Has anyone been to Andalucia, we're going in may for a week independently. This is the first time we've ventured outside the package holiday buzz and are hoping to get a spanish experience.
If we don't see a sign for a Full English or a Red lion pub or paddywhackery Irish pub i'll be a happy bunny.

Hello Tremone

I lived in Seville for a year and would have to recommend you go there. Unfortunately it does have its small share of Irish pubs but when one of them is situated smack bang beside the beautiful Cathedral and Giralda tower I don't think you'll mind having a drink al fresco at its pavement tables.
Seville for me is the real Spain- and I feel qualified to share this opinion as I also lived in Madrid for a year and never got a true sense of what the country was all about just by living in the capital. It has a charming Old Town (El Barrio Santa Cruz), a river upon which you can take a cruise boat, horse and traps, palm trees aplenty and some great authentic nightlife- check out a flamenco bar for some Spanish music and drink. It does have its share of tourists, but you'd be hard pushed to find a place in Spain which doesn't. The plus side is that it retains its sense of identity despite this and doesn't pander to the masses.
Two warnings however: it is blisteringly hot in the summer (I saw a gauge reading 48 degrees once, and my candles and lipsticks all melted in my flat), and as Andalucia has the highest rate of unemployemt in Spain, petty crime is rife. The latest trick for local theives is to whisk your bag away from you whilst riding pillion on a scooter, so hang onto your belongings carefully.
However, it's essential you pay Seville a visit, even if only for a day. Wear comfy shoes and get wandering. You will be bewitched by the place.

Buena suerte.

Good choice!!!!!!!!!! Beautiful area of Spain, full of stunning landscapes, amazing architecture - and even a city that gives you free food with your beer (Granada)!!!

I agree with the writer from Seville, having spent a month there myself. But don't miss the cities of Cordoba and Granada. The Mezquita/Cathedral in Cordoba is an amazing contradiction, due to the mix of Moorish and Christian architecture. The Alhambra Palace in Granada is the most visited monument in Europe apparently. Having spent some 6 hours (over 2 visits because one just isn't enough) in it, I can see why. And that was this month, in very cold conditions, and I think the rose gardens in the summer would be spectacular. Oh, do pay the extra 3 euros and get the audio guide in the Alhambra which really made my second visit. I missed out on a lot without it the first time.

The rural mountains of the Alpujarras are breathtaking. I wondered how on earth people got to a village I saw clinging to the edge of a steep hill .... 10 minutes later, my bus was in that very village!

Please don't judge Andalucia by the Costa del Sol and Costa Tropical. There is much to see and do off the beaten track.

Enjoy your trip!!

Couln`t agree more Sevilla is a fantastic city . ( great Italian restraunt just around the corner from that Irish bar overlooking the Giralda as well).

May should be an amazing time to visit Andalucia. My friends recently came back from Grenada and loved it.

Thanks to all for the replies, we'll actually be quite near Cadiz so if anyone has any info on this city don't be shy. As it is only a week we may take in Seville but definitely use our time as a sort of intelligenge gathering exercise and if we like what we see we'll be back for 2 weeks!!

Hi Tremone

If you're in Cadiz then you have to visit El Puerto de Santa Maria. This is admittedly a nicer place in the summer, but it is located across the bay from Cadiz and has unspoilt beaches, and parades of little seafood restaurants which serve the famous Andalucian 'pescaito frito' (deep fried seafood- the anchovies are particularly good). If you like golf you'll also be pleased to know it is a premier Spanish golfing resort.
El Puerto is a wonderful beach town inhabited by plentiful Spaniards and very few tourists. It's part of a coast known as Costa de la Luz which is, as yet, untouched by British hands. The water (Atlantic) is clear and clean, and there are regular steam-boat trips across the bay from Cadiz.
Enjoy!

That's actually exactly were we'll be staying. Sounds good to me, hopefully it all works out.