Hotel Motel Holiday Ian

This southern Spain road trip covered Granada, Seville and the Marbella area over five nights in March 2019. The route combined a central apartment, two very different hotels, a one-way hire car and an eventful journey home after high winds disrupted departures from Gibraltar.

Trip at a glance

• Dates: 21-26 March 2019
• Length: 5 nights
• Route: Málaga Airport → Nerja → Granada → Seville → Ronda → Puerto Banús/Marbella → Gibraltar/La Línea
• Accommodation: 2 nights Granada, 2 nights Seville and 1 night near Puerto Banús
• Transport: One-way hire car from Málaga Airport to La Línea/Gibraltar
• Return disruption: The Gibraltar-London Luton flight operated as planned, but the later Gibraltar-Bristol departure was moved to Málaga because of high winds; affected passengers travelled there by coach

The route

1. 21 March: Collect the hire car at Málaga Airport, stop in Nerja and continue to Granada
2. 21-23 March: Granada – Chezmoihomes Luxury Penthouse
3. 23-25 March: Seville – Hotel Doña María
4. 25 March: Drive from Seville via Ronda to Marbella/Puerto Banús
5. 25-26 March: Marbella/Puerto Banús – Gran Hotel Guadalpin Banus
6. 26 March: Drive to La Línea/Gibraltar, return the car and travel home

Flying to Málaga

The group travelled to Málaga on two UK departures: easyJet from Bristol and Norwegian from London Gatwick. Using different departure airports allowed the wider family group to meet in Málaga before starting the road trip.

Flights and booking approach

Our group used easyJet from Bristol and Norwegian from London Gatwick to reach Málaga. For the return, easyJet bookings were made from Gibraltar to London Luton and Bristol. The Bristol departure was moved to Málaga because of high winds, with passengers transferred by coach.

I booked flights found through Skyscanner, using its multi-city search to compare routes before completing the bookings with the relevant provider. I book the long-haul flights first to fix the main dates, then arrange local flights closer to travel. For separately booked flights I allow generous time, ideally a night between them. If connecting on the same day, I check the ticket conditions and whether baggage is checked through; a shared search itinerary alone does not guarantee protection if a flight is delayed.

Hire car: Málaga to Gibraltar

The one-way rental was arranged through Affordable Car Hire and supplied locally by Espacar. The booked vehicle was a Nissan Qashqai or similar midsize SUV, collected at Málaga Airport at 11:00 on 21 March and due back at La Línea, just across the border from Gibraltar Airport, at 12:00 on 26 March.

The agreed price was £230, including Maxi Top Up cover. The package included unlimited mileage within Andalusia and Gibraltar, two additional drivers and the one-way routing. This was a practical choice for four adults travelling with luggage and removed the need to loop back to Málaga purely to return the car.

Nerja: the first road-trip stop

After collecting the car at Málaga Airport, we stopped in Nerja before continuing to Granada. Nerja lies east of Málaga on the Costa del Sol and made a natural break on the first drive, adding a coastal stop before the trip moved inland.

Days 1-2: Granada

After Nerja, we continued inland to Granada. The two-night stay was at Chezmoihomes Luxury Penthouse, a one-bedroom apartment on Calle Reyes Católicos in the city centre.

The apartment provided a separate living room, dining area, full kitchen and washer-dryer. Its location worked well for reaching central Granada on foot, although a car adds extra planning because of parking and access restrictions in the historic centre.

Granada is the natural cultural centrepiece of this route, with the Alhambra, Albaicín, cathedral and old-city streets all fitting comfortably into a two-night stop.

Days 3-4: Seville

The next stage crossed Andalusia to Seville for two nights at Hotel Doña María. The hotel sits immediately beside Seville Cathedral and La Giralda, making it a strong base for a short sightseeing stay.

Parking the hire car and then exploring on foot was the sensible approach. The cathedral, Real Alcázar, Barrio Santa Cruz and central tapas streets are all close to the hotel, while the rooftop terrace provides one of its defining city views.

Ronda: Seville to Marbella

On the drive from Seville to Marbella, we stopped in Ronda. The hilltop town broke up the journey and added another very different Andalusian setting before the final coastal stay. Its dramatic gorge, Puente Nuevo and historic centre make it particularly well suited to a road-trip stop.

Day 5: Puerto Banús and Marbella

The final overnight stop was Gran Hotel Guadalpin Banus, a beachfront hotel on the western side of Puerto Banús. We booked two rooms for the night.

This changed the pace of the trip from historic city sightseeing to the coast. The beachfront setting, pool and access to Puerto Banús made it a convenient final stop before continuing towards Gibraltar the following morning.

The disrupted journey home

There were separate easyJet bookings from Gibraltar to London Luton and Bristol on 26 March. The Gibraltar-London Luton flight went ahead. The Bristol service was scheduled to depart later, but high winds meant that departure was moved to Málaga Airport. Passengers booked to Bristol were taken by coach from Gibraltar to Málaga and flew home from there.

That experience is an important practical lesson when booking Gibraltar flights. The airport’s location beside the Rock can make it vulnerable to strong crosswinds, and disruption may involve a lengthy road transfer to or from Málaga rather than a simple delay at the terminal.

Hotel cost comparison

Stay	Comparable cost per room or apartment per night
Chezmoihomes Luxury Penthouse, Granada	£96.61 per apartment per night (£193.21 for two nights)
Hotel Doña María, Seville	Price unavailable
Gran Hotel Guadalpin Banus, Marbella	£103.01 per room for the night (£206.02 for two rooms)

The apartment price is for the whole accommodation, while the Marbella figure is per room; they are shown separately to avoid treating unlike units as identical.

What worked well

• A logical one-way route without unnecessary backtracking.
• Two nights each in Granada and Seville gave enough time for the main sights.
• The apartment, city hotel and beachfront resort created three distinct stays.
• The midsize SUV suited four adults and a multi-stop itinerary.
• Returning the car near Gibraltar matched the original flight plan.

What to plan carefully

• Confirm parking before driving into central Granada or Seville.
• Allow for one-way car-hire charges and cross-border restrictions.
• Check whether Gibraltar disruption could require a transfer to Málaga.
• Keep the final day flexible when flying from a weather-sensitive airport.
• For a short road trip, avoid adding too many one-night stops.

All stays from this trip

• Chezmoihomes Luxury Penthouse, Granada
• Hotel Doña María, Seville
• Gran Hotel Guadalpin Banus, Marbella

Final verdict

This five-night itinerary combined several contrasting parts of Andalusia: a coastal stop in Nerja, Granada for the Alhambra and historic atmosphere, Seville for cathedral-side sightseeing, a stop in hilltop Ronda, and Puerto Banús for a final coastal night. The one-way hire car made the route work efficiently. The main complication came at the end, when the later Bristol departure was moved from Gibraltar to Málaga because of high winds, while the earlier London Luton flight operated from Gibraltar as planned.