Valencia or somewhere else ?

[TheDogsMother]

I'm planning a short break for next May and we particularly enjoy nice towns or cities by the sea. We like to wander and take in the atmosphere but also have a bit of pool/beach time too. Valencia looks like a possibility so would love to hear others thoughts on it as a destination. Or any other places you've been that might fit the bill. It doesn't need to be party central but some nice restaurants, bars and an interesting place to wander. Oh and needs to be warm so we're ruling Bognor out

TIA for any thoughts and ideas

Malaga. There's lots to do in the port area, it has a beach and a moorish palace. There's plenty of nice restaurants and bars too.

And the train goes direct from Malaga airport to the centre of Malaga, so no need for a car/taxi.

@MinnieMountain Thank you great suggestion. So much so that we went last year so you are completely on brief So many people pass through Malaga on the way to somewhere else but it's a great destination in its own right.

Any other ideas out there or thoughts on Valencia

We loved Valencia as did our twenty year old daughter when she went with friends later. Much nicer than Barcelona.
We stayed in the city in a hotel called the Caro. Daughters group found a good Airbnb.
The city was very walkable and had some good restaurants and bars.
We hired bicycles and cycled through the park that was a river bed past the opera house to the beach.
The beach was lovely with umbrellas and beds for about 10€ for the day. Sea was heavenly. There is a very trendy beach club with music and bars but we didn’t need it.
The Harbour had amazing yachts to covet.
Historically we did most sites. We’d bought a card so went to some places we wouldn’t otherwise have troubled with. It was worth it. We went to Mass to see the Cathedral in action and stayed to sightsee - amazing place.
We had breakfast near the market drinking the very freshest of orange juice and churros. It wasn’t a city to diet in!

Thanks @CherryPavlova, it sounds really lovely. Was the hotel nice ?

It was. Tiny and quirky but fabulous. I think the restaurant was Michelin starred but might be wrong. Really good location and really helpful staff.Sort of ancient mixed with ultra modern. Loved it.

If you can book an opera house event I would recommend.

Valencia has it all on paper but I found it hard to love for some reason.
I prefer Seville and Cordoba but neither by the sea. However, if you like flowers check out the Patios Festival in Cordoba in May, adds another layer to this lovely small city. Obviously, the downside is additional tourists. My friend loves Alicante and feels it's a very underrated city.

@fussychica Agree with you on Seville, it's a fab city. This is a very useful benchmark

We've stayed in citizentral juristas in Valencia, twice, it's serviced apartments right in the old town. We hired bikes too the second time, and went to watch football twice, I loved cycling and walking around there.
But I also loved Seville! And Cordoba.
All 3 of these we felt really safe too.

I’d second Malaga, just got back from a girls holiday. It’s got everything, history, beach, restaurants, museums and local places to visit.
It’s a small city and very safe.

I really like both Valencia and Malaga though I've not been to either at swimming times of year. Valencia seems a really liveable city and the massive park area is great for kids to run off some energy between sightseeing. The port area was also interesting to wander around with fab places to eat.