marazul

If your anxiety is only for dropping of your luggage to start sightseeing, you can spend an extra 15 minutes in the taxi and drop off your luggage at a centrally located hotel. From the airport hotel you would still have to take a taxi and ride the extra 15 minutes to get to the sights. And then taxi back to the airport hotel instead of just walking back to the in-town hotel. Staying in town means that you will be able to walk in and out of the hotel as you please. This would be most useful the day you arrive. Barcelona (and all of Spain) stay up late. Dinnertime is from 9 pm on. Tapas time starts much earlier. The town is lively and there is much going on in the evenings. If you are staying in town, you can walk into your hotel for a little rest and then go out for tapas. If you stay near the airport, you would probably go back early and crash. Same next day. Taxi back and forth to go sightseeing. Then taxi to the pier. You would be missing out on sightseeing time and wasting money for transportation by staying out of town. Think about it. One taxi to the hotel and one taxi to the pier if you stay in town.

I so agree with you! The Costa del Sol is not the Caribbean. The very nice golf resort they are going to is not Sandals or the Club Med. I am afraid @BDEM might be disappointed with a boring and not really "beach" experience for their anniversary. But, what do we know... My best wishes to them for a wonderful day whatever they decide.

They are very easy to work with for a customized tour. Their set tours are suggestions for first time visitors. You have obviously done your research and have some preferences. They will accomodate you, put the sights in the most efficient itinerary and make suggestions.

https://guidedtoursmalta.com/

Book the tour anytime. There is no particular advantage. Since the SF is not near other tourist attractions like the Gothic Quarter, Passeig de Gracia, etc., I would go there first and then move on to the other areas. I am not sure about what you say about which facade to do. The entrance is through the Nativity facade and your guide will describe it. The exit is through the Passion facade.

Their reservation portal opens up reservations one year in advance. I am not sure if it is by exact date or by month. Email them and they can bypass the web portal for reservations.

True because many Greek island cruises make a stop there. Because of cabotage laws all round-trip Athens cruises have to make a stop in another country. That means Turkey, Italy or Cyprus. Cyprus started being used at the end of the pandemic when Turkey was still closed to cruises. However, posting on the other forum might get you some local expertise.

The Troodos mountains are in Cyprus, not Greece. Post in the "Other Mediterranean Ports" forum.

Most hotels offer a discounted, pay in advance, non-refundable rate. Don't do it unless you are booking just a few days out. Get the pay at the hotel, cancelable rate.

Look at the thread pinned at the top of this forum:

@BDEM If you are looking for a romantic place, the Alhambra is it. Here is a suggestion using Taxi Motril to go to the Alambra. Pay extra to wait 4 hours instead of 3. Tour at least the palace Nazaries (see post #11). Then go for lunch in the Hotel America right on the grounds of the Alhambra. https://www.hotelamericagranada.com/en/restaurant/ Another option for lunch (and more upscale) is the Parador de Granada, right next to it and located in an old, beautiful convent. https://paradores.es/en/parador-de-granada https://paradores.es/en/restaurant-el-almori-del-generalife-parador-de-granada And here is a view of the Alhambra grounds including both hotels: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hotel+América+(Granada)/@37.1757303,-3.5884437,265m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m9!3m8!1s0xd71fcb6f864f08b:0xf59baf78994893a2!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d37.1760334!4d-3.5883878!16s%2Fg%2F1tdglm3b?hl=en&entry=ttu And, yes, you must buy admission tickets ASAP.

Search for how much money to bring and where to get it on this Forum and on the Italy forum. Tons written there. Clues: credit cards and ATMs. No, you do not tip in Europe. Employees are paid fair wages, it is not a two tier system like in the US. Rounding up the bill is ok, like 9.50 to 10. Or leaving the change on the table after a coffee. Also, lots written on that on the Italy forum.

You can ask. Just take a taxi there and they will call one for your return.

Email the hotel and ask about making a lunch reservation and renting lounge chairs by the pool. It isn't really called "day pass."

@Mimiya11 I second cruisemom and would add that there are eleven of you. You need to make reservations if you want to go to specific places. And when you reserve say 11 people, not 6 adults and 5 children!

Here is a little secret about the Costa del Sol beaches: the water is really cold even in August! That is because the Northern Atlantic waters come in through the Straight of Gibraltar and don't really warm up until farther into the Mediterranean. Here is the water temperature in June according to seatemperature.org for Almuñecar Beach which is right next to Motril: between 67.4ºF and 72.2ºF. That is cold! https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/spain/almunecar.htm In all likelihood, you will be disappointed by the beach experience and end up spending the day by the pool. By the way, "day passes" are not really a thing in Spain since all beaches are free. Don't miss this chance to visit the Alhambra. It is extraordinary.

I think Etna is very interesting. How many active volcanos do you get to walk on? Being in Taormina in the afternoon is just fine. All the restaurants and gelaterie will be open. Many of the tourist shops will stay open. Frankly, you will find lots of overpriced stuff, so why even bother.

I looked it up (so can you). It is in Alimos, about 15 minutes by taxi from the port. There is also a tram that runs along the shore and would take you there in about 30 minutes. Google the stops. There is one not far from the port. Have you been to Athens before? If not, there are better things to do there than go to the beach. And there are better beaches on the islands than around Athens. A beach bar is a beach bar. You might also want to check the seawater temperature for when you are going on this website: https://www.seatemperature.org/europe/greece/athens-may.htm

You are overthinking this. You already figured out how to get to the train station in Livorno. That is the hardest part. Reserve a hotel in Florence near the train station. Take the train over. Check in the hotel and enjoy the city. Look at the food thread pinned at the top of this forum for restaurant recommendations. Enjoy the city at night. If you want to book tickets to the Uffizi or Academia, do it for the earliest time next morning for no crowds. When you are ready, take one of the many frequent trains back to Livorno. Have a great trip.

😵‍💫🤪 Go figure!

Nice combination of cruises! Take a taxi to Gare St. Charles, the main train station in Marseille. Look for trains on the official website: https://www.sncf.com/en They run frequently.

You can only book here: www.scavi.va/content/scavi/en/prenotazione.html

Scavi means excavations. It refers to the archaeological finds underneath St. Peter's. scavi.va

Their tours are excellent. The website is just fine. Try booking your tour. Use your own email. Don't use amex. If you have any questions, come back.

Unfortunately, we had to cancel our April cruise. All refunds were made within 24 hours.