Moorish Delights - Gibraltar, Casablanca, Cadiz, Motril, Cartagena

[Julessmiles]

Any thoughts on these ports for the Moorish Delights Itinerary?

 

Gibraltar, Casablanca, Cadiz, Motril, Cartagena,

[joeholiday2]

Only done these two:

 

Casablanca: We just walked to the mosque along the main coast road, this is impressive to see, but the rest of what we saw looked scruffy. When we are there next it will be a sunbathing day or a trip to Rabat.

 

Cadiz is lovely.... very walkable and loads to see.

It's great if you like Churches, some are really nice inside. We didn't do the Cathedral (€5 each) but the small Church in the same square is gorgeous inside, don't miss it. We also found the Holy Cave Church (€3 each) which has some Goya paintings inside, it's small but we thought it was well worth the entrance fee.

It's on a street called Rosario, and you would not think it was a Church from the outside. It's worth tracking down though, it took us ages to find it.

 

Holy Cave Church

 

http://www.cadizturismo.com/media/pu...pdf/4walkl.pdf

This map gives some good walks, but it's easy just to do your own thing with the map.

 

When we are there in April, I think we will head for Seville on the train if time permits.

Edited February 2, 2014 by joeholiday2
typo

[Langtoncouple]

Cartagena is beautiful. Visit the Roman ampitheatre which was recently discovered behind the main street. The streets round the port are clean and nice to just meander round.The castle is worth going to just for the views.

[campolady]

Any thoughts on these ports for the Moorish Delights Itinerary?

 

Gibraltar, Casablanca, Cadiz, Motril, Cartagena,

 

We live less than an hours drive from Motril. These are some comments I wrote about the port destination last year plus my thoughts about Gibraltar:-

 

Motril is not the most attractive of ports - mainly serving the ferry services across to the Spanish enclave of Melilla on the North African coast. However, apart from the obvious trip to Granada, it has easy access to the following destinations:-

 

From Motril it is only a short taxi hop (5 miles west) to the little coastal town of Salobreña. The town is built on a steep hill and there are fantastic views from the top - with plenty of authentic Tapas bars to stop off at on the way. The beach is IMO nothing special but the town is charming and, even in high Summer, you have a magnificent distant backdrop of snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains. You can get a bus from Motril to Salobreña but, as the bus station is in Motril town, a taxi from the Port to Bus Station will cost little less than one from the Port straight to Salobreña. http://www.andalucia.com/salobrena/home.htm

 

Five minutes drive further west from Salobreña is the larger resort of Almuñecar that has 2 lovely sandy beaches and a water park (seawater) popular with younger visitors. Whilst the gbeaches are fringed with hotels and apartment blocks, the town centre maintains a real Andaluz feel with plenty of Tapas Bars and small, traditional shops. Almuñecar has a well known Bird Park, a state of the art Aquarium and an excellent weekly market every Thursday.

 

andalucia.com/province/gr...necar/home.htm

 

Another option for people wanting to bathe, the little town of Castell de Ferro is just 13 miles east of Motril (15 minutes in a taxi). The several beaches (mainly shale) at CDF are lapped by crystal clear water and the town is very popular with Spanish visitors. costatropicalnews.com/cos...tell-de-ferro/

 

Finally, can I end with another suggestion for anyone intending to do the Alpujarras excursion from Motril offered by cruise lines such as Thomson- before going read the series of books by ex-Genesis member Chris Stewart that starts with ´Driving Over lemons´. These books are very easy reading and will give you a good feel of what the area has to offer. http://drivingoverlemons.co.uk/

 

Gibraltar is SO easy/good value to do on your own so don´t pay for an expensive Thomson excursion. Local taxis or authorised mini tour buses (almost definitely the same company you would be using with Thomsons) http://www.gibraltartours.org go from the bottom of Main Street (can also be picked up portside but at a premium cost); these will take you up the Rock and into the lovely St Michaels Cave plus Trafalgar Cemetery giving you much longer in each place than on an organiosed excursion. For lunch go to Ocean Village where there is a good choice of eateries; for a typically Gib/Brit pre-lunch drink call in the Star Inn down a ginnel near the bottom of Main Street. Shopping wise, only alcohol and cigarettes are cheap nowadays - you will be encouraged to buy electrical goods but these are considerably cheaper across the border in Spain and in the UK too. For a different type of excursion the Seige Tunnels http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-great-siege-tunnels.aspx and World War Two Tunnels are fascinating and are sadly missed by many visitors to the Rock http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-great-siege-tunnels.aspx http://www.visitgibraltar.gi/world-war-tunnels

Money wise - remember that it is far better to spend Sterling in Gib than Euros; however, you may well get change in Gibraltar Pounds which are NOT legal tender in the UK so try and spend these before getting back on board your ship.

Edited February 2, 2014 by campolady

[Malch_uk]

Cadiz has a good beach close to the port if you have time to kill or fancy a swim.

 

In Cartegena you can get a discounted combined ticket to visit the Castle, amphitheatre and a tour round on the open top bus. The entrance to the amphitheatre is not where you would expect to find it. It's inside a Museum on the main street, far below the amphitheatre.

