Have you been to Marriott's Playa Andaluza?

[myoakley]

We are going to Playa Andaluza next month, and I have a few questions for anyone who has been there.
Will we be asked our unit preference? And, if so, what should we request?
Are there grocery stores nearby? within walking distance?
Is is feasible to do day trips to Sevilla, to Cordoba, and to Granada? We were told that there is an in-house travel agent who arranges tours. Has anyone used them? Is it better to do this ourselves with a rental car? (We are senior citizens.)
Any other advice or suggestions you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Judy

 

[Fairwinds]

Granada is a yes 2 hrs. I did a trip to Sevilla but made it an overnight. It's a longer drive. I didn't make Córdoba. Only been once and don't remember the best room requests or places to shop

 

[bazzap]

We are going to Playa Andaluza next month, and I have a few questions for anyone who has been there.
Will we be asked our unit preference? And, if so, what should we request?
Are there grocery stores nearby? within walking distance?
Is is feasible to do day trips to Sevilla, to Cordoba, and to Granada? We were told that there is an in-house travel agent who arranges tours. Has anyone used them? Is it better to do this ourselves with a rental car? (We are senior citizens.)
Any other advice or suggestions you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Judy

Playa Andaluza is a relatively small resort and all views are good.
We own sea front, but there are very few of these and you are unlikely to get one as an Interval exchange and would be lucky to find one available as a DC points reservation.
Probably your best options are to request high/low floor, West/East facing (dependent on whether you prefer morning or evening sun) and perhaps near to the sea.
There is a reasonably good discount Aldi supermarket now a very close walk from the resort.
The day trips you mention are feasible with perhaps a 2 hours drive.
The resort will arrange trips for you and they have a list of these available which the pre-arrivals team will send you.
Have a good time.

 

[newportbeach]

We own there. I avoid driving in foreign countries as my age progresses. Simply put a new environment, a different style of highway design, on ramps and off ramps, left turn lanes or the lack thereof all cause me anxiety.
Organized tours whether by a private driver, or a tour bus arranged by the hotel works out fine for me. Either Andaluza or Marbella has a beach side restaurant located within 500 yrds of the property on the water which was
wonderful. We ate there twice and wished we had 5x. Enjoy your trip. By the way, the high speed train to Madrid is a must in my book, but book 1st class or business for $40 instead of $25, and leave a few days to see the
wonders of Madrid. I was so impressed.

 

[taterhed]

I second much of the above....

Driving is quite easy in the area, but it is different...just as many states in the US have different merges, onramps etc...
It does rain in Spain (not just on the plains) and the traffic and roads can get quite complicated during heavy storms.
The sights which are 2 hours away on motorways might be better seen by touring coach (bus) than car. It's a bit difficult to enjoy the scenery and the wine (mostly the wine) when driving the car long distances. We were very surprised ( in early OCT) by the number of sold-out attractions at the 1-2 week out point. So, book early--this is just for admission, not tours etc.

It's a wonderful place and we really enjoyed driving to the smaller villages and wineries and seeing the sights.
Really consider taking the 1st class high-speed train when you fly out. It's wonderful. Cheap 1st class fares sell-out early.

 

[PrairieGirl]

We loved Playa Andaluza. The rooms were wonderful, the view from the balconies are all great, the grounds are absolutely lovely and the staff is super. The concierge desk can book any excursion you would like to take and will provide you with great directions to anywhere that you would like to travel if you are driving. We were there 2 years ago, and if Orneilia is still there you will be very pleased with her helpful attitude and great knowledge. And her friendly smile!

I walked to the local supermarket with ease (Aldi, I think), but I'm a fairly serious walker. I don't recall exactly how far it was, certainly more than a block or two but probably less than a 1/2 mile. But the feasibility of doing this all depends on how much you will be to carrying on the return trip.

While I loved Cordoba, I'm thinking that it might be a bit long to try a day trip. Too much to do and see there for only few hours anyway, we spent two days. Didn't make Sevilla, again I think that would be a fairly long day trip without an overnight. BUT, there are MANY wonderful small towns/cities in the area worth a visit. Rhonda is a "do not miss" destination in my book. Again, the concierge desk will be very helpful with your planning.

Note: If you want to do the tour to Granada, be sure to talk to them early in your stay, the reservations for entrance to Granada fill up fast. It is a fascinating place.

