YourAndalucia

Choosing Your Destination

Choosing Your Destination

But how do you choose an area?

If you think that Andalucia is more than half the size of England then you can see that you have to pick an area carefully or be willing to spend a lot of time travelling. Andalucia covers the whole of the southern coast of Spain and visiting Andalucia is not like visiting Cornwall or Devon, you simply can't travel around the whole region in a week!

Use this website, magazines and guidebooks to research different parts of Andalucia to see which areas offer the attractions and activities you're interested in.

Many areas have a wide range of attractions - for example, we live in the Almeria mountains with the Costa de Almeria just over an hour away, Granada city just over an hour away, Almeria city under two hours away, mountain scenery on our doorstep, natural parks nearby etc. etc. We could be sunbathing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon!

The Language

If you don't know much Spanish and aren't willing to learn, it may be best to stick to coastal areas, such as the Costa del Sol, where there are English communities and lots of English speakers in restaurants and shops. If you're willing to give Spanish a go, then the whole region is open to you!

Unlike the Costa Blanca region, where Catalan is often the first language of inhabitants, Castillian (castellano) or “normal” Spanish is spoken in Andalucia. However, Andaluz Spanish is a bit like Geordie English and you may have to listen carefully because the accent is broad and letters are missed out all over the place! Equip yourself with a dictionary and a smile and you'll be fine – the Spanish people are warm and friendly, and always willing to help.

When to Visit

When to Visit

Andalucia is a beautiful region all year round but you obviously need to choose the time of year that suits you best.
As far as climate is concerned, coastal areas tend to be warm all year round and you will be able to sunbathe and enjoy outdoor activities even in the winter. Inland and mountain areas tend to be cooler, particularly between November and February, and can even have snow, but rain is rather rare.

If you are visiting Andalucia in the school summer holidays, you should be prepared for the heat. We once went round the Alhambra in August and it was over 40ºC! Most hotels, villas and apartments will have aircon, so make the most of it, but you should keep yourself well hydrated and stay out of the midday sun. Do as the Spaniards do and have a siesta in the afternoons.

Different parts of the year have different attractions. You might want to visit Seville at Easter to see the Semana Santa (Holy Week) parades. You might want to see the almond blossom on the sierras and countryside of inland Andalucia in early February. It's up to you, but I can guarantee that you'll enjoy an Andalucia holiday at any time of year.

Airports and Flights

The easiest way to get to Andalucia is by air and the main airports in the region are:-

• Malaga (AGP)
• Granada (GRX)
• Almeria (LEI)
• Seville (SVQ)

If you are going to Almeria, you can also use Alicante Airport (ALC) at El Altet or Murcia Airport (MJV) at San Javier. Both airports are under three hours away from most Almeria towns.

All the airports mentioned have a good choice of flights and airlines, including the budget airlines.

Lastminute.com have got a great search facility for flights and also for flight+hotel,hotel only, car hire and holiday packages. You can find great last minute offers through them and low prices when you book in advance too.

Skyscanner is the perfect website to find a cheap flight. Using their search tool you can pick specific airports, or simply type in UK to Spain, and you can look at flights for a whole month so that you can pick the cheapest days to fly. Skyscanner cover all the airlines you can think of and all of the airports. 

Thomson do flights, holidays, car hire and hotels, and you can book a package or just the bits that suit you.

Other Ways to Get to Andalucia

Some people like to take their own car and so either take a ferry from Portsmouth (or Plymouth) to Santander or Portsmouth to Bilbao, and then travel down through Spain. You could easily break this journey up by staying a night or two around Madrid.

P&O Ferries and Brittany Ferries do crossings from the UK to Spain. 

Another option is to take the ferry or tunnel to France and travel through France. It's a long way but is great for those who like to be on the road seeing lots of new places.

You can also get to the main cities of Andalucia by train, using the Spanish R.E.N.F.E network. See www.renfe.es/atencion_cliente/index.html for more information.

Car Hire

Car Hire

To really make the most of your Andalucia holiday, you will want your own transport. Public transport is excellent in cities, but is sadly lacking in rural areas.

Shop around for rental cars and pick a company that has an office at, or near, the airport that you're flying into. Make sure that your car has aircon (you'll need it!) and that it's big enough – the amount of times we've tried to save money by booking the smallest possible economy car and then struggled fitting the luggage for a family of 5 in it!

