Spain in the fall

Anna, I cannot answer your question from personal experience (I have only been to one beach in the Canaries), but I understand the desire of a Seattlite for warmth and sunshine in November. Here is a ranking of Canary beaches I found on a UK website: 1. Sotavento on Fuerteventura - endless golden sands, perfect windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions. You'll think you're in the Caribbean here. 2. Playa de Jandia at Morro Jable/Fuerteventura - endless golden sands, ample watersports and stunning backdrop of Jandia mountains. 3. Famara beach, Lanzarote - surfing hotspot, beautiful golden sands, family friendly although a lively swell so watch young children. to be continued. . .

4. Puerto Naos, La Palma - a well kept secret this one. Sublime natural black sandy beach lined with palm trees and a pretty promenade. Whoosing waves making for an adventurous swimming experience. 5. Playa de las Teresitas near San Andres, North Tenerife. The beach of choice for Santa Cruz residents, Teresitas is one of the most beautiful manmade beaches on the planet! 6. Joint six are the beaches at top Lanzarote resort hotspots Costa Teguise and Puerto del Carmen. Both have numerous beaches, many of which are blue flag. Top family amenities too. 7. The best urban beach on the Canaries is to be found alongside Gran Canaria's capital Las Palmas - it's Playa de las Canteras. 8. Back to Fuerteventura, and to the north the stunning beaches of Corralejo to the north are flanked by a sand dune national park. 9. El Medano, Tenerife - pretty cove beaches and excellent kite surfing and windsurfing conditions. 10. Costa Adeje, Tenerife - top of the charts for sheltered family beaches, lively too with plenty of watersports and resort amenities close to hand. Hopefully that will give you some guidance as to which ones are "touristy". Maybe avoid the "resort hotspots"? And here is a website with photos of different beaches: http://www.secretdestinations.com/canaries-beaches.html I have been to Playa de las Canteras, which is beautiful and clean, but the description as an "urban beach" is correct. It is, however, a direct flight from Madrid, so easy to reach.

OK, I'll bite - advice from yet another Seattlite... I would reconsider your plan. Personally, I think Americans make a big mistake if they think they're going to have a great "beach experience" during a trip to Europe. If you want a great beach, go to Mexico or Hawaii. Sure, there are beaches in Europe, but they are not the beautiful, broad swaths of white, sugary sand that Americans dream of, and they have a very different vibe. That said, there are nice beaches on the Canary Islands, but I do not think a side-trip there is worth the time and trouble - that is, unless you have exhausted Europe through your many trips there. My impression of the Canary Islands was quite mixed. Grand Canaria did have some nice beaches, but the place gave me the creeps, with wall-to-wall high rise condos, and sunburned nekkid northern Europeans roasting on the beaches and screaming at each other in German or Swedish. Way overdeveloped and totally crass was my impression. The other islands seemed nicer - the volcanic landscapes of Lanzarotte were interesting, and Fuertaventura had a more relaxed feel (although it was crawling with young German windsurfers that I soon got tired of), but I would not make the effort to go all the way there. Have you seen all of Spain that you ever care to see? If so, then maybe a side trip to a beach makes sense for you. But I'd rather spend my time exploring more of Spain and/or nearby places. I'd consider a side-trip to Morocco before the Canaries. Hope that helps a bit. Sorry if it's not what you wanted to hear.

David's post makes a lot of sense to me. I enjoyed Playa de las Canteras because I was there for a meeting. I would not go out of my way to re-visit. You should be able to find nice weather in southern Spain in November, even if it is not beach weather on the coast.

Anna, one more point: it sounds like your trip will be about 2 and a half weeks (and how many days will you really have there? Be honest, and don't count the day you arrive or the day you leave). Even if you have 2 1/2 weeks, that's actually a pretty short amount of time for a trip to Spain, IMHO. On such a short trip, I'd stick to Spain - there is just so much to see and do there (more than most Americans who have never been there think). If you have been to Spain several times already and have "seen it all" (have you?), then I'd look at other places nearby that make more sense (Portugal, maybe southern France or Morocco). Although I enjoyed my time in the Canary Islands, I don't think it's worth all the time and trouble it would take to get there and back as a side trip from Spain - certainly not if all you really want is to "go to a beach." Hope that helps.

David and Lola,
Thanks for the reply and the reality check. I think I posted the question because I was having doubts so glad to get some good advice. Neither of us have been to Spain and both are looking forward to seeing it. Our one concern was that after a wedding we might want to have a more relaxing vacation as opposed to an adventure. I imagine we'll be able to get some relaxing time in, especially if we build in some down time. Let me know you have any tips for a place that would be good to slow down. We're currently interested in seeing the Basque region as well as Andalucia. Thanks again!

The most relaxing place we stayed on our recent trip was Granada, specifically at the Carmen de Alcubilla de Caracol, on the Alhambra hill. What a peaceful and beautiful place. The Torre room is definitely honeymoon worthy. Read the reviews on Tripadvisor and decide. We spent 3 nights in Granada mainly just enjoying the Alhambra. You can dine on the terrace at the Alhambra parador without staying there, and enjoying the views and the benefits without paying the price. In Sevilla we loved Casa 1800. Again, check out TA reviews. The photos of the view from the roof top terrace at dusk are accurate. We did not visit the white villages or hill towns of Andalucia on the trip, but I imagine they would be very relaxing too. A mix of the energy and buzz of Madrid and/or Barcelona with the smaller and quieter towns would make for a great honeymoon trip. The beach towns of the Mediteranean coast might be quiet in November, but from photos I have seen they are lacking in charm.

Arcos de la Frontera in the white villages of southern spain was lovely and slow paced. We stayed at la Casa Grande. Our double room had a terrace with a fantastic view - just the place to crack a bottle of wine and bask in the sunshine. Hotel el Convento was just next door and looked very nice also. Enjoy your honeymoon in Spain!