My wife, son and I are planning a trip to Southern Spain this April 11-19. We are staying at a Marriott Vacation resort in Malaga. In addition to touring Malaga, we would like to experience more of the region. We plan to rent a car during our stay. My wife gets motion sickness when we are driving on winding roads. As a result, we try to avoid high elevation and zig zagging coastal roads. What are some must do same day trips we can take from Malaga that take her situation into consideration? Can Seville be done as a same day trip or should we try to 1-2 nights to our trip and fly back home from Seville?
Posted by
9802 posts
You need at least 3 days to see Seville properly. I would rate Seville a 5 star and Malaga 3.5.
If you stay in Malaga, consider Rhonda.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5939 posts
You're either staying at Marriott's Playa Andaluza or Marriott's Marbella Beach Resort, neither of which are in Malaga but are an hour or 45 minute drive away respectively.
Malaga itself is a great city to visit and is a straight forward drive from either resort. Parking is best in one of the many underground car parks but be aware that the parking spaces are quite small as they were designed for smaller cars.
Marbella is a pleasant town to walk around with its superb tree lined boulevards and winding streets of the old town. Both resorts are close and driving is the fastest and best method to get there. Again, parking is best in underground lots.
Estepona is a lovely, traditional and unspoilt town on the beach with a wonderful old town full of streets of beautiful whitewashed houses adorned with pots of begonias and other flowers. It's closer to Playa Andaluza and can be reached within 15 minutes by car.
Ronda is a delightful town however it is in the mountains and the roads to get there are very winding with plenty of impatient locals tailgating and overtaking recklessly. My wife refuses to go there because of this and I suspect it would not be enjoyable for your wife.
Nerja is a popular destination with most people visiting the caves which I recommend followed by lunch somewhere on the Balcón de Europa, a popular spot with incredible views of the Mediterranean.
Gibraltar is an easy drive with most visitors taking the cable car or a guided taxi tour to the top of the Rock. There are some interesting defensive tunnels built by the British to help defend the strategically import Strait of Gibraltar. If you do decide to visit then I recommend parking on the Spanish side of the border and crossing into Gibraltar on foot. There's an underground car park about five minutes walk from the border.
Granada can be visited in a day albeit a long one. The drive is a little over two hours and the obvious attraction is the Alhambra. Be mindful that tickets sell out well in advance. Both resorts usually offer guided tours from the resort to the Alhambra but these should be arranged well ahead of your arrival. If you're interested then I'd recommend contacting the resort now to arrange it.
Seville takes about three hours one way so it's not really an option as a day trip and you may want to consider keeping it for the end of your trip and fly home from Seville.
We own at Playa Andaluza and have done for many years so the area is quite familiar. Nowadays we spend most of the time relaxing at the resort and pop out to some of our favourite restaurants and shops in Estepona, Benahavis, Marbella and Malaga.
Posted by
6627 posts
Have you mapped it? It’s two hours plus each way, not a day trip.
Antequera is an easy day trip.