Malaga/Granada/Cordoba etc

[Randallthecat]

We’re looking to go to Andalusia in April. Hoping the weather will be ok, but we want to do a bit of sightseeing. However we have DD17 who isn’t so keen on sightseeing.
We want to hire a car to go to Granada etc for day trips but need somewhere dd can safely stay by a pool and read.
Flying into Malaga.
Does anyone have any recs of where to stay? Thank you

Nerja would be ideal, it's a gorgeous coastal town, easy to get to from Malaga and about an hour from Granada lots of hotels. We stayed at a lovely small one with a small pool and an excellent restaurant called the hotel Carabeo. Frigliana is a dream too more inland of Nerja. I suppose heated pools would be the thing to check for in April

Fuengirola to Malaga somewhere? There's a good frequent rail service along the coast. I have heard that Malaga is not good for cars.

I'm planning a dirt cheap Torremolinos hotel within easy reach of the town centre and station.

Hi OP, I'm just back from a trip to Andalucia. Flew into Seville did that fab city, then took train to Cordoba -an absolute MUST SEE place, the vibe was amazing. Then train to Granada. Very big city and absolutely rammed with locals and tourists. If it wasn't for the Alhambra I would have skipped it. Alhambra was interesting but overrated (sorry now) and in February was so full of people that the Queues for the Nazrid Palaces was half a km long. I skipped that and looked at the pics online instead lol.
Then took train to Malaga. Stayed in the city itself, it is gorgeous. Beach on the doorstep, lively buzzy bar and tapas scene in the Cathedral area, and museums, shopping and the Alcazar. Lovely and although a big city it never seemed as packed as Granada.

I'd stay in Malaga itself TBH. It has everything and the rail/bus connections are brilliant. It is also a short hop to the airport.

We flew to Malaga few weeks ago and spent three nights there before going to Grenada for four nights and then flying home from Malaga again. Malaga was great, recommend the Alcazaba, Gibralfaro Castle, Picasso Museum and the central food market as essentials. The beach is not the best so I would base yourself along the coast a bit if that is what you want.
I loved Granada, it is higher up so colder than the coast especially at night. The trick with the Alhambra is to book ahead and go early in the day. The Nasrid Palace is a timed ticket so although the queue may look long, you go around 15 mins before your time and once your time comes they let you in in batches so it’s not crowded. Was definitely worth it.
If you like a walk go up through the Jewish quarter - the views back to the Alhambra with the snow of the Sierra Nevada mountains behind is something else!
We took the bus between the two cities which is cheaper and more frequent than the direct train. You can book ahead online. Another good thing in Granada is you get a free tapas with every drink. We ate very well in both places.

Malaga is fab, but not for the beach, it's shit IMO, more like dirt than sand, the Alcazaba is fab and do the walk up to the castle for great views. We stayed in an Airbnb apartment so can't recommend hotel with pool but would definitely recommend spending a few days there.

Granada the city is a dump IMO, I didn't like it, I got flashed walking up to the Alhambre. Cordoba is nicer. But I'd recommend a few days in Malaga and then going up to El Chorro - lovely hotel with pool there, La Garganta for dd. You can do the Caminito del Rey which there is nothing like in the world! La Garganta will get you tickets if you want. Then you can go to the Ardales lakes which are beautiful and El Torcal which is also amazing. From there you could also do trips on to Cordoba and Granada if you wanted.

Wow I'm surprised at the hate for Granada, I love it, so atmospheric. But better to stay there for a few days than do a day trip, then you can avoid the crowds, and hang out in the Albacin, scoffing wine and free tapas, call into the convents to buy biscuits from the nuns and visit the gypsy caves. As others have said, Nerja is cute, though there's not much there apart from hotels and eateries.. Malaga is good, lots to see, big city though. If you can get to Ronda it's amazing, just don't go on a rainy/cloudy day or you'll miss the world-class views