We just got back from an absolutely incredible trip to southern Spain and I would love to tell you ALL about our trip; somewhat so I can relive it…but mostly so that I can share with you how YOU can make this dream a reality for your own family too!

How We Chose Southern Spain

We’re all about following the DEAL, not a specific destination – because as I’ve said so many times before, flexibility is key when you’re a big fam trying to have an amazingggg nearly free vacay!

We are not a homeschool family and Luke is in school administration, so we are bound by school breaks (like many of you are!), but southern Spain in October gave us with the perfect shoulder season getaway!

We have spent time in the more central parts of Spain before (like Barcelona, Madrid, and Sevilla) so when we saw the dates and rates line up perfectly with our Fall break and explore a little more south, we ran!

What Cards/Points We Used

Speaking of running, I mean this with my whole self – when you see a deal and you know you’ve got the points, RUNNNNN!

You never know how long it’ll last, and not to mention – the quicker you book, the more availability there will be.

Here’s what we did step by step:

	Details	Points/Cards Used	Taxes/Cost	Notes
Flight to Spain	AA flight via Iberia (Capital One points transfer)	25,000 points	$49	Know the importance of airline alliances! (See below for more details!)
Flight Home	Iberia flight (Chase points transfer during 30% bonus)	21,000 points	$130	Took advantage of transfer bonus
In-Country Travel	Train (Madrid to Malaga, round trip)	N/A	$250 for 5 tickets	Booked via the Omio app
Luxury Resort Stay	La Zambra Resort, Andalucia (Chase points transfer to Hyatt)	17,000 points/night	N/A	Booked 2 rooms for 17,000/night
Vacation Rental	Airbnb in Andalucia	N/A	$800 for 5 nights	Paid in cash; optional points reimbursement! (See below for more details!)

I wanted to share a few more details about this because my favorite part is learning (and teaching!) the nuances of just HOW FAR points can really take you!

Specific Cards

I talked about 2 cards that we used for this trip that are absolute forever cards for us – the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card!

The points from our Capital One Venture X card is how we got our direct flight from DFW to Spain! This was an American Airlines flight via Iberia, we transferred about 25,000 points per person from Capital One to Iberia to book these flights!

Iberia is part of the OneWorld Alliance which means that you can book American Airlines flights through a partner airline that is ALSO a part of that alliance…sometimes for a fraction of the cost! UNREAL.

Now, not ALL American flights are bookable with ALL partner airlines in the One World alliance. There definitely is an art and science to this (if you’re interested in learning more, our Points 201 Guide will be your new BEST FRIEND).

For our flight home, we used Chase points (which are some of the most valuable flexible points in my opinion!) to book an Iberia flight via Iberia. These were 21,000 points one way per person and about $130 in taxes each.

Chase was having a 30% transfer bonus which means instead of our points transferring in a 1:1 ratio, they transfer in a 1:1.3 ratio so we paid even LESS. Transfer bonuses are huge, especially for larger families because EVERY point adds up!!

Train vs. Spain Domestic Flight

I did want to mention a quick thing about our choice to do the train from Madrid to Malaga.

Now, you could book an Iberia flight from MAD to Malaga via Alaska airlines for 7,500 points if you prefer that (Flying Iberia, booking via the Alaska Airlines website…again the magic of airline alliances!). BUT we opted to take a train from Madrid to Malaga (there and back).

Why? We love train travel when we can! There is more space for the kids to moveeeee which if you’re trying to keep spirits high and sanity in tact is a big deal.

Train tickets were about $250 round trip for all 5 of us so a really great value (I love the Omio app for getting the cheapest ticket combo possible)! Especially with allll the free flights and resort stays we got.

Speaking of….

Where We Stayed

La Zambra Resort – Andalucia

About 15 from Mijas and 30 minute from Malaga, we lived our dream at La Zambra Resort in Andalucia.

We again used those incredibly flexible and valuable Chase points at just 17,000 points per night to stay here. I love racking up Chase points via the Chase Ink Business cards (a complete game changer when it comes to nearly free travel….you MUST read THIS!)