There are plenty of car hire companies serving the Andalucia airports and cities, so you'll be spoiled for choice. To give you an idea of prices, I did a search for an economy class of car for August (peak holiday time) at Malaga Airport for 1 week, and here are the results:-

• Easycar – Ford Ka or similar (3 door) £84.07, Vauxhall Corsa or similar (4 door) £88.24
• Europcar – Kia Picanto £172.10, Seat ibiza £192.97
• Budget – Corsa or similar (2 door) £137.35, Clio (4 door) £147.55
• Aurigacrown – Ford Ka or similar €149 (around £132), Fiesta or similar €152 (£135)
• Goldcar – Ford Ka or similar €159 (£141), Toyota Yaris (4 door) €163 (£144)
• Thomsoncar – Ford Ka or similar £94.00, Clio or similar (4 door) £100.92
• Lastminute.com – Ford Ka or similar £94.00, Clio or similar (4 door) £105.00

Remember to book optional extras like booster seats and baby seats as part of your booking because it can be expensive to add these later.

Also remember to drive on the right!

Accomodation

Accommodation

Andalucia is a popular tourist destination so there is a wide range of holiday accommodation on offer, particularly in the cities or on the coast.

If you want a city break or long weekend, then an Andalucia hotel will be the ideal choice for your holiday. However, if you want a longer holiday, or you are a family or large party, you may want to consider renting a self catering apartment or choosing a villa rental. If you're on a budget, you may want to consider an all-inclusive hotel, so that all your food and entertainment is already paid for, or you could choose a lower star hotel (2 or 3 star) or an inland villa or apartment.

Whatever type of accommodation you go for, make sure that it has the facilities you need. If it's not near the sea, does it have a pool? Are there shops and attractions nearby? Restaurants or supermarkets nearby? How far is it from the airport? Is there a balcony or terrace?

Use any of the banners below to browse Andalucia hotels, villas and apartments, and to compare prices - shopping around can save you thousands off your Andalucia holiday.

If you are interested in booking a villa or apartment directly from the owner, you can look at our holiday rentals page or go to www.ownersdirect.co.uk

What to Bring

Over the years, you will have probably made a holiday packing list and know what to pack for a holiday, but, if you haven't , you can use sites like www.dontforgetyourtoothbrush.com to make a list.
What other things do you need?

• Travel insurance – Make sure that you have some type of travel insurance to protect you on holiday.
• EHIC European Health Insurance Card – You never know when you're going to need medical attention abroad, so please make sure that you apply for this free card before you travel. Click here to apply online.
• Driving licence – You will need both your card and paper version to be able to hire a car.
• Passport – Obviously you need a passport to enter Spain, but you should also carry it with you at all times for identification. You will also need to show your passport when you pay by credit card in shops.
• Address book – For postcards
• Paperwork - Your tickets and flight details, car hire details, hotel booking information etc.
• Map – A road atlas is useful if you are going to be driving around a lot or you can plan out journeys on www.viamichelin.com before you leave.
• Money – Spain uses euros, not pesetas anymore, so you will need some euros and/or your credit card and travellers' cheques. You should be able to use your credit card in ATMs in Spain but there will be charges for taking cash out. We tend to use Servired machines. Banks tend to be open 9am-2pm.
• First aid kit
• Phrase book or pocket dictionary

Holiday Safety

Spain is a safe country and there are no real risks to holiday makers, apart from the usual pick pockets and bag snatchers that you may find in busy coastal resorts and cities – just like anywhere. Take all the usual precautions you would normally take on holiday.

Shopping

Spain has its fair share of supermarkets and chainstores, and there are chains you will recognise – Carrefour, Lidls, Dorothy Perkins, the Body Shop, H & M, Benetton etc. As far as supermarkets are concerned, popular supermarkets are Upper, El Arbol, Mercadona, Consum, Dia, Lidls, Carrefour, Al Campo and Erosky are the main ones.

Some of the city shops keep trading all day, but in smaller towns and resorts, you will find that shops close at lunchtime and then reopen in the evenings. Shops also tend to be closed on Sundays and some are closed on Saturday afternoons and evenings.

Anything Else?

If I've missed out anything or there's something you'd like to know, please use either the forum or contact page – we're happy to help.