Cyprus is great in April!
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Lots of great suggestions, but we got it done, nonrefundable tickets, so we’re going! Three days in Seville, two in Granada, and one in Malaga. Flying into Seville, and out of Malaga, so relatively convenient.
Thank you all! I want to go to all of the places you suggested!
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Sounds like a great getaway. One suggestion–visit the Alhambra in Granada. It’s a must see!!
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I’ll add to this be sure to see it at night. It’s magical.
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Yes, that’s why we booked a hotel in Granada. But that reminds me to reserve some tickets, as apparently that’s essential. And I’ll make sure that we see it at night as @Juno16 recommends.
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@busdriver11, your husband can ask his PCP if he should take a higher dose of blood thinner before his flights to reduce chances of blood clots if he’s had a stroke.
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I won’t offer travel suggestions as you have chosen a lovely place to travel.
My comment is just about payment in Europe. In most of Europe, I almost always carry no or very little cash. I pay everything with my phone using Apple Pay or Google Pay. Works almost everywhere – UK underground, restaurants, etc. At restaurants, they bring the POS machine to your table and you can use your phone to pay. I can’t think of any place where it does not work.
Uber works fine in most of Europe. Not sure about Southern Spain, but you will probably rent a car. If so, do it with a credit card that, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, is primary rather than secondary like most cards are.
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That’s a helpful post. Hubby and I just the other day were wondering if Apple Pay works well in Europe. Can you explain primary/secondary more?
In our case, definitely not going to rent a car, but I put all airline tickets on the card that offered the best reimbursement as far as travel delay, interruption, etc. it starts paying after just a six hour delay, I believe. I’ve not used Apple Pay, though my husband has, but we’ve had good luck with using a Visa chip card and ATMs for cash. Assuming all our hotels will still take Amex, as they’re all Marriott affiliated, but no guarantee. Good to know that Apple Pay is a decent option in Spain.
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@Colorado_mom, secondary insurance means that is secondary to your home automobile insurance policy. So, if you have a problem, the credit card company and your auto insurance company are going to fight about it. You might have to pay the rental car company for it and then wait for reimbursement. Primary insurance means that they will pay directly. I have also used Amex Platinum’s insurance that you can purchase for a fee (like $29 for the trip) that paid immediately when I did have an accident. I think the Amex insurance may have been watered down since I used it as I switched to the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
Both cards incidentally give you lounge access. I travel a ton and lounge access is valuable for me.
@busdriver, I’m sure the Marriott hotels will take Amex. Sometimes in Europe, they want a PIN to go with your chip. You can get a PIN from your card issuer. You don’t need a PIN if you use Apple Pay. Apple Pay can use your Visa, MC and Amex cards.
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Before my daughter spent a month in Europe, I made sure we had set up the PIN for her Platinum card - if only to be able to pull emergency cash from an ATM.
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@busdriver11 Lovenox for me is only for the day of the flight, and maybe one day after if it’s a long haul.
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Yeah, will ask his PCP about that. The thing is, he has only had “aggravated” blood clots, I think that’s what they call it. Blood clots for a reason, not a clotting disorder, in fact the hematologist thought he could probably go off the blood thinners unless he was flying. But I’m just so freaked out about a knee replacement, and long flights after his history. Definitely going to ask. But hoping it’s not the Lovenox shot where I’d have to give it to him. Ugh, I hate doing that.
@busdriver11 how was your trip? I’m in exploring ideas for a late spring 2024 trip. One of my ideas is Andalusia. Our last trip to Italy we rented a car but I’m sure my husband would prefer to not have a car. Another idea I have is the French Basque region. Or totally switch the plan from that part of Europe to Puglia,Italy.
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We went to Sevilla and had a lovely trip. Cordoba is a MUST. We took the train, booked ahead online. It was such an easy trip. The Mezqutia is amazing and we had a great tour in English by eventtourcordoba.es
We never made it to Grenada but it sounds fantastic.
We had a wonderful Tapas tour with Ivan [genuineandalusia.com/ ivan-ricoy/] in Sevilla.
Have a great trip.
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Our trip was great! Just a short, one week mileage run to Spain. Probably too short, really. No reason to rent a car (stress), train travel is easy in Spain. Food was delicious and so cheap. We went to Seville, Grenada and Malaga.
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So glad you had a good trip, @busdriver11 ! DH and I took S24 to Seville for a week in April 2023 and we loved it too.
We rented a VRBO apartment in the Santa Cruz neighborhood. We could walk to all the sights in Seville. Lovely and interesting! Outside of Seville, we spent a morning in Itálica (well-preserved ruins of a Roman town), one day in Cordoba, and two days (one night) at the Alhambra. We got everywhere by train and occasional taxi.
We found local tour guides who did private tours on Trip Advisor for the Alhambra and the Cathedral/Alcazar. Both women were excellent! I could give tour guide names in PM.
To get there, we flew into Madrid (nonstop), arriving early morning. We put our luggage in a locker, and went to the Prado. Then, we had lunch and walked in El Retiro park before retrieving the luggage and taking the train to Seville. This was a long day, but it was very sunny out which kept us awake until the train! Flights out leave in the morning, so we spent the night before in an airport hotel.
For a little more info, S24 is a great traveler who will eat anything and loves to explore on foot. We are all history buffs. I speak passable Spanish, so that enhanced the trip for me, and DH and S24 have also studied it. Since we were outside for the majority of every day, the dry, sunny weather was key. We were also there for part of Holy Week, which was amazing.
Hope this is helpful to those considering a trip to Andalusia!
If the tulips were blooming at that time, I would go to the Netherlands.
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Switzerland.
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