Spain

greyteam1959

Has Nerja got any quieter ??
The last time I stayed right in the town centre the noise form all the scooters tearing about was terrible.
The locals think that it is great to remove the baffles from their scooter exhausts.
Must be a street cred thing !!
Went on most of the night as well.

PompeyPete

greyteam1959 wrote: »

Has Nerja got any quieter ??
The last time I stayed right in the town centre the noise form all the scooters tearing about was terrible.
The locals think that it is great to remove the baffles from their scooter exhausts.
Must be a street cred thing !!
Went on most of the night as well.

Can't remember any of that when we were there for 3 week in May last year. We were a 10 minute walk from the centre though.

holidaysforme

greyteam1959 wrote: »

Has Nerja got any quieter ??
The last time I stayed right in the town centre the noise form all the scooters tearing about was terrible.
The locals think that it is great to remove the baffles from their scooter exhausts.
Must be a street cred thing !!
Went on most of the night as well.

Never saw anything like this in Nerja.

slinga

Don't think you can go wrong in Spain.
We've enjoyed Barca a few times and Madrid.


Nerja was fine but not smitten with Denia although that was nearly 30 years ago.


Hire cars are not a problem driving wise but trains are very good and cheaper than UK.


Galicia was excellent if you like seafood and no Brits.


We keep trying to get to Bilbao, San Sebastian and the hinterland but haven't yet managed it.


Lisbon and Porto although not in Spain were great holiday destinations.

holidaysforme

slinga wrote: »

Don't think you can go wrong in Spain.
We've enjoyed Barca a few times and Madrid.


Nerja was fine but not smitten with Denia although that was nearly 30 years ago.


Hire cars are not a problem driving wise but trains are very good and cheaper than UK.


Galicia was excellent if you like seafood and no Brits.


We keep trying to get to Bilbao, San Sebastian and the hinterland but haven't yet managed it.


Lisbon and Porto although not in Spain were great holiday destinations.

Went to Bilbao last year. Loved it. Going to .San Sebastian next. Agree about Lisbon and Porto'- especially Porto.

PompeyPete

You can't go wrong in Romania, especially if you head to Transylvania....Sinaia, Sighisoara, Sibiu, Brasov for example. A beautiful green and clean country, and great vfm.

Macedonia [Lake Ohrid is a cracking destination] ain't bad either, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Avoid Euro la-la Land if you want your ££££ to go further.....much further.

Kit1

Thank you for all your replies and it has given us food for thought. We tend to go self catering in a small complex rather than a hotel as we like to get out and about as much as possible.

AlexMac

We visit Nerja each year in early season, usually as part of a multi-site self-drive hol and it's a bit crowded and geriatric (not that I can talk; I won't see 70 again), in Feb-March at least, that is.

But our real love is northern Spain; Cantabria, Asturias or Pays Vasco; with rugged coasts , spectacular beaches and the mountains of the Picos de Europa for sleepy market towns and villages all within a couple of hours drive of the 24-hour Brittany Ferries crossing from the UK to Santander or Bilbao. We sometimes head further east into the Pyrenees, or you could head west to Galicia , but after 25-30 years visiting, we've slowed down a bit and don't do great distances.

A real attraction is cost; Brittany Ferries usually do a short, and little-publicised 20% early booking discount on their already good-value "Ferry & Holiday" packages, most winters, around Nov or Dec; so register on their website for emails.

Another attraction is weather; we don't like the searing summer heat of the south (hitting 100 degrees plus this week, according to the news) so the cooler, northern "Costa Verde" is attarctive to us.

The 24-hour crossing is fun too; upgrade to a larger cabin with window, and spalsh out £25 on the excellent French restaurant on board. And taking your own car makes for easy travel and no rental rip-offs (assuming uou like to drive, that is. We do, and the roads are a delight; petrol-heads and bikers flock there).

Doshwaster

ibizafan wrote: »

I mentioned Alicante because that is where the nearest airport is located. I never felt Benidorm was that close in all the years we holidayed in Calpe, but loved being near Altea.

I love Alicante - it still manages to retain a Spanish feel, especially in the Old Town - as the vast majority of holidaymakers land at the airport but don't stop in the city itself. The train which runs all of the way runs up the coast to Denia is a great way of exploring the area without the need to hire a car. Personally, It's worth popping into Benidorm if you are passing just so that you can gawp at how ghastly it is.

Another underappreciated Spanish city is Valencia. Lots to see an do, fantastic food and drink without the costs and crowds of Barcelona.

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

I love Alicante - it still manages to retain a Spanish feel, especially in the Old Town - as the vast majority of holidaymakers land at the airport but don't stop in the city itself. The train which runs all of the way runs up the coast to Denia is a great way of exploring the area without the need to hire a car. Personally, It's worth popping into Benidorm if you are passing just so that you can gawp at how ghastly it is.

Dosh, It only goes as far as Calpe, you need to get a connecting bus to Denia. The Calpe to Denia part of the rail line is being rebuilt, and when were there last November it had a looooong way to go. Nice bus ride though.