Hola,
Since moving to Germany, we started going to the Southern Hemisphere during winter. Two things help me survive the Berlin winter: seeing the sun and skiing. Many people in Germany prefer their “summer” holiday during winter. When in Rome, you need to live like a Roman. We chose Málaga this time. This Andalucian city has sunny days almost 99% of the year, making it a perfect winter destination. The whole trip was all about relaxing, eating, a little bit of sightseeing, and walking around. It does not promise a big adventure but is a pretty good deal.
We arrive at our hotel (Hotel Vincci Seleccion Posada del Patio) which is very central. The location is perfect but you pay the price by waking up to street noises early in the morning. Zero noise cancellation in this old but pretty building. Our room was spacious and comfortable so we didn’t mind that much. Plaza de la Constitución is 5 minutes by foot. There are lots of cafes in this lively plaza. It’s big enough that it doesn’t feel crowded. We found a corner to enjoy the sun, blue skies, palm trees, and a Renaissance-period marble fountain called the Fountain of Genoa.
North of Plaza de la Constitución leads to a neighborhood full of restaurants and cafes. We chose where to sit according to the sunlight in the mornings. Spanish breakfast is not special. People here usually eat sandwiches or sweets with coffee. I also don’t find Andalusian cuisine particularly interesting, but I love their produce. Tomatoes are red as a rose, peppers are the best green, and fresh seafood is divine. Of course, we found a 3rd wave coffee shop, Next Level Specialty Coffee. The coffee was great and the breakfast choices were delicious.
Plaza de la Constitución leads to Larios Calle/Street, a bustling street with several shops on both sides. You cannot miss it. I found an amazing hoodie in Adidas which I consider as a souvenir for myself from Malaga! The rest of the souvenirs are tasteless. I find the overall souvenir concept terrible. I might have said it before in my other blog posts. Would not hurt to repeat. It needs to end. I still go into a shop to find a shot glass for my mom because she collects them. I respect personal choices while vocally criticizing them with style.
Arrival day. It’s lunchtime. A friend’s friend recommended a tapas restaurant, Kraken Centro. You. have. to. eat. here. It’s good 🙂 Next day. Lunchtime again. Let’s head to the Mercado Central de Atarazanas. It’s a huge marketplace with food and fish stalls, you can also eat here. One of the best I’ve ever seen. It would be worth visiting Malaga only to spend time in this lively place. We had boquerones and lots of Cava. One of the ladies tricks us into buying concha fina de Malaga from her stall. She didn’t force us but it was very hard to say no to her. We kept analyzing why we couldn’t say no to her throughout the day. On the bright side, we planned to try this shellfish, which was tasty with lemon and black pepper. Too much cava results in a day nap. We are in Spain after all. Siesta is given.
I don’t like paella. I don’t understand paella. The rice is overcooked. Saffron does not go well with seafood in my opinion. However, I had paella several times during our trip because my husband loves it, and it is served for a minimum of 2 persons. Things we do for love… For one of these acts of love, we visited El Pimpi Bodega. Very popular and crowded, but we were lucky to be there for lunch and didn’t have to queue as it was suggested in the travel forums. Rusty, cute decor, probably one of the landmarks in Malaga.
Malaga’s Roman Theatre is next to the Alcazaba fortress and was discovered in 1951. Perfect spot to visit Roman architecture and enjoy a book on its steps under the Sun, joining the cats. Hiking to Alcazaba fortress is easy and guarantees great city views. Malaga is part of Andalucia, which was ruled by Moors for around 800 years. That’s a long time. The Islamic influence in architecture, music, and art is still there. Alcazaba Fortress is a good example. There is another castle next door, Castillo Gibralfaro. We are advised to visit during sunset. Unfortunately, we couldn’t go this time.
Malaga is not blessed with museums. There are a couple of decent ones but they are not great. I still visited Museo Thyssen on an afternoon when I had time alone. Dedicated almost entirely to Spanish artists. On the contrary, Malaga is blessed with rooftop bars. There are a few good ones. Batik is a good choice for drinks over the Roman theatre.
It’s time to go on a day trip to Granada by train. I was in Sevilla years ago on a trip to celebrate my 25th birthday in Spain and I didn’t have time to visit Granada back then. I am excited. Granada is a different planet, it’s cold. Nothing like Malaga. However, the city is beautiful. Despite the winter-like weather, there are orange trees everywhere. We start with Alhambra Palace built and used by Moors during their reign in this region. Certainly, a must-visit, but certain things could be improved. I’ve never seen this much control of the ticket after entering any archaeological or historical sites I visited. The checks are done by checking the ticket and the passport/ID. I really thought about it but couldn’t find a valid reason. This made our visit miserable at times. As expected, it’s crowded with lots of queues. The best and most visited part is the Nasrid Palace which is accessible only at the booked slot. We were there earlier and were not allowed to enter. I appreciate the effort to protect landmarks by limiting the number of visitors at a time. It still felt too exhausting to visit the Alhambra and Nasrid palaces. Overall, the gardens, ruins, palaces, forts, and theatre in the complex were worth visiting.
After 3 hours in Alhambra, hunger takes over. Restaurante Los Nazaries at Plaza Larga offers good food in a comfortable atmosphere. Nothing fancy. A group of friends are making music in the plaza outside. There is a homeless lady, who is sitting on the corner which doesn’t surprise us after 3 days in Malaga. It’s flamenco-type guitar and music. A free and unexpected concert that we are obliged to listen to because you don’t come across great music on the street every day.
Back to Malaga. One of the best parts of Malaga is its long and well-designed marina. There is a long promenade with shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants. There is plenty of public seating if you don’t prefer to pay for an establishment. I liked that. Easily accessible by the public, as well as by boats and cruises. Thinking of Karakoy and Galataport in Istanbul. Geography is different and we wouldn’t be able to do the exact marina, but did we have to build the Galataport as an unpublic-friendly space? Just a question. We walked in the Malaga marina every day & enjoyed the views.
There is a beach in the city. Few people are swimming. It’s February. Okay 🙂 The water temperature is actually not that bad, but we don’t dare to swim. We start walking towards a nearby town which is recommended by a colleague. It’s called Pedregalejo. His parents recently bought a place in this town. There is a bus going there from Malaga city center but we decide to walk, the entire way is by the sea with a neat, roadside and wide pavement. Arrived in Pedregalejo in 50 minutes. Lots of restaurants and bars along the coast. We found a spot in Espigones Restaurante. Fish and wine are great. Each restaurant on the coast has a beachside grill in a boat with the restaurant’s name on it. There is so much to see and the weather is amazing. I started to understand why a lot of people from Northern Europe and the US are purchasing houses in Malaga. Life feels longer here.
Bye,
Deniz