Hola from Espana.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Just wanted to say Hi to everyone who helped me plan this trip.

We are having a great time.

The Marbella Marriott is a beautiful resort. It's too cold to go swimming but we're having fun touring anyway.

They cancelled 3 of our tours so far so we've had to do some re-arranging and rebooking but now I give up and am renting a car to do our own thing.

Now I've really gotta put my Spanish to good use. Hopefully I won't drive down the street the wrong way.

The manager wanted us to move to another room because of plumbing problems in our original unit's building so they comped us free dinner and internet for the week. They also moved us to a higher floor closer to the beach. The internet is $10 euros a day so I'm a happy camper even though we had to pack and unpack after a long day of touring. We had dinner on the house tonight at the Sports bar. Not memorable but edible and it was free so really can't complain.

Oh well, those are the surprises that make trips memorable.
When I stop long enough to explore the resort I'll post a review but so far haven't even been to all the areas of the resort yet.

I must say that Aga from the concierge is very nice and helpful. She has worked hard with us to rebook all our tours that got cancelled.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Have a great time. Everyone says that the resort is beautiful. What is the weather like? I hope it isn't as cold and rainy as we have here in southern California but we need the rain.

Please, post some pictures when you come back or have a spare minute over there.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

The weather has been nothing but fabulous since we got here Tuesday.

Sunny days in the 60's and cool crisp nights maybe in the 50's. Really only sweater weather for most of you Snowbird types but for this native Floridian it's too cold to swim but I've got my sweaters and corduroys on. Maybe I'll brave the indoor pool on Sunday but no promises. It's a long walk back to the room from the pool. Brrrrrrrrrrr. I do see lots of guests walking around in little white bath robes. That's too cold for me.

I'm loving the weather. lucky for us it hasn't rained one drop. I've heard that it rains in December here but God has smiled on me for this trip.

[mpizza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mpizza]

Glad to hear weather is cooperating and you are enjoying your trip!

Marbella is on my wish list for 2011.

Maria

[Hoc Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Hoc]

Have a great time. Everyone says that the resort is beautiful. What is the weather like? I hope it isn't as cold and rainy as we have here in southern California but we need the rain.

I was in Madrid this past weekend, and it was colder than in California. Rained a bit lighter, though. Very slippery, I slipped and fell on my back on the street.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I was in Madrid this past weekend, and it was colder than in California. Rained a bit lighter, though. Very slippery, I slipped and fell on my back on the street.

Was it icy? I hope you are OK. How nice to go to Europe so often, Hoc.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Glad to hear weather is cooperating and you are enjoying your trip!

Marbella is on my wish list for 2011.

Maria

Definetely come. You will enjoy it. I'm on my balcony overlooking the sea as I type. Beautiful resort. Just if you come during off season you'll need a car because they cancel alot of tours because of low interest.

Now I've gotta brush up on my stick shift driving. The automatics are way too expensive and too big for these narrow streets. Hopefully I won't roll downhill. That would be way too embarassing. Wish me luck.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

I was in Madrid this past weekend, and it was colder than in California. Rained a bit lighter, though. Very slippery, I slipped and fell on my back on the street.

Ouch. I see that could be easy to do around these little towns with the cobble stone streets when they get wet. Hopefully I won't be dealing with any rain. Today is another beautiful sunny day so far.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Definitely come. You will enjoy it. I'm on my balcony overlooking the sea as I type. Beautiful resort. Just if you come during off season you'll need a car because they cancel alot of tours because of low interest.

Now I've gotta brush up on my stick shift driving. The automatics are way too expensive and too big for these narrow streets. Hopefully I won't roll downhill. That would be way too embarrassing. Wish me luck.

Good for you - I don't know how to drive a stick.
Too bad about the tours but you will be able to make up for this with your own car....glad the concierge is being helpful.

When are u going to Morocco? Can't wait to hear your impressions.

[happymum Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close happymum]

Please keep us all posted. I think this is on many wish lists!

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

I was in Madrid this past weekend, and it was colder than in California. Rained a bit lighter, though. Very slippery, I slipped and fell on my back on the street.

Sorry to hear about your fall please be careful!

Were u staying at the RHC property?