Compare that to its regular $400-$600 per night rate…amazinnnggggg, we could NEVER afford that without the magic of points!

Even if you used those Chase points to book in the travel portal it would cost you 40-60,000 points a night likely. No thank you!! THIS is the power of TRANSFERRING your points.

I should mention that Europe has very strict occupancy standards (most rooms hold two max), so we booked two rooms at that rate! It doesn’t always make sense for larger families to use points to book two rooms in Europe. However, with this amazing off season rate of 17k/night…this is a case where is really DID make sense.

STILL SO MUCH SAVINGS!

The resort had loads to do for kids, like kids robes (the cuteness!), a complimentary kids’ club (starting a 6 months…I know MIND BLOWN), family-friendly amenities, and even separate check-in keys for our little ones which was just such a fun little added touch.

Y’all they even put a little donkey stuffed animal waiting in our son’s crib for him. Ugh. SO CUTE! To top it all off they even had a separate “family hour” at the spa…I mean really family friendly, without losing any chic factor!!

There was a complimentary very robust breakfast buffet for all (as a mom of 3, SAY NO MORE), whether you had hotel status or not, and it was absolutely delicious. All things considered, there was a decent choice of restaurants for the size of the resort, a dedicated family pool and an adults only pool with gorgeous views.

I can not speak highly enough of how amazing this place was!! We LOVED our stay at La Zambra.

Thank youuuuu Chase points!! If you don’t have the #1 travel reward card that make this points transfer and dreamy luxury hotel stay possible, it is GROUND ZERO for saving on travel.

Airbnb

You guys OHHHHHHH my gosh! The views of this place were literally breathtaking – I can’t get over it.

We stayed in Frigliana and it was an amazing cozy two bedroom, so it was a bit of a tighter space but the views were 100% WORTH IT.

We were there in off season so we used the pool more as a cold plunge, but it the warmer months it would be SO lovely. The house manager was very responsive over messaging and such a help with anything we needed.

It was only about a 10 minute drive into the cutest, most charming little Spanish town, Frigliana.

But seriously – those views and that porch will live rent free in my heads for YEARSSSSS. Love love love – and SO affordable, we only paid $170/night for our entire family of 5!!

I go over tons of ways to save on vacation rental costs HERE…but one of the easiest most straightforward ways to save is by using Capital One or Citi points to “reimburse yourself” for travel expenses on your card.

Now, this won’t get you the MOST value out of your points….buttttt sometimes, free is free people!! Again, I LOVE my Capital One Venture X for racking up points for saving on Airbnb stays on an ongoing basis (2x points on EVERY purchase!).

Recommendations for Things To Do In Spain

Oh boy. So freaking much.

• Lounging at the resort! Plan for a slow day or two just hanging out at the pool or soaking up the spa. It’s worth it to just slow down and enjoy it, especially with kids I find weaving is days of NOTHING is so so key to an actually life-giving vacation.
• Mijas! 15-20 min from La Zambra and known for their donkey taxis (yes – donkey taxis), the most beautiful white “pueblo blano” nestled in the mountains of southern Spain (JUST as dreamy as it sounds, I promise!) Don’t forget the iconic San Sebastian Street!
• Ronda! SO amazing- 1hr 15min or so from La Zambra. It is built on top of this massive gorge and the famous bridge here, Puente Nuevo is out of this world incredible.
• Flamenco show in Malaga! This is just so fun! Alegría Flamenco y Gastronomía was reasonably priced and very authentic. You can even opt to add on a traditional Spanish meal beforehand if you wish. It was family friendly and even sensory friendly – they provided headphones if it got too loud for the kids. It was also only about an hour long so it was perfect for those little busy bodies!
• ALL the food! Seriously. All of ittttt! Paella, croquettes, tortilla de espana, churros. YUM!
• Frigliana! Okay this may be my favorite town we visited! I also really recommend as a home base for the eastern side of Malaga. It is as if Spain and Greece has a baby!! So many little alleyways to get lost in, a little train that takes you on a mini tour of the town, a market every Thursday morning, views for days. Just pure iconic southern Spain. UGH. SO GOOD.
• Nerja! A bit larger city right on the coast. Which makes for a perfect beach day! Rent a chair and umbrella for 7 Euro for the day. Grab a pizza or sandwich and eat on the beach and end the day watching sunset at Balcona de Europa. SWOON!
• Granada! This was a last minute decision but one of our favorites cities in europe. It is less metropolitan, has more history and stunning architecture than some of the other large Spanish cities. A gorgeous, charming little Spanish city with so much to offer!

