Seville + where else next Easter with teen?

[futurista]

Myself, DH and DD (16) plan to split a week between Seville and one other location next Easter.

Wondering about two cities (Seville + Malaga or Seville + Cadiz) or a few nights in a coastal town (Nerja with day trips to Granada and Malaga, or Conil de la Frontera with day trips to Cadiz).

We like nature, scenery, history, walks, food. DD like vintage/market and surfy shopping, buzzy atmosphere, general insta-able scenery and buildings. She doesnt' want to stay somewhere sleepy.

I know the weather will be unpredictable but we would like to stay somewhere with a decent, open pool and loungers at least part of the time in case we get some sunny afternoons. In Seville, most pools are closed in March.

Any advice, or hotel recommendations?

Seville and Malaga. We are just home from Seville, Ronda and Malaga over 10 days and it was ideal.

We stayed in ‘Hotel Lobby’ Seville, ‘Catalonia’ Ronda and ‘Palacio Solacio’ Malaga. All have small rooftop pools, lovely breakfast and beautiful clean rooms. The Catalonia literally looks into the bull ring museum from the pool.

We did a tour - Seville, Cordoba and Granada. It was great. Plenty of variety.

We had 2 days in each of Seville and Cadiz.
Could easily have had a 3rd in Seville.
Teen DDs loved the trip.
With a week you could even add on a 3rd place.
On a separate trip we went to Málaga - while nice, Seville is in a totally different league.

I did the same, and would thoroughly recommend it.

Same. And in that order because that wY it gets better and better

Málaga is bigger and more diffuse but with loads and loads to do.

Cadiz is gorgeous, easier to wander, has a vibe of its own.

Ronda, Cordoba and Granada are all small enough to get around manageably, beautiful and culturally rich. Granada also has the Alhambra which is one of the most perfect places in Europe.

All of them have enough to satisfy all the interests you've listed for a few days. You could just stick a pin in the map and go where you please. The weather, nobody can guarantee.

@futurista one more thought.....check out open timings over the Easter period. I vaguely recall that a lot of things close.

Seville at Easter is very focused on the Semana Santa Easter celebrations, a full week. Lots of shops and attractions closed for the parades. Malaga has a parade but not as intense as Seville. The dates are 19th-28th March for Holy Week

All lovely places imho!

My favourites are Cadiz and Nerja, but Malaga is well situated for the airport and easy access to most of Andalusia imho.

Have you thought about Tarifa if your dd likes surfing?

I was in Málaga for Santa semana and it was extremely intense. 1-2 Parades every day. Very interesting to watch though and plenty of tourists about and things open.

It's Semana Santa.

Oh ok thanks.

Seville, Cordoba, Granada is a perfect trip. Remember to book tickets for the Alhambra well in advance (months).

In Seville at least for Semana Santa, the city is very busy in the afternoons and evenings and sometimes near impossible to get from point A to point B across the city because of the processions. It's not the best time to go if you want to go sightseeing in general.

I love the look of Tarifa, but the idea of a few 20 degrees and sunny days is appealing, and Tarifa sounds the least likely place to get this! Is it still lively that time of year?

Thanks for all the advice. The Seville - Cordoba - Granada triangle is great, I've been to all three but would happily go back. I wonder will DD prefer a mix of culture and beach / seaside though. @Meredusoleil where do you like to stay in Nerja?

Yes, I have semana santa in mind - I love the parades, but actually thought they were generally only the end of the week. Might have to rethink a little.

Never stayed overnight. Just went for a day trip when staying in Malaga.

Tarifa gets plenty of sunshine - sometimes a bit of cloud early morning from the sea but it’s still a sunny place and it’s definitely got the laidback surfy vibe your daughter likes. Malaga is great, our teen girls have loved a few days there the past couple of years. Would give Nerja a miss.

Semana Santa is good to see in small doses. I found it overwhelming with the crowds everywhere and also quite spooky with the hoods on the Nazarenos... nope it gave me connotations of similar hoods in Deep South America. And it's very sombre. But a must see once in a lifetime I think.

I'd stick to Seville/Cadiz or Seville/Cordoba/Granada. Cordoba is my favourite place in Spain, and I've been to a few by now!

Córdoba is a big favorite of mine because it is compact. Would you consider Cádiz or Jerez? If you have transportation Donana is a good place to see natural beauty.

The downsides to cities in Andalusia at Easter are the crowds and the cost of hotels.

We took DD to Malaga and Cordoba at Easter when she was 19. She loved Malaga, lots of cool clothes shops and bars, interesting walks, seafood grills on the beach. We hired a car and stopped in the mountains between too during the day. That might be a fun option if you’re all quite active? Pretty time of year with the spring flowers.

The parador hotel up on the cliff in Malaga was great. Amazing views, walkable to beach and town, pool open.

Cadiz has a beach! Several really but the one next to the old city is where they filmed Halle Berry coming out of the water in James Bond. It's very scenic.

These are great suggestions. Basically, I'm trying to find a hotel with an open pool and a loungey area so we can possibly lie out and swim if the weather's good. Other than the ultra-lux hotels I can't find anywhere in a city that provides this at Easter.

If anyone has any suggestions let me know!

I know everyone will say its too cold to swim but we are hardy and happily swim in outdoor pools in the Algarve at this time of year when everyone says its 'freezing' ;-)

Lots of hotels with pools won’t open the pool until April so you’d need to check. Tarifa is busy / buzzy all year round but beaches at eg Coníl will be pretty much deserted at Easter. We’ve had fabulous sunshine at Easter before and temps in mid 20s but the (unheated) pool at the house we rent is really cold.