ANDALUCIA BY WHEELCHAIR

By Steve Wright



Andalucia is at once cool mountain air and steamy Mediterranean Sea, fabled landmark cities and little towns you’ve never heard of, home of both ancient Islamic architecture and endless modern faux villa compounds. Southern Spain, the land of stunning vistas that Moors and Christians fought over through the ages, is now being taken over by the working class British vacation package and the upper middle class Brit. second home in the sun craze. While its sprawl is consuming the land, the British golf course and condo invasion may be the best thing that ever happened to Andalusian accessibility. All that modern building might not be pretty, but it is providing thousands of rental units with level entrances, wide hallways, large showers, accessible patios and a wealth of other wheelchair accommodations not found in centuries-old dwellings. Because one could spend a year exploring Spain’s largest autonomous region and not be bored of its rich culture and contrasts, it’s best to plan a stay of at least two weeks. It’s also best to find one very accessible place to sleep and focus on an area east or west of Malaga. Otherwise, your 16-hour daytrip will involve eight hours of driving.