Spain’s southern coastal Adalusia is an incredibly intriguing region with its mix of influences from the ancient Romans to the medieval Arabic rule until the eventual Catholic takeover some 500 years ago. These days Costa del Sol with its capital city of Malaga is a high end tourist destination and major port of trade on the Alboran (Mediterranean) Sea. Famous Malagans include Pablo Picasso who has a museum here and Antonio Banderas who has a restaurant here. This “Coast of the Sun” combines history and modern luxury with sea views and nature adventures offering a perfect blend of Sol for your Soul.
We flew to Malaga from Barcelona (only $60 per person on Vueling with luggage and seat selection) and ultimately decided to rent a car since we intended to road trip a little while in town. The city is split by the Guadalmedina canal with the modern side and train stations/airport to the west and old city lacking public transport outside of buses but very walkable to the east. Through friends we learned that despite the lack of transportation, it is best to stay to the east of the canal with access to city’s highlights and best beaches. We chose the ultra cute boutique Hotel California for $125/night (10 EUR extra per person for breakfast) just a few blocks from Malagueta Beach. The eclectic furniture suited the art deco 70s vibe and the staff could not have been more helpful, even suggesting we use the always available street parking (downloaded the app for convenient payment reminders) rather than their pricier valet service. The room was small but comfortable with a large window opening into the neighborhood courtyard. We ultimately spent little time there with all the things to do in and around Malaga. There is a huge range of places to stay from hostels to fancy hotels whether in the city or on the beach with many AirBnBs in the local neighborhoods.
There are a few must see attractions which tell the story of Malaga’s history. The Roman Theater dates back to the 1st century and was only discovered less than 70 years ago. It can be viewed at any time but to walk through which is free can be done between 10 am and 6 pm most days. There is also a glass pyramid for viewing the below ground baths used to make garum, a salted fish sauce. Towering just above the theater is the large 11th century Moorish Alcazaba fortress, whose name means citadel and sounds like “Rock the Casbah” for a reason (in fact any word starting with “Al” comes from Arabic). Open 9 am to 8 pm for 3.5 EUR with a free tour Sundays at 2 pm, the rooms and gardens can be wandered at your own pace leading to spectacular views of the city and port. Websites list a combined ticket to Alcazaba and Gibralfaro Castle for 5.5 EUR but this option was hastily covered with paper strips and not much of a discount anyways. The 10th century castle is a 20 minute uphill walk from the fortress with an amazing viewpoint partway up looking down into the Plaza de Toros bullfighting ring and out to the sea. Otherwise parking is 1 EUR which the attendant couldn’t make change for, so content with the viewpoint we opted to skip visiting the castle interior (2.2 EUR, free after 2 pm on Sundays, open 9 am to 8 pm). A well-timed and completely free Sunday afternoon itinerary would include visiting the theater around 1:30 pm, the fortress for the free tour at 2 pm, then strolling up to the castle afterwards perhaps lingering for sunset. Other things to do in and around the old city include visiting the Pablo Picasso museum, touring the cathedral, walking through the park, dropping Euros in the shopping district, or exploring the trendy portside Soho neighborhood.
Malagueta beach is the perfect spot to go for a swim, relax in the sand, or grab a bite at one of the beachfront chiringuitos. These menus typically include Mediterranean style boquerones (vinegar marinated anchovies), fried bites like calamari or eggplant with honey (more like a tree-based syrup than the bee-made kind), and pescado a la brasa (chargrilled fish) cooked over an open flame next to the building. We tried all of the above at Chiringuito El Cachalote along with local wines and refreshing cocktails. Just beyond the restaurant is a large inflatable playground floating in the relatively calm cove. There are chairs for rent by the restaurants or lots of sandy real estate to plop a towel down. There are also a number of public outdoor gyms which were quite popular. The beach itself is a melting pot of cultures where religious Muslim women are covered in bathing outfits from head to toe right next to topless European moms, all there for the same reason--enjoying the day with their families—reminding us we are not all that different.
