We're back from our trip--and I wanted to post several things while they are fresh on my mind.
First, thank you to all of you who answered my questions--I used many of your suggestions and our trip went without a hitch.
Second, we discovered a young start-up company in Ronda (and they tell me that Rick Steves has discovered them, too, and that they will appear in the next Spain book) called Entrelenguas. I found them by googling "tour of white hill towns" (or something like that) and we ended up doing two tours with Alex, one of the owners of the business. One was a walking tour of Ronda, and the other was a private tour of some of the hill towns with him, in his car, with him driving--eliminating our need to rent a car. It was FABULOUS!!! It was a 6-hour tour, which ended up being almost 8 hours--because we were having fun, not rushing, but seeing quite a bit--and Alex is so generous. The company offers all kinds of activities to enhance your stay there: Spanish language classes, cultural events, cooking classes, musical events, tours of the area. I cannot recommend them highly enough. These young people are doing something so valuable--it does not surprise me that Rick S has found them. It is a perfect match. Here's the website: http://entrelenguas.es/
We loved Ronda so much that we are seriously considering going back for at least a week.
Third, we used AirB&B for our stays in Cordoba, Ronda, and Seville--each apartment better than the next, and so comfortable and well located, and inexpensive. In Granada we stayed at Hotel America, on the Alhambra grounds. Very quirky place. But in the end we did find it wonderfully convenient.
Twelve nights in Spain and not one drop of rain. Temperatures were the best. It was a great time to visit that part of Spain: late March/early April.
Thanks again to everyone!