[Hoc Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Hoc]

Was it icy? I hope you are OK. How nice to go to Europe so often, Hoc.

No ice. Just wet and slippery. And I was fine after the fall. . . not even a bruise or muscle strain, so I guess I fell "right."

I love going to Europe, and try to take advantage of cheap fares, upgrades with flat beds on the planes, and accumulated miles. This trip was $601, and I wound up getting 81,000 total miles for the flights.

Normally, with an upgrade to business class with flat beds, I can sleep most of the way there, most of the way back, and just spend a weekend or a few days in Europe without jet lag. This trip, I had a cold, so I took lots of naps while in Madrid, and when I got back home, I did not even have to adjust to the changed times. A very nice weekend getaway in all.

I'm off to Korea for a week on Tuesday night, so I suspect that I'll have jet lag issues on that trip.

[Hoc Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Hoc]

Sorry t hear about your fall please be careful!

That was the second fall this trip. When I got to Madrid, I took a nap at the hotel just after I checked in. It was a double bed -- smallest bed I've slept on in years. In my sleep, I rolled over to get a tissue from the night stand. Problem was, I was already on the edge of the bed, so I fell out onto the floor. Luckily avoided hitting my head on the corner of the night stand, but I scratched my arm all to . . . heck. Later scratched my leg on the desk. Came home with scratches all over me. Young was. . .suspicious.

Were u staying at the RHC property?

Not this trip. I booked the Hotel Liabeny in the Puerta del Sol for $105 a night. Very nice place, and certainly comparable to the RHC property (except more convenient). Two advantages that the RHC property had over this one were: 1) it's at the Nuevos Ministerios metro stop, so you can take one metro to RHC directly from the airport, where this one required two transfers; and 2) the RHC property had a mini-kitchen with refrigerator, while this one had only a minibar, so I couldn't store much. But this one was right in the center of Madrid, and I did not have to worry about the Metro shutting down before I could get back to the room.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

That was the second fall this trip. When I got to Madrid, I took a nap at the hotel just after I checked in. It was a double bed -- smallest bed I've slept on in years. In my sleep, I rolled over to get a tissue from the night stand. Problem was, I was already on the edge of the bed, so I fell out onto the floor. Luckily avoided hitting my head on the corner of the night stand, but I scratched my arm all to . . . heck. Later scratched my leg on the desk. Came home with scratches all over me. Young was. . .suspicious.

She is not going to let you travel alone anymore

Not this trip. I booked the Hotel Liabeny in the Puerta del Sol for $105 a night. Very nice place, and certainly comparable to the RHC property (except more convenient). Two advantages that the RHC property had over this one were: 1) it's at the Nuevos Ministerios metro stop, so you can take one metro to RHC directly from the airport, where this one required two transfers; and 2) the RHC property had a mini-kitchen with refrigerator, while this one had only a minibar, so I couldn't store much. But this one was right in the center of Madrid, and I did not have to worry about the Metro shutting down before I could get back to the room.

Good to know about the mini kitchen

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Good for you - I don't know how to drive a stick.
Too bad about the tours but you will be able to make up for this with your own car....glad the concierge is being helpful.

When are u going to Morocco? Can't wait to hear your impressions.

I don't know what I was thinking? We got the car today and I had to practice on the hill outside the resort before I ventured out on the highway.
Well since we've been on the bus all week I didn't realize I had to drive up so high on the mountains since the buses take the low roads.
My poor friends have a nervous wreck since I've stalled the car about 4 times already and rolled downhill too twice. Hopefully I'll get it straight before we go to Ronda.

Pat I went to Morocco the 1st tour we did. Honestly if it wasn't for the Paparrazzi vendors getting in your face non stop I did like Tangiers.

I think because there were so few tourists there the few of us that were there were like fish in a shark feeding frenzy.

It was hard to really soak in the ambiance because they really rushed us thru the town and of course it was all uphill on cobble stone streets. Because I'm definetely out of shape I was usually the last in the group and men kept coming up behind me telling me how beautiful I was and asking me if I was married. It was a bit unnerving as there were so many nooks and crannies in the city to pull you into that I didn't really feel safe despite being in a group. I really missed the boyfriend at times like these. Morrocco is probably not a great place for single women to visit.