From Ronda we headed down to the stretch of the Costa del Sol (utterly missable--miles of concrete, high-rise condos, and billboards courting British retirees) and then back up into the mountains to one of our favorite cities, Granada. Granada was the last major stronghold for the Moors in Spain and their presence can still be felt throughout the city. We wandered the streets of the Albaicín and toured the Alhambra, the best-preserved Moorish palace in Europe.

In Granada we stayed at Hotel Anacapri, which is a business-class hotel and short on local charm. Rooms were hard to come by in Granada so we took what we could get. Very clean as you would expect, but austere compared to many of the other places we stayed this trip.