathrooms.

Secondly, Puerto has nice Holy Week processions, but they aren't so mobbed that you can't get near them. The crowds in Seville can be overwhelming. We saw a woman walking backwards in front of one of the oncoming floats. It is almost a way to self-hypnotize yourself and can lead to a mystical experiences (so they say). She was nearly crushed between the oncoming procession, the police barracades and the crowd. My husband and I moved the metal barrier and pulled her through. I don't think that she was too appreciative of our efforts. While the intense crowds, the "dancing" floats, and the incense smoke are certainly part of the experience for adults, I think that they might be too overwhelming for kids.

Thirdly, I don't think that Puerto raises prices during Holy Week. It is almost impossible to get even a simple room in a Pension for much less than $100 per night in Seville. We stayed at Hostal Capitol in '95 during Semana Santa. While it was fine for the two of us, I'm not sure I would chose that hotel again now that we have young ones.

Donna