 

Agree with Campolady about the local mini-bus tour in Gibraltar. Recomended.

Takes about 15 minutes to walk into the centre from the ship.

Edited February 2, 2014 by Malch_uk

[happy v]

I know I'm in the minority but I liked Casablanca. We got a taxi into the town had a browse around the shops then walked to the Mosque but not along the coast. We walked to the residential area and down to the sea from there. It was very interesting, some of the houses are lovely. We then started walking back along the coast to the ship but this area wasn't so nice and we were tired and sweltered by then so we got in a taxi.

 

Looking forward to hearing about Cartagena and Gibraltar, as we go in two months time.:)

[Julessmiles]

There are some really good ideas here. Thank you,

 

Has anybody been to both the Alhambra & Seville? Out of the 2, which would you recommend for a visit? I have read that some of the buildings in Seville are more interesting & beautiful than the Alhambra?!

 

We explored the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul which was beautiful - Alhambra looks quite similar which is why I am wondering whether to head for Seville instead of Granada..... although Cadiz itself looks a lovely place to DIY!

Edited February 3, 2014 by Julessmiles

[campolady]

There are some really good ideas here. Thank you,

 

Has anybody been to both the Alhambra & Seville? Out of the 2, which would you recommend for a visit? I have read that some of the buildings in Seville are more interesting & beautiful than the Alhambra?!

 

We explored the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul which was beautiful - Alhambra looks quite similar which is why I am wondering whether to head for Seville instead of Granada..... although Cadiz itself looks a lovely place to DIY!

 

Between Granada and Seville I would personally go for Seville - a stunningly beautiful city. However, Cadiz is lovely and there is more than enough to keep you occupied for the day - we will be doing our own thing when we are in port there in November.

 

The Alhambra is the most popular tourist attraction in Spain - as the horrendous crowds visiting every day prove. However, although the gardens are beautiful, the palace is only a shell in many areas and an awful lot of steps need to be climbed. The rest of the city is nothing special; a long bus journey too.

 

One thing to take into consideration is what time of year you will be visiting. In high Summer temperatures in Seville regularly well exceed 40 degrees - it is not called the Frying Pan of Spain for nothingg LOL! It will be considerably cooler in Granada as you are up in the mountains and in Cadiz you will have the sea breeze.

[Julessmiles]

Between Granada and Seville I would personally go for Seville - a stunningly beautiful city. However, Cadiz is lovely and there is more than enough to keep you occupied for the day - we will be doing our own thing when we are in port there in November.

 

The Alhambra is the most popular tourist attraction in Spain - as the horrendous crowds visiting every day prove. However, although the gardens are beautiful, the palace is only a shell in many areas and an awful lot of steps need to be climbed. The rest of the city is nothing special; a long bus journey too.

 

One thing to take into consideration is what time of year you will be visiting. In high Summer temperatures in Seville regularly well exceed 40 degrees - it is not called the Frying Pan of Spain for nothingg LOL! It will be considerably cooler in Granada as you are up in the mountains and in Cadiz you will have the sea breeze.

 

Thank you - this is really helpful.

 

We don't mind the heat - have spent the last 2 years on 2 week cruises in Greece & Turkey & have coped really well considering how hot it was!!!!

[dr math]

We will arrive at Gibraltar via CDF Zenith on May 19, 2014. We are looking to join others in a tour with "Gibraltar Inside Out Rock Tour" beginning at 13:00. Much cheaper with more than 2 persons. We are flexible between the 1.5 and 2.5 hour tours. Anyone interested?

[Sally V Lamb]

Did this cruise last July but went to Tangiers instead. Gibraltar was excellent and we did the Rock Tour. Afternoon shopping ( M&S WHS ). Cadiz was a lovely port and we walked right into town. Did an around town excursion but probably would not again.

 

Motril is a poor port and not really set up for cruise ships. The white berth was actually grey concrete but absolutely plastered in seagull poo ! However had a very nice morning in the sugar cane museum followed by a visit to the Ron Montero rum distillery. Free samples tested followed by more free samples and the entire coach returned happy ! Told that Motril is now the cherry tomato capital of the world.

 

Cartagena was a lovely port with nice views from high up. Went to coffee / pastry shop in the main street and had a pleasant day.

 

Weather was hot throughout and as the ports are fairly close together the ship sails slowly overnight.

