Which Marriott in Spain??

ilene13 said:

We are leaving for Spain in 1.5 weeks. We are starting off in Barcelona and then we are flying to Granada. We are picking up a car there and after a night in the Alahambra we are driving to Marbella for a week. The MVCI in Marbella has sent me a 24 page document of day trips/ tours. Some we will do on our own and some we will book. We will then drive to Madrid for our last 4 days. So we are renting a car but not for the whole trip.

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That sounds like an awesome itinerary.

Enjoy!!!!

Thanks, I am retiring next week and it's a retirement gift to myself!

ilene13 said:

Thanks, I am retiring next week and it's a retirement gift to myself!

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Congrats!!! Way to treat yourself right!!!

Sounds like you have a great trip planned ilene13. Was the info from Playa Andaluza or Marbella Beach Club? I spoke with Playa this morning but the web site they directed me to was not a good link and I was not able to get any information.
I would also appreciate any more suggestions regarding renting a car or using other transport. Thanks.

In Spain and Portugal, we have found the driving easy, and use CarJet.com. All insurances are included. iirc, the last one came from the Budget desk at Lisbon. They use the major car rental providors. If you choose to go to The Alhambra, book it before you get to Spain.

Jim

javabean said:

Sounds like you have a great trip planned ilene13. Was the info from Playa Andaluza or Marbella Beach Club? I spoke with Playa this morning but the web site they directed me to was not a good link and I was not able to get any information.
I would also appreciate any more suggestions regarding renting a car or using other transport. Thanks.

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Marbella beach Club. They also sent me 4 pages of restaurants. Send me a PM with your private email and I will forward them to you on Sunday as I am currently out of town.

ilene13 said:

We are leaving for Spain in 1.5 weeks. We are starting off in Barcelona and then we are flying to Granada. We are picking up a car there and after a night in the Alahambra we are driving to Marbella for a week. The MVCI in Marbella has sent me a 24 page document of day trips/ tours. Some we will do on our own and some we will book. We will then drive to Madrid for our last 4 days. So we are renting a car but not for the whole trip.

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We're planning a trip virtually identical to yours, a year from now (Sept), beginning in Barcelona. I'd really appreciate your impressions, travel tips, and suggestions when you return! Right now we're struggling with whether to include Son Antem in our exchange request, in addition to Marbella. We've never been to Spain, so everything will be a new experience. Both sound lovely! Would you seasoned Tug Travelers suggest that if we want to spend 2 or 3 days in Madrid that we focus solely on Marbella and save Son Antem for a future trip? Thanks!

What a great trip you are taking. Our daughter lives in Barcelona and we have been there a handful of times (it's a long way to go for a hug, but worth the trip). Barcelona is great and October is a wonderful time of year to be there. I can't speak for any other part of Spain but if you have any questions about what to see and do in Barcelona I'll be glad to try and help. We stay at our daughter's and only have limited hotel experience.

lablover said:

Would you seasoned Tug Travelers suggest that if we want to spend 2 or 3 days in Madrid that we focus solely on Marbella and save Son Antem for a future trip? Thanks!

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It wouldn't be too big an issue if you were to choose Son Antem. If you were going to fly from Madrid to Malaga in order to get to Marbella then there's no reason not to fly to Palma to get to Son Antem. Of course if you were going to drive or take the train then Son Antem would also require a ferry crossing so it depends on how much travelling you're prepared to undertake.

The other consideration would be how much you intend to see of the local area. There are many 'must see' trips that can be taken from Marbella whereas in Son Antem you're pretty much restricted to Mallorca and perhaps neighbouring Menorca, both of which have plenty to offer in terms of sightseeing just not the big ones such as Ronda, Seville, Granada etc.

Son Antem is one of our favourite resorts but we like to enjoy it as a resort rather than as a base for exploring with the exception of trips to nearby Aqualand!

If your intention is to see as much of Spain as you can then I would opt for Marbella or Playa Andaluza and leave Son Antem for a future leisurely sun filled break.

I would agree, save Son Antem for a future trip.
Majorca is a beautiful island, Palma a great city, Deia / Valledemossa... really nice villages, Tramuntana mountains spectacular, plenty of good beaches and coves...I could go on.
The resort itself is primarily a wonderful place to chill out and relax though and if you want to enjoy all the other places you need to allow a fair number of days to do it justice.

Thank you both, for your most helpful information! You've clarified things greatly, and as wonderful as Son Antem sounds I think that we'll save it for our next trip. Thanks, again, for taking the time to respond!