Need suggestions for first European/Mediterranean Vacation

Do you enjoy solo travel? We should have a section for travelers TUG members who would like to travel with other solo travelers. Meet new friends with same interests. I am not talking about a dating service, just company on a timeshare vacation. Anyone else like this idea? I have DH that is perfect traveling companion for me, but who knows what the future may bring? Just a thought?

Passepartout said:

(Europeans don't wear shorts)

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This used to be true, but generally is accepted especially in Southern Europe and the U.K. Of course, YMMV. I've worn shorts in Italy and locals have come up to me and started talking to me in Italian...


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Passepartout said:

Tourists in shorts. (Europeans don't wear shorts)

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Of course they do! I'm in shorts from April till November if I'm lucky (except for work and evenings out of course). Although you're right in some respects, those Europeans who take themselves too seriously such as the French or Italian rarely wear shorts (except for the younger generation) but they're perfectly acceptable attire for Northern Europeans, Germans, Dutch, Swiss, Danish etc.

I've been to the Costa Del Sol in February and the weather was definitely shorts and t-shirt warm and even a spot of sunbathing before the afternoon winds picked up so I agree with you, for a trip involving plenty of sightseeing and comfortable temperatures feb/mar/apr is an ideal time to visit.

webdizzy said:

It's not so much the beach time, but the warmer weather that I prefer.

Costa del Sol definitely sounds interesting. Is it a safe place for a middle-aged woman to travel alone on her first European trip? Is English widely spoken there?

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English is widely spoken in the Costa del Sol. There's a large English ex-pat community there and most people, particularly the young, speak very good English. You will get by without an ounce of Spanish if needs be.

As for safety, it's quite a safe area and as long as you take the same sensible precautions as you would at home you shouldn't have any problems. If you are intending to stay at either of the Marriotts there are plenty of organised excursions to nearby places of interest if you don't want to travel alone (I can't speak for other timeshares however I suspect they also offer similar excursions).

The Canary Islands will be warmer than Spain however it depends on what you want to do. There is some sightseeing to do but nowhere near as much as Southern Spain. The Canaries in feb/mar are frequented by Northern Europeans seeking some winter warmth and looking to spend time around the pool. If it's the heat you want and you're not considering the Caribbean or Mexico then the Canaries are a better option than anywhere else in Europe.

I've been to the Costa Del Sol in February and sunbathed but I've also been in April and faced days of driving rain so it can be a bit of a gamble.

Pompey Family said:

The Canary Islands will be warmer than Spain however it depends on what you want to do. There is some sightseeing to do but nowhere near as much as Southern Spain.

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Different strokes. Both areas are worthwhile, and we have been to and recommend both. What Costa Del Sol doesn't have as much as Canary Islands IMO, aside from winter warmth, is spectacular scenery. Lanzarote and Tenerife both have National Parks, as well as varied microclimates that you can reach quickly, as do many islands.

Our very first timeshare trip ever was 3 successive weeks in Spain. (Great choice of country for first-time.) We started in Costa del Sol at Macdonald's Villacana in Estepona, and did most of the sightseeing others have mentioned, including a daytrip to Morocco. It was May and unseasonably cool - highs in the 50's. I liked it very very much.

2nd week was a Cala Pi Club on Mallorca, gold crown at the time. Some sightseeing but added some beautiful scenery. I loved it.

3rd week was an RCI bonus week at an unrated resort on Lanzarote. Iberia was having some sort of "See Spain" special so we could fly anywhere inc Spain's islands, and we went for it. Plenty of sight-seeing for a week though not the famous sights, and incredible scenery - and I felt like I was truly on the other end of the world. I fell head-over-heels in love with it, as I had years earlier with Hawaii, and as I did with Tenerife (northern not southern!) on a subsequent trip.

So yes, it depends on what you like to do. My ideal trips alternate sight-seeing days with enough time out-of-the-car hiking/walking days in stunning scenery. YMMV.

Laurie said:

So yes, it depends on what you like to do. My ideal trips alternate sight-seeing days with enough time out-of-the-car hiking/walking days in stunning scenery. YMMV.

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Laurie, you sound a lot like me -- I like a good mix of options. I'm leaning pretty heavily towards Costa del Sol now for various reasons and am just about to hit the "Exchange" button. I would love to visit Lanzarote sometime, too, though.

Thank you ALL so very much for all of the info!!! I would never have thought of southern Spain, not knowing how much there is to see there, so you all definitely helped me get a direction and make a decision!

silentg said:

Do you enjoy solo travel?

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Not especially, but sometimes I don't have a choice if I want to go anywhere. I'm actually hoping that my daughter will go with me -- she's considering it.

