This Trip report talks about the logistics and the reasons for organizing our 34 nights in Spain as we did. For more details about what we did and how we enjoyed each place, I'll add Trip reports for the various destinations.
Why in January/February?
We live in the Alps and winter is not our favourite time of year there. This was one reason why we decided to visit some cities in Spain in January and February. Another factor was prices – that time of year – between the end of the Christmas/New Year festivities on 6th January and mid February when St Valentines day kicks in, together with Carnival most years (later in 2025) is the cheapest time of year for accommodation. It’s low season for travelling, you can’t get any lower except possibly for mid-November, and the third major motivation was to visit some very popular cities when crowds were as few as possible.
Weather
Our trip lasted 34 nights. Our main concern was the weather but in the end we were lucky. In Madrid it was fantastic – sunny and clear skies although cold at night and early in the morning. We had mild but damp/wet weather in Sevilla and Cordoba, a very chilly wind in Toledo and beautiful sunshine down on the coast. We had chosen the cities of Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba and Toledo because all offered plenty to do inside in the warm and dry if the weather was bad. For us the weather was ok, never bad enough to wish we’d stayed at home. If you plan to travel that time of the year however, make sure your accommodation has ‘proper’ heating – hot air from air conditioning may not be enough unless the building where you are staying is modern and insulated.
Accommodation
In Madrid the aparthotel was new and aircon hot air and a small oilfilled electric radiator were plenty to keep us snug. The apartment in Sevilla was cold and damp and the A/C hot air did very little to warm it up even though it wasn’t that cold outside. It was a chilly and damp week. The aparthotel in Cordoba was fantastic – radiators guests could turn on and off and we were fine. The Toledo apartment was modern with just A/C but we arrived on a Monday just after other guests had left and there were two units – one in the bedroom and one in the living area so it was ok except for the bathroom which was chilly. Down by the sea in Torrevieja heating was provided by various hot air fans and A/C but the electricity went off if we turned on too much. Luckily there was a south facing veranda which warmed the place up during the day. By the time we got to Denia and Valencia it was nearly the middle of February and the weather was good, mild day time temperatures so A/C hot air was enough.
When choosing accommodation we were mindful of the fact that we were staying in cities where Airbnb apartments might be making life hard for the locals. The best solutions were in Madrid and Cordoba – purpose-built studio holiday flats, basically a bedroom with a small kitchen and table for eating. The apartment in Sevilla was an Airbnb through an agency, not an ideal choice, and it was cold and very basic (serves me right?!). In Toledo we went through the only agency which seems to manage most of the apartments. It was in a tastefully rebuilt building with five small apartments. The apartments in Torrevieja and Denia were seaside holiday homes which the family rent when they don’t use them. Valencia was an Airbnb, brand new, ground floor, a converted shop or commercial building or garage, very well equipped and clean but quite a hike from the centre.