[senor pedro]

We live less than an hours drive from Motril. These are some comments I wrote about the port destination last year plus my thoughts about Gibraltar:-

 

Motril is not the most attractive of ports - mainly serving the ferry services across to the Spanish enclave of Melilla on the North African coast. However, apart from the obvious trip to Granada, it has easy access to the following destinations:-

 

From Motril it is only a short taxi hop (5 miles west) to the little coastal town of Salobreña. The town is built on a steep hill and there are fantastic views from the top - with plenty of authentic Tapas bars to stop off at on the way. The beach is IMO nothing special but the town is charming and, even in high Summer, you have a magnificent distant backdrop of snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains. You can get a bus from Motril to Salobreña but, as the bus station is in Motril town, a taxi from the Port to Bus Station will cost little less than one from the Port straight to Salobreña. http://www.andalucia.com/salobrena/home.htm

 

Five minutes drive further west from Salobreña is the larger resort of Almuñecar that has 2 lovely sandy beaches and a water park (seawater) popular with younger visitors. Whilst the gbeaches are fringed with hotels and apartment blocks, the town centre maintains a real Andaluz feel with plenty of Tapas Bars and small, traditional shops. Almuñecar has a well known Bird Park, a state of the art Aquarium and an excellent weekly market every Thursday.

 

andalucia.com/province/gr...necar/home.htm

 

Another option for people wanting to bathe, the little town of Castell de Ferro is just 13 miles east of Motril (15 minutes in a taxi). The several beaches (mainly shale) at CDF are lapped by crystal clear water and the town is very popular with Spanish visitors. costatropicalnews.com/cos...tell-de-ferro/

 

Finally, can I end with another suggestion for anyone intending to do the Alpujarras excursion from Motril offered by cruise lines such as Thomson- before going read the series of books by ex-Genesis member Chris Stewart that starts with ´Driving Over lemons´. These books are very easy reading and will give you a good feel of what the area has to offer. http://drivingoverlemons.co.uk/

 

Gibraltar is SO easy/good value to do on your own so don´t pay for an expensive Thomson excursion. Local taxis or authorised mini tour buses (almost definitely the same company you would be using with Thomsons) www.gibraltartours.org go from the bottom of Main Street (can also be picked up portside but at a premium cost); these will take you up the Rock and into the lovely St Michaels Cave plus Trafalgar Cemetery giving you much longer in each place than on an organiosed excursion. For lunch go to Ocean Village where there is a good choice of eateries; for a typically Gib/Brit pre-lunch drink call in the Star Inn down a ginnel near the bottom of Main Street. Shopping wise, only alcohol and cigarettes are cheap nowadays - you will be encouraged to buy electrical goods but these are considerably cheaper across the border in Spain and in the UK too. For a different type of excursion the Seige Tunnels http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-great-siege-tunnels.aspx and World War Two Tunnels are fascinating and are sadly missed by many visitors to the Rock http://www.gibraltarinfo.gi/gibraltar-great-siege-tunnels.aspx http://www.visitgibraltar.gi/world-war-tunnels

Money wise - remember that it is far better to spend Sterling in Gib than Euros; however, you may well get change in Gibraltar Pounds which are NOT legal tender in the UK so try and spend these before getting back on board your ship.

 

thanks Campolady

We are doing this itenary soon and this is very informative

 

:)

[kruzseeka]

Well we're not doing these ports any time soon but I'll be copying the info for future reference in case we do! Some excellent info on Motril in particular - thank you campolady. :)

It's so important to get this kind of insight for ports which haven't much to offer in their own right. It's easy to have a good day just wandering in some places where there's plenty to see and enjoy but for less attractive destinations being forewarned and able to plan alternative excursions lets you make the most of your day. This is especially useful. Thanks! :)

[allhamm]

There are some really good ideas here. Thank you,

 

Has anybody been to both the Alhambra & Seville? Out of the 2, which would you recommend for a visit? I have read that some of the buildings in Seville are more interesting & beautiful than the Alhambra?!

 

We explored the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul which was beautiful - Alhambra looks quite similar which is why I am wondering whether to head for Seville instead of Granada..... although Cadiz itself looks a lovely place to DIY!

i see this is an older post but updated in 2014. You must have got answers. seville hands down....Apart from AlHambra, Granada has nothing to offer.

[Julessmiles]

i see this is an older post but updated in 2014. You must have got answers. seville hands down....Apart from AlHambra, Granada has nothing to offer.

 

Thank you

 

Still haven't been yet - we are off fairly soon! I must admit Seville does read a lot better than Granada however I quite like the sound of time in Cadiz.......decisions, decisions!

[allhamm]

I must admit not hqving been to Cadiz.....so looking forward to the visit next week. However, just loved Seville and Cadiz doesn't seem to have anything to match. We had three days there and did the Alcazar, bullfighting museum, Jewish quarter etc. etc. Also did the free walking tours...brilliant. You give a tip...based on how you enjoyed it. They do this in Cadiz at 1pm (panchotours) which we will do, as you get a lot more history and fairly unknown facts.

[allhamm]

Thanks Campolady...Brilliant information. The Salobrena Tourismo Office gave me the contact details of an English lady who would do a tour. Is it worth booking this, or just easy to meander through the village to the top?

[campolady]

Thanks Campolady...Brilliant information. The Salobrena Tourismo Office gave me the contact details of an English lady who would do a tour. Is it worth booking this, or just easy to meander through the village to the top?

 

I am not a fan of organised tours so, personally, I would just wander at your own pace - it is one heck of a climb but well worth it. If walking uphill isn't your thing you could take a taxi up to the top then wander more comfortably downhill stopping at various Tapas bars en route!