We should have a section for travelers TUG members who would like to travel with other solo travelers. Meet new friends with same interests. I am not talking about a dating service, just company on a timeshare vacation. Anyone else like this idea? I have DH that is perfect traveling companion for me, but who knows what the future may bring? Just a thought?

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Possibly. There might be lots of people that would be interested in something like that.

Well, I did it! I clicked the button!

I'll be staying at Marriott's Marbella Beach Resort in February and I'm excited!

Thanks again to everyone!

Now, on to the rest of the trip planning. . .

Congrats on making a good decision!

If you end up traveling alone, they should have interesting organized tours every day of the week. We only used our resort desk for our Morocco trip, but I'm sure they'll have most of the sites mentioned.

Here are a few other things we did there for which you may need your own car:

1. Casares - beautiful white town, not so touristy as Mijas - loved just walking thru the village up to the ruined castle at the top.

2. Drive to Cadiz on the Atlantic coast. On the way we stumbled upon a large Roman ruins site, and were just about the only people there.

3. Watched a dressage demonstsration at a nearby equestrian school, I think it was free. It was great!

Enjoy!

We did 35 days / 6 countries in Europe this past Summer. I planned for the trip for about 12 months. Whether you do it yourself or go on a tour I found Rick Steve's Europe videos to be really helpful. You can watch them all for free at ricksteves.com

Thank you for the additional info Laurie and jehb2.

Great exchange, webdizzy. You will love the resort! We stayed there once and always wanted to go back...hopefully soon.

Passepartout said:

Tourists in shorts. (Europeans don't wear shorts)

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The local girls in Italy & Paris were definitely wearing them this summer. And they were wearing what we call "booty shorts." I have seen plenty of booty shorts in my time but even some of the ones I saw made me blush.

Laurie said:

CHere are a few other things we did there for which you may need your own car:

1. Casares - beautiful white town, not so touristy as Mijas - loved just walking thru the village up to the ruined castle at the top.

2. Drive to Cadiz on the Atlantic coast. On the way we stumbled upon a large Roman ruins site, and were just about the only people there.

3. Watched a dressage demonstsration at a nearby equestrian school, I think it was free. It was great!

Enjoy!

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I agree with all the above. Casares is great, though we also really enjoyed Mijas. Of course, you also need to go to Ronda. And while in the area, go see the houses built into limestone cliffs at Setinil de las Bodegas nearby. Amazing.

As far as the equestrian school in Jerez -- it's a great place to go. And yes, they have some free demonstrations. But if you can book to go to one of the horse shows, by all means do it! It brought my wife to tears, it was so beautiful. I was a little misty myself. And the prices are reasonable. One of the world's great equestrian schools: https://www.realescuela.org/en/

Bob

Ronda and El Tajo Gorge Day Trip with Wine Tasting ...

I think we're going to try one of these Ronda/Wine tasting trips later this year.
It's gotten some good reviews and seems relaxing.

http://www.rondatoday.com/

Also, hope you like fried fish! (España style)

Yuuum. Boquerones fritos

Thought of one more: The town of Nerja, its scenic rocky beach, and the Balcony of Europe.

Our trip was 17 years ago, and I'm enjoying the revisit down memory lane.

Edited to add: here is a link about the Roman ruins I mentioned, as I had to look it up for location:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...Claudia-Tarifa_Costa_de_la_Luz_Andalucia.html

Gosh! Lots of great suggestions and info! Nerja and the equestrian school sound great! Thanks!

I've looked into some of the tours offered to Tangier and as someone mentioned, it does sound sorta like Tijuana, Mexico which I've been to and would not want to return to. Are there any tours that go to less touristy places where you can see more of the country and that aren't so commercialized but show more of "authentic Morocco" (if that makes sense)?

I'm also looking online to see if there's a possibility of a day or overnight trip to Portugal via train. If anyone has any info on something like that, I'd love to know about it.

Nice.

webdizzy said:

...Warm(er), mild weather (60’s or higher) ...Enough to see/do in a week around the resort area and within a 1-2 hour drive radius (or available day tours to places worth visiting that might be a little further away)...I love beautiful beaches for short visits... more adventurous and like to explore places I’ve never been to – I’m very interested in historical, cultural and scenic diversity. Someplace where English is widely spoken (or at least understood) is a big plus!

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The city of Nice in the south of France has everything you're seeking and a great public transportation system to take you to neighboring towns. The locals are comfortable interacting with English speaking tourists. Plus the beautiful beach is rocky enough to prevent anything but short visits.

Here There said:

The city of Nice in the south of France has everything you're seeking and a great public transportation system to take you to neighboring towns. The locals are comfortable interacting with English speaking tourists. Plus the beautiful beach is rocky enough to prevent anything but short visits.

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Nice in February is not warm, 10c on average. There's also little timeshare options so it wouldn't be somewhere I'd recommend for someone seeking a timeshare stay somewhere reasonably warm in February.