I'm looking for a place for five preferably on or near beach. The plan is to spend a couple of days 12/22-12/24 or 26 in Madrid and then go south 12/26-12/30. Last night 12/30 in Madrid. We know this is covering alot of territory in very little time but it's all we have. Our three kids want to be someplace warm but also want to see Granada (Córdoba). Any suggestions.

Casa Nº 6 in El Puerto De Santa Maria is wonderful. It is easy to do daytrips to nearby cities. They have large family rooms and include a continental breakfast.

You could try Malaga. Apart from its own attractions (including a beach), it has great connections to Granada and Cordoba, and can be easily reached by direct train from Madrid. It has a very good climate, and even in the middle of winter you're likely to find warm, sunny weather. It's also very Spanish, and not terribly affected by tourism (despite being the "capital of the Costa del Sol"). I would stay somewhere in reach of the Paseo Maritimo (P.R. Picasso), e.g., Hotel Las Vegas, or Hotel California.

If you can get try Alex Sawday's book : "Soecial Places to stay in Spain & Portugal" - plenty of options.

We drove to Costa del sol from Jerez after the world euestrian games and stopped at Marbella, we walked in off the street and got a booking, at a place called puoto Azzura, apartment Hotel, it was right on the water with big balconies overlooking the promenarde and beach, there are lots of fun things to do, and prices are reasonable, indeed the cheapest and best accommodation we had, and freindly english speaking staff. You will like Granada, it was a suprise really, it is hard to get into the Palace at the Alhambra, so check carefully, and pre book.

Last week we took the RENFE out of Malaga to Seville. We took a wrong turn an spent an hour cruising the streets of Malaga. Let me put it this way. Detroit and Newark as I remember them during the 60´s riots had more charm and appeal than Malaga... or at least the parts we saw enroute to the train station.

Hmm.... take a wrong turn in Sevilla, Granada, Madrid, Paris, London etc and you will probably see what you did in Malaga, Bill. Malaga has a long way to go in terms of its tourism, but it also has a lot going for it too.

I wouldn't walk the streets around King's Cross station in London, but there are a few nice bits in that city too. Sorry you didn't turn "the right way". I'll post the link again to show you what you missed... http://www.altur.com/eng/pmalaga/malaga/virtwalk.shtml

Hola Bill, I must agree with Anchovy, you really did miss all the great things Malaga has to offer! For example, the Cathedral, birthplace of of Picasso, view of the harbour and bull ring from the top of the Mount, the old Roman theatre not to mention the very old Moorish gates to the market. Maybe next time you are in Malaga you will have more time to have a good look around.