Our Top Tips for Your Family Trip in Southern Spain

I love sharing things we did right and maybe some things we would change in the future to hopefully help save you some time or headaches, because as we all know when it comes to traveling with kids, we want to eliminate anyyyyy reason for meltdowns if possible!

Rent a Car

If you are doing only the major cities in Spain, I think you could for sure get away with just booking trains.

However, if you want to explore Southern Spain and all there is to offer there, I highly recommend renting a car!

The trains systems are not nearly as extensive in Spain as other european countries so, especially with a family, you will be grateful to have a car. TRUST ME!

We booked our rental via the Capital One travel portal (which has 10x points on rental cars!) and used our $300 annual credit from our Venture X card to get 75% of our rental car cost covered!! Rental cars are my favorite use for that annual credit, because they are harder to save on with points otherwise.

I am tellinngggggg you that VENTURE X!!!

Plane Over Train

I know, I know – I STILL love train travel! BUT in this specific case in hindsight, I think we probably would have booked a flight from Madrid to Malaga. Here’s WHY…

I am usually very pro train travel over a flight when we can, especially with young kids.

However, once you added in the transfer from the airport, additional train to get from the airport, needing a specialty transfer because there are 5 of us (large family problems!), it probably would have been muchHHHH more seamless to just take a flight.

Additional Stops

If we had more time, I would have added on seeing Setenil de las Bodegas, which is a pueblo blanco in the province of Cádiz, Spain.

It’s famous for its town being essentially built into a rock that hangs above the Río Guadalporcún and it would have been SO COOL to see.

Also if we had time, I would have loved to visit the Alpujarra region of Spain, which is a string of  whitewashed villages nestled in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

But hey, it’s just a reason for us to come back, right? 😉 Thanks to points and miles…WE CAN.

Slow Pace

We did 10 days and that was GREAT if you don’t like a super packed pace.

Pleeeeease trust me in this that the younger your kids, and the more of them you have, that SLOWER travel will be better. I know, I know it is painful to not see every.single.site….but it really does just makes trips SO much more enjoyable to not have a huge busy agenda.

We have gotten way better at this over time, but it’s something that I always recommend families with younger ones do right out of the gate.

Shoulder Season

October was shoulder season PERFECTION and I could not have been more happy with our decision to go to Spain during Fall Break.

All you needed was a light jacket needed in the morning and evening, and that sun was WARM during the day.

I think you could absolutely go in the summer, but it’s important to remember that it will likely be more crowded and most definitely veryyyy hot.

Even in October, which is technically off season there, it was still very crowded at times (especially in Granada)- so highly recommend traveling in shoulder season if you can!

Tickets to The Alhambra

We had already been to Granada years ago and did the Alhambra and it was AMAZING.

We would have LOVED to take the kids, but because it was literally a day before decision to fit in one last city before we left… tickets were sold out.

If you add in Granada to your southern Spain itinerary, definitely book your Alhambra tickets months in advance!! But if not, cancelled tickets are released at midnight the night before on their website. We didn’t get lucky this time, but worth a shot to try!

Traveling through southern Spain was an unforgettable experience for our family.

We fell in love with Spain over and over again, and while there were things we might choose to do differently, each moment was spent with my favorite people in this whole world AND we did it for a FRACTION of the cost had it not been for points and miles!

So what are you waiting for? Seriously?! Grab a spot at my FREE Nearly Free Travel Masterclass to get started on your journey or if you’re ready to book your tickets for your dream vacay, you can book some one on one time with me and I will hold your hand from start to finish and celebrate with you each step along the way!