I have been in Spain since the beginning of November relaxing and visiting close family and friends. This past week, one of my best friends and travel companion, Victoria, came to join me. My dad came with me last Wednesday to pick her up from the Madrid airport. Victoria and I found a great Cyber Monday deal to rent a car from Record go which we planned to use the upcoming days. I am staying in Rincón de la Victoria, a beach town in the province of Málaga, along the southern coast. This served as our home base while we moved around the following week exploring cities within Andalucía, the southern region of Spain.
Day One
The first day, Thursday, we decided to take it easy so Victoria could recover from the jet lag and to be able to show her around Torre de Benagalbón, the part of town I’m staying in. This area is really calm during the winter season and it is much busier in the summer months. The beach is also only a five minute walk from the house and has calm waters and dark sand. After she settled in, we went to the Mercadona to pick up some food. The Mercadona is the leading supermarket chain in the country and happens to be within walking distance from the house. In the evening we ventured into the downtown area to eat some signature churros con (with) chocolate, a very characteristic Spanish breakfast. However, you can typically find them served all day. The churros are usually dipped in a hot and thick chocolate drink or coffee. But, I also like to dip them in sugar as well after the chocolate! The churros will vary in thickness and texture depending what part of the country you are in.
Day Two
Day two we headed to Granada. Our main goal for the day was to visit the Alhambra, a palace and fortress from the period of Islamic rule in Spain. It’s a very steep walk to get to the location and it took us about three and a half hours to explore the whole area! There is a lot to see and no information displayed throughout. So, I would definitely recommend doing one of the offered tours in addition to the general admission. The general admission included: Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces, Generalife Palace and Gardens, and the Palace of Charles V. Afterwards, we went to Sephora because I saw a holiday set that included a mini version of my signature scent, Carolina Herrera Good Girl. Then, we had lunch at La Cueva which you can find sprinkled throughout the city. We also had planned to meet up with my cousin and her friends for a merienda (afternoon snack). While we waited, we visited the Granada Cathedral and did some window shopping. My dad stayed in Granada and Victoria and I went to pick up Pepa, my chihuahua, who would accompany us for the rest of our trips.
Day Three
The following day we drove to Marbella. Our first stop here was the city’s historic center. We explored the various streets which were easy to navigate. Throughout these days we’ve been using Apple Maps and the walking directions have been very easy to follow. Some of the things we saw in old town Marbella were Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square), Iglesia de la Encarnación (Church of the Incarnation), and Murallas del Castillo. By this time we were a bit hungry so we stopped at a local restaurant for some pizza and fresh squeezed orange juice. After, I moved the car to a different parking lot about fifteen minutes away so we could stop by the Puerto Banús marina. Before going we just had to try the Starbucks that was on the way. We tried some drinks that are not available in the United States and were underwhelmed. Once we reached the waterfront we saw all the boats by the pier along with various shops and restaurants. Honestly it was nothing too special, but it’s known for its nightlife for a reason. I enjoyed both places, but old town was my favorite.
Day Four
This day we went to Málaga with my godfather. He lives in the city and he was going to show us around. On the way to the city, we took a small detour to see Playa Peñon del Cuervo. This beach and its signature rock are tucked away and it is known as a local secret spot. Once in the city, we stopped to see the outside