One day trip that we did do (driving) and was very unique was to The Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera. The drive was lovely, the beaches on the Atlantic side were much nice than those on the Med, the horses are absolutely incredible to watch and Jerez is also home to many Sherry Bodegas. If you go, be sure to include a tour at one of these! I had never tried Sherry before, and the range of different types is an eyeopener.

I second the recommendation to spend a few days in Madrid if possible. We took the high speed train from Malaga (I think, but maybe it was Marbella...) and it was a fun experience.

Whatever you choose to do while at Playa Andaluza, ENJOY! I would go back in a hearbeat.

 

[bazzap]

Yes, you are right it is an Aldi supermarket and it is really close.
This satellite map shows it, a couple of minutes walk at most from Playa Andaluza.
You can also see three relatively close, walkable restaurants we like La Capannina, Salduna Beach and Taninos.
Hmm, this is whetting my appetite - I must book to go back again.

 

[bobpark56]

We find better dining at reasonable prices when we get off the coast and up into the smaller hill towns (the white towns). Here are some of our favorites, to which we often return:
El Rincon del Cani in El Colmenar, Platero & Co. and El Atico in Gaucin, Restaurante El Ventorrillero in Jimena de la Frontera, La Estacion in San Pablo de Buceite (near Jimena de la Frontera), Hotel Restaurante Banu Rabbah (a.k.a. Kabilas) in Benarraba, Chiringuito el Capricho in Playa de Calahonda (Mijas Costa), Los Porches in La Cala de Mijas, La Bodega del Cantinero in San Pedro de Alcantara, De Locos Tapas in Ronda, La Luz de Candela, Restaurante Vino Mio, and El Meson de Cervantes in Málaga, Venta Garcia (on the road to Casares).

 

[myoakley]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies and advice. We have decided to do the Granada tour from the Marriott to avoid the hassle of dealing with tickets to the Alhambra, etc., but to rent a car for the week for our other visits. Since we are seniors, we will do as much as we are able. If we don't do it all, it will be an incentive to return! I appreciate the restaurant recommendations and the map; we will definitely hit the Aldi supermarket. Again, gracias. Tuggers are the best!

 

[bazzap]

Thank you, everyone, for your replies and advice. We have decided to do the Granada tour from the Marriott to avoid the hassle of dealing with tickets to the Alhambra, etc., but to rent a car for the week for our other visits. Since we are seniors, we will do as much as we are able. If we don't do it all, it will be an incentive to return! I appreciate the restaurant recommendations and the map; we will definitely hit the Aldi supermarket. Again, gracias. Tuggers are the best!

PrairieGirl already mentioned talking to them early about the Granada tour.
I would suggest contacting them and probably even booking this with them before you even arrive.
Last year, when we were staying further along the coast in Almeria, people we meet were saying that you needed to book at least 7-10 days before your planned visit to ensure getting a place.
Good luck and enjoy.

 

[myoakley]

Thanks, Barry, we will book it this week. (We are leaving on Sept. 14th.)

I would also like to give a shout-out to Interval. Originally, we had an exchange into Estepona for May of this year, having put in an on-going search 9 mos. earlier. My husband's health is precarious, and we were forced to cancel that exchange. Since it is impossible for us to make long-range plans, we decided, 2 weeks ago, to put in a request for a more immediate date. I didn't really expect it to happen because Sept. is a high demand month for the Costa del Sol, but it did. Thank you Interval for coming through for us.

 

[ACP]

We also own at Playa and will be at the resort for 3 weeks from 3rd Sept. If you would like to meet up, then please feel free to to send a PM. Andrew

 

[cwtkm3]

We also own at Playa and will be at the resort for 3 weeks from 3rd Sept. If you would like to meet up, then please feel free to to send a PM. Andrew

We'll be there 16-30th so give me a shout. Carole

 

[cwtkm3]

We are going to Playa Andaluza next month, and I have a few questions for anyone who has been there.
Will we be asked our unit preference? And, if so, what should we request?
Are there grocery stores nearby? within walking distance?
Is is feasible to do day trips to Sevilla, to Cordoba, and to Granada? We were told that there is an in-house travel agent who arranges tours. Has anyone used them? Is it better to do this ourselves with a rental car? (We are senior citizens.)
Any other advice or suggestions you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Judy

When are you going? We'll be there 16th - 30th so give me a shout if you want. Carole