Trixie

I'm back again! One more question for all of the kind and helpful Fodor-posters out there...<BR><BR>As part of our trip we will be spending about 3 days exploring Malaga &gt; Ronda &gt; Gibraltar &gt; Malaga.<BR><BR>(We scratched Tangier out of the itinerary thanks to all of your input <BR><BR>We were originally going to use buses or trains rather than a car rental because my husband did not want to deal with parking/finding parking spots for the car. He doesn't mind the actual driving at all...<BR><BR>My main question is, <BR>"Is it better to drive because of limitations in bus schedules and our tight time frame (which I know no one would recommend, but I think we are sticking with our desired destinations)?"<BR><BR>I am assuming that there may be many places that we might like to stop and see, if only for an hour. Where on a bus, things we may never see again will just go whizzing by...<BR><BR>My husband and I are also traveling with another friend (we are all around 30 years old.) Considering that we are 3 people, I don't think the cost of bus vs. car would be much of an issue...<BR><BR>Thanks for all of your help...we leave in a week...I better get working on my packing light!<BR><BR>-Trixie<BR><BR>p.s. any thoughts of favorites (restaurants, unique/beautiful sites, "must sees") along our route would be very appreciated!

frank

Don't try taking a car inside Gibraltar.You are liable to queue for hours at the border due to probs between the Spanish & UK governments.Walk across.Possibly a better place to see Africa is Tarifa-go up on top of the old fort , 4 miles past Gib.Avoid Algeciras.Really.<BR><BR>You will save some time if you take a car, though buses are frequent.<BR>Public transport can be faster if you can use an express train eg Cadiz/Seville.<BR>Be aware that the coast road splits into many parallel sections, some of which have tolls & some of which are only on the newest maps - can be a bit confusing first time.

david

drove all over southern Spain almost 2 years ago (August) with no problems inclduing driving into Gibraltar and to the top. The only problem that we ever found was driving into one of the hill towns, Mijas. Had to back out and another car almost went over the edge.

trixie

We leave in six days...any last thoughts...<BR><BR>Thanks!<BR><BR>p.s. any rental car companies to suggest out of Malaga airport ?

lisa

Personally, I would rent a car so as not to be subject to the bus schedules. My friend and her husband bus'ed in and out of Andalucia. They ended up being unable to go to the Alhambra while in Granada because they hadn't gotten tickets in advance (big mistake) and their bus left before the next timed tix were available. True story.<BR><BR>I found the driving to be pretty easy. The hardest part is getting in and out of the towns to your hotel. In Ronda (the only place we didn't valet park), we easily found a public parking garage to park the car. Other towns, we simply valet parked at our hotel -- no problem.<BR><BR>As for reservations, we used autoeurope.com and were very satisfied, although they simply made our reservation with Avis in Spanish at the Malaga airport. We returned in Seville upon our arrival there (then took a taxi to airport when we left).<BR><BR>Enjoy!

Judy

I took bus from Malaga to Ronda 2 years ago,it was convenient and fast,the sceneries along the mountains roads were very beautiful,it would be hard for the person who drives to enjoy it fully.<BR><BR>The restaurant(overseeing the cliffs) at the parodor(sp?)in Ronda serving local cuisine was quite good and reasonablly priced.

Michelle

My boyfriend and I rented a car and drove from Seville to Rhonda to Marbella to Granada to Cordoba to Seville. If your husband doesn't mind driving this could be really fun. At one point we had stopped because goats were in the road. We stopped at some places to get a bite to eat that were great b/c they weren't used to us tourists so we got to some totally REAL Spanish places. Of course, driving down the mountains getting to marbella can be stressful if you easily get stressed. Steep, curvy roads next to cliffs with occasional people passing you! We stopped in Rhonda and it was nice that we were in our own control b/c we didn't stay long. You may be set to wait until your bus starts up again.<BR>Maps can be a little misleading... at one point, we thought we were on a highway which was really a little road and we ended up in what we thought was a dead-end town but luckily managed to keep going in the right direction. They didn't understand my broken-spanish very well. But, we loved it as part of the adventure. If you don't want little things like that to go wrong, then I'd stick to a bus.

Myriam

<BR>Trixie,<BR>We rented at EuropCar, brandnew car, good service, most probably special offer because of off-season.<BR>Rental offices are all together in the airport, just before the exit doors (go to the right, downstairs).<BR>Do rent a car but skip Gibraltar. Nothing to see overthere, just the rock and some monkeys.<BR>Visit some of the white villages instead. For instance, on your way to Ronda, visit Oj&eacute;n. A bit further (between Marbella & Estepona in the mountains) there's another lovely one: C&aacute;sares. <BR>Driving in Spain is easy and roads are very well kept. <BR>Enjoy!

Janet

Myriam, My friend also recommended going to Caseres. Where is it? I'll be staying in Marbella, Granada and in Seville. Which is it closest to?<BR>Thanks.

janet

I just got a quote from AutoEurope.com for an automatic car for four days at the end of March for $710 including my AAA discount. This also includes insurance. I'm not sure it is worth getting a car except there are 4 of us and taking trains and buses may be silly. Are there any other car rentals or is this avarage for that time of year?

Myriam

<BR>Janet,<BR>710$ for 4 days? That must be some vehicle! Check the worldwide rates at www.europcar.com. Last October we rented a compact (Renault Clio with A/C - stick) which cost us abt. 223$ for one whole week, full insurance & taxes included. <BR><BR>C&aacute;sares: is closest to Marbella. Just drive along the coastal highway in the direction of Estepona/Gibraltar. A few km past the village of Estepona there is a road that leads up in the mountains. You can't miss the roadsign to C&aacute;sares.

alyssa

Trixie,<BR>I've heard from many sources that you will save alot of money on a car rental if you can drive one with a manual transmission (stick). I agree that your quote sounds high. We are going to Malaga in a few weeks and the people we are renting an apartment from suggested Crown Car. Their email address is [email protected]. We got a really reasonable quote from them. I haven't used them before, but we have a reservation with them. Just a suggestion. <BR>Enjoy your trip!,<BR>Alyssa

janet

Thanks for your responses. I thought<BR>$710 was very high. But I should have mentioned it includes full coverage (CDW) and is an automatic. The prices for a manual are much lower. Tonight I called Avis and have a price around $500 Euros, including insurance, tax, and airport fees. Still very high but much better than $700!! Aain, thanks for your input.

Myriam

Janet,<BR>I think 500$ for an automatic intermediate (which I suppose since you are 4 people) is reasonable. They have very few automatic cars in Europe, which results in high prices.

ben

Must disagree. These prices sound outrageous. I've never paid more than $20/day for a car in Europe and have always used either expedia.com or orbitz.com. I just booked a car for $20 day for mid-march.<BR><BR>Ben