This trip can start from March through June, and September through November.

Spring and fall temperatures are generally a delight, with reliable sunshine and fairly long days. July and August are simply too hot to be enjoyable if you ask us.

This trip is designed to begin and end at Málaga, which has regular flight connections with the UK and mainland Europe. This keeps costs down on the hire car, avoiding expensive one-way fees. It's also possible to reach Málaga via high-speed train from Madrid or Barcelona. Another option is to fly to Gibraltar, though hire cars are generally more expensive from there. Please ask us if you're not sure and would like advice.

This is designed as a relaxed and gentle vacation, with plenty of opportunities to take a break and put your feet up by the pool. There are a handful of guided walks included, all of which are graded as easy to moderate, but can be tailored by the guide to suit you.

If you want a bit more activity, you'll see throughout the trip that there are options to get out and walk, with the longest trail topping out at around 14km. You therefore have the flexibility, whether with your guide or exploring independently, to set the activity level as you go.

This vacation strings together some of our absolute favorite places to stay in all of Andalucía. Whether in the city, the countryside or in a hilltop village, the hotels are all small, locally-owned and extremely peaceful. Each one has either an inviting pool, exotic garden or sunny terrace to enjoy - and many actually have all three. The welcome is always warm and where you dine in, you are going to be treated to some of the best dinners you could wish for... this is a largely food-based trip after all!

Before you travel you will receive your very own Pura Aventura Vacation Guide. This book gathers together our combined experiences in Andalucía over the past 20 years, sharing our personal recommendations on places to visit, walks to take and restaurants to eat in. You'll never be short of ideas, but of course there's also space for you to follow your own discoveries, or simply relax by the pool.

The Vacation Guide also has extensive background information on the history, culture and quirks of each place you visit, enriching your visit.

Throughout this trip you will enjoy the freedom of your own hire vehicle, giving you the independence to explore as you wish.

Navigation is very easy thanks through Google Maps or Waze - we provide full instructions on how to use these on your smart phone.

The roads are all paved and in a good to excellent state of repair. You can expect some narrow winding mountain roads but nothing extreme. The vehicle will be suitable for the destination, the distances you are expected to cover, roads, and number of people travelling. For two people travelling to Spain you can expect a medium-sized vehicle such as a VW Golf. We can’t guarantee specific make or model.

We can provide a hybrid vehicle if you begin and end at Málaga airport. If this is of interest, please let us know - the reason we have not included it as standard (as much as we'd love to) is that it is a fair bit more expensive than a 'regular' car, though it does invariably include full insurance and an additional driver.

As part of the creation process, we have also designed a two-week and various one-week versions of this trip. So if you have less/more time to play with, the first step is simply to ask about the alternative itineraries. Beyond that, we can tailor the trip in certain ways, making sure that we retain the essence of this vacation through the pacing and content.

Using the high-speed train network, it's also easy to add time in cities such as Madrid or Barcelona to either end of the trip - just ask if that's of interest.