When the sun goes down, the city comes to life, arguably more beautiful with all the buildings lit up. A popular eating area includes the many sidewalk cafes around the Cathedral amongst the touristy shopping neighborhood. Just walking around reminded me of being inside the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas except, you know, real. Our first attempt to get into the highly recommended La Barra de Zapata without a reservation was thwarted. Nearby El Descorche Sorbos & Mordiscos didn’t impress us enough to match their high TripAdvisor rating and prices. In fact the whole area was overpriced and filled with tourists so we settled on La Taberna del Obispo for the cathedral and art museum views which turned out to be a poor choice in both food quality and service, not to mention excessive cigarette smoking which is typical of all outdoor seating. Our lunch bites the next day were much better at Antonio Banderas’s popular El Pimpi terrace overlooking the Roman Theater as we sampled their original Ligerito round sandwiches. To get more of a local experience the next night, we drove the short distance north to Playa Pedregalejo and loved the 2 story open air Pez Tomillo on the beach. Here we enjoyed the yummy marinated green olives and a few tapas: tuna ceviche, croquettes, and patatas bravas.
Our main reason for coming to Malaga was to hike El Caminito del Rey, formerly one of the most dangerous hikes in the world. The King’s Path was created for workers to maintain the gorge’s hydroelectric plants in the early 1900s. Eventually the narrow pathway fell into disrepair and became a daredevil hiking destination with extreme hikers traversing the crumbling walkways and a few losing their lives in the process leading to its closure. The government finally wisened up and figured if people were going to break in anyways, they could repair it and charge an entrance fee which is exactly what they did in 2015. Tickets must be reserved far in advance, and though we booked 7 weeks out, we were limited to afternoon guided tours only (18 EUR) rather than any of the cooler morning or self-guided options (10 EUR). We enjoyed having the guide for some historical context despite being with a large group (split into English and Spanish on arrival). Getting there isn’t too simple either so the extra time was ultimately appreciated. With the inevitable getting lost and waiting, it will easily take 2.5 to 3 hours to get from Malaga to the start (we left at 10 am and made it just in time for our 12:45 pm reservation). We drove the one hour north to the El Chorro train station (there’s a train as well leaving Malaga at 10:06 am arriving at 10:46 am, this is the only morning train.) From there you take a 20 min shuttle bus (can be purchased with your ticket for 1.55 EUR) to the pre-entrance at the Guadalhorce Reservoir in Ardales. Next, you will walk 2.7 km or 1.7 miles through a shaded forest with river and mountain views to the official start of the path, which unfortunately we felt too rushed to enjoy with the time constraint. Here your ticket is taken and your helmet/hairnet combo provided as well as audio device for the guided tour. The official Caminto del Rey path is a one way (southbound) 2.9 km or 1.8 miles of narrow boardwalk with hand rails jutting out from the mountainside, constructed just above the original crumbling walkway which can be seen through the boards, culminating in a hanging bridge over the gorge and flowing waters below. The views were truly breathtaking, and I’m grateful for a safe way to take them in now. If you are unable to book a ticket due to selling out, you could always visit the reservoir area where we saw families swimming and take the free hiking trails around there including the one leading to the entrance then turn back. We finished up around 3 pm at the El Chorro train station where the car was parked (there is a 3:50 to 4:35 pm train) and were back in Malaga by 4 pm to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Part of our decision to rent a car was based on the train tickets being $8 per person each way (plus getting to and from the Malaga train station), so at $32+ for the 2 of us, it was about the same to rent a car which then offered us flexibility for other day trips. This would have proved an economical choice had Budget not charged an entirely different amount than promised then lacked the customer service to remedy it, quite the opposite of our excellent service with Sixt in Barcelona.
We left our final day open for a few other excursions such as heading 45 minutes east of Malaga to hike the Rio Chillar or explore the Nerja Caves, but being quite exhausted at this point we opted to drive 50 minutes south to the ritzy coastal town of Marbella. We started by walking around Puerto Banus marina where the rich park their yachts and luxury cars. Following signs for the best views and free 2 hour parking garage validation, we went up to the 7th floor rooftop Sky Lounge at the boutique Benabola Hotel. From here we had panoramic views of the marina, city, and mountains all to ourselves as we were informed it is more of a sunset and nighttime scene. Lunch and drinks were tasty with wonderful service (even beyond being the only customers) as well as reasonably priced considering the area. There also happened to be a street market up the road near the bullfighting ring held every Saturday, but we needed to get back for our train to Madrid. Though we only stopped there briefly, Marbella was a wonderful excursion and the Sky Lounge a lucky find.
Though we ended our week in Spain with only a few days in Malaga, the ultimate South of Spain itinerary would be a road trip to include Granada, Cordoba, Gibraltar, and Seville heading over into Portugal via Faro. The hardest part about planning our trip to Spain was realizing that there would be no way to do everything we wanted, but ultimately found much gratitude for the places we got to experience and look forward to new adventures next time. Hasta luego, Espana!