Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville

Where else are you going in Spain. I've been 5 times. Never to Seville though.

You probably don't need a huge amount of time in Cordoba. The cathedral there is incredible but it is a small city. Maybe if you just want to soak in a smaller place for a few days.

Barcelona and Seville are both amazing. I love Seville quite a lot. Definitely do a tapas crawl. Do a rooftop architecture tour of the Gothic Cathedral. one of the best things I've done. Also definitely do an arabic bath

Madrid has incredible food, some of the best in Europe I have had, but it is a massive city and in a sense, not a tourist city. Just remember that

If you are doing a tour of Spain then I would highly recommend Segovia to see the aqueducts and tour the Alcazar de Segovia.

El Escorial to see the Royal Monastery and the Pantheon of Kings. Also, just outside of town The Valley of the Fallen and The Basilica of the Holy Cross are a must.

In Toledo I highly suggest going to Puy du Fou. At least the bird show and El Sueno de Toledo-one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life.
El Sueno de Toledo

And you can take a short and cheap flight to the Canary Islands. Corralejo on the island of Fuerteventura was awesome.

Stayed there in 2018. It is a great hotel, excellent location. Service level is top notch. Didn't hurt that we booked a regular king room through Virtuoso and were upgraded to corner Grand Suite. Largest hotel room I've ever stayed in. Probably 1200 square feet. Foyer, massive living room, 2 huge bathrooms, bedroom, walk in closets, ceilings were at least 12".

Breakfast spread was amazing. Housekeeping gave us new full size Acqua di Parma toiletries every day. Came home with over $300 worth of body wash, lotion, etc.

Friends booked same king room through Amex FHR and their "upgrade" was same room type but supposedly better view. I don't remember what there were, but the toiletries were not AdP. Friend's wife grumbled the rest of the trip.

How many days would you suggest for Ronda, Segovia and El Escorial. I’m thinking a day trip for Segovia and El Escorial while in Madrid. We would just increase our time in Madrid (currently 5 days).

If you have the chance, eat suckling pig in Segovia, the specialty of the area. They bring the entire roasted pig on a platter and use a plate to quarter & serve you.

Walking the streets in the morning you can see the small piglets (deceased) sleeping in the butcher's window.

Based on where you're staying, I'm not sure this is your vibe, but walk across the bridge and go eat snails and quails at this place.

Bar Casa Ruperto

So good.

Seville is one of the coolest places I've ever been.

quote:

---

How many days would you suggest for Ronda,

---

Ronda isn't a big town.
There's the bridge, a bull ring museum, and one long street with all the shops on it.
As I said, there's plenty of tours from Seville that will bring you to Setenil (which you only need about 30-60minutes to see) and Ronda and then back to Seville the same day. Ronda and Setenil kind of go together. They are about 30 minutes apart i think, and it's the same river goign through the towns. Setenil is where they have built the town into the gorge and overhanging rock. Cool to see, but literally nothing to do there other than take a picture of it and maybe grab a drink at one of the restaraunts. I think its still worth going there though. Just something you are not going to see to often in life.
I personally think staying in Ronda to see the sunset is worth it, and the wife and I enjoyed driving through the spanish countryside to get there. You drive through hilly fields of olive trees, wheat, and sunflowers the whole way there.

speaking of food, one of the best tapas i got was pork cheeks. That was some of the most tender and flavorful pieces of meat i've ever eaten. Had it in Lisbon and in Seville and it was amazing both times.

quote:

---

to just relax and enjoy the beauty of the area

---

That's pretty much what we did too. Not a ton of walking here and you can just relax, sip wine and enjoy the incredible view.

We stayed at the Parador de Ronda. It was nice, and has an amazing view of the valley. Had a nice pool outside and grassy area with chairs and drink service. If you look at the picture i posted of the bridge at night, it's the hotel just to the left of the bridge. Those trees you see is the area where the pool is.