Mainland Spain for foodies/older couples

[wink1970]

Morning!

Presuming we are allowed to travel this year, I would like to try mainland Spain for virtually the first time (last went to Mojacar 20 years ago & Puerto Buenos 30 years ago!). Please can you recommend some places to try? I intend to hire a villa for 2 x monthly stays.

Looking for beach (or nearby, so not inland for now) towns, with an interesting old town or/and harbour, with the emphasis on good restaurants and cafes. We will occasionally be joined by grandkids so nothing too remote from airports.

Many thanks in advance.

We went to Alicante for a short break in October. Our original holiday was cancelled and we wanted an easy flight with reasonable weather. I was a bit unsure but it was fab and we are going back in spring. Lovely weather, beautiful old town and promenade along sea front.
Loads of stuff to do, we did a tapas tour, visited an organic vineyard and a bike tour.
Hundreds of really good restaurants and bars, every cuisine you could think off.
Have previously done similar in Valencia, which was equally nice but more restaurants in Alicante .

PS: I appreciate Spain is a big place, with very different regions. Hence not knowing where to start......

Definitely look at the Basque country - the food is some of the best in the world. San Sebastian on the north coast would fit all your criteria - good beach, lovely town, amazing food. Some lovely smaller towns in up and down the coast, and you can easily cross into France (Biarritz also has amazing food). Flights to Bilbao.

Best food I've ever had in Spain was in the Basque region, San Sebastian is a major foodie destination but the best I ate was in some of the coastal villages. Bilbao is a nice city to explore and the Guggenheim museum is quite a sight. It's also a nice trip into Basque France, Biarritz, etc. You can drive the Santo de Compostela route. Sea is rougher and climate is a bit cooler than the rest of Spain so not really a beach beach destination.

ooh thanks, shall start exploring these .....

Murcia Region? The Spanish capital of Gastronomy for 2020 and 2021.

At the other end of the country - the area around Cadiz/Jerez/Costa de la luz is fabulous for seafood - and Sherry. Nothing like a cold manzanilla and lots of tapas.

San Sebastien or Valencia

San Sebastian is a foodie destination but probably not one if you’re on a budget. Malaga has some of the best Arab, African and Indo-Spanish cuisine I have ever tried in Spain (it’s probably even better than Portugal) but you do need to stray from the tourist path a bit. The smaller cantina type places are usually better than bigger restaurants.

Barcelona has La Cantina - the famous seafood place behind Sagrada Da Familla. I love it as it’s simple food & you can easily eat there everyday.

Cadiz is amazing. Everything you are looking for and very few British tourists, except when a cruise ship lands. The fish market and all the amazing little eateries around it are foodie heaven on earth. You can use the city as a base to explore Andalusia, including Sevilla which is a fabulous city. It does get ferociously hot in July & August though.

At the other end of the country Donostia / San Sebastián in the Basque Country is a beautiful, elegant city with an amazing beach and one of the world’s greatest food cultures.

If you want good food your best bit is the north or nw, we took the Santander ferry and the motorbike stopping in different towns

Malaga Malaga Malaga

Northern Spain, Asturias, Galicia. Lovely coastline, small beaches, good food and wine, shopping OK too. Llanes a particularly favourite of mine. English type climate though, lot of rain in winter.

Oh and yes, take your fleece and brolley.

Agree, Cadiz and Seville fab places too. Lots more sun so ideal for visiting in spring/autumn.

San Sebastián and surrounding area are amazing! There's some lovely beaches and the old town is also great. It's good for foodies and has some fab places to eat that the locals use with equally good food at less inflated prices. You can also get some lovely villas up in the mountains in the area instead with easy access back into town.

Another vote for Cadiz here!

San Sebastian area in summer, but would probably avoid in winter or early/late season due to weather.

I think both Malaga and Alicante are underrated as they are the gateways to the most overdeveloped costas. They both have lovely old towns, historic sights and buzzy port areas with long vibrant promenades. Both have good food, however, they are cities so not really villa destinations.

If you’re set on a villa, I’d look at Nerja and Almuñécar both within around an hour from Malaga or Villajoyosa and Altea, both within an hour of Alicante. All coastal towns with historic areas and lots of restaurants.

Costa Brava also has some beautiful beach towns - Tossa de Mar and Calella de Paraflugells would be my pick, but I think they are further from a busy airport.

@Cecillie

We went to Alicante for a short break in October. Our original holiday was cancelled and we wanted an easy flight with reasonable weather. I was a bit unsure but it was fab and we are going back in spring. Lovely weather, beautiful old town and promenade along sea front. Loads of stuff to do, we did a tapas tour, visited an organic vineyard and a bike tour. Hundreds of really good restaurants and bars, every cuisine you could think off. Have previously done similar in Valencia, which was equally nice but more restaurants in Alicante .

Hi do you have a link to the tapas tour please.

Old town Estepona on the Costa del Sol has some great restaurants which isn't surprising as it's where many Spaniards from central Spain holiday. (Thursday nights eat at the old meat market and listen to the town orchestra/ brass band playing in the old square above you). I'd rent a renovated townhouse in the old town or stay at La Casa Blanca or one of the new hotels (but must be in old town). That town is unique on the coast as it's on the beach and not separated from it by the motorway. Avoid the outskirts/ suburbs - the old town is where it's at.

*Calella de Palaflugell. It’s been a while

If anyone is inspired by this thread I've just booked flights for 4 nights at the end of January to Alicante for £33 return.

www.viator.com/en-GB/Alicante-tours/Food-Tours/d23519-g6-c80?m=64814&supag=127985999440&supsc=dsa-694098304204&supai=537208498010&supdv=c&supnt=g&suplp=1006871&supli=&supti=dsa-694098304204&tsem=true&supci=dsa-694098304204&supap1=&supap2=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4dfSp6ee9QIV0N_tCh2gzAeiEAAYASAAEgJeW_D_BwE

We did the wine tasting and tapas tour for foodies
And the vineyard tour , which I would recommend as well.
Found a lovely Italian restaurant, will try and find it for you

Here you go

www.sunrisecafeteriacocktailsbar.com/

We did go to the number one, steiki
If you want to try it you have to book well in advance as tiny.
Not sure if I liked it or not, quite pretentious food.
If I had to go back to one of the two, would be the cheap Italian !

Ive not been but its on my bucket list. Barcelona.

I've heard that the food markets are amazing and there's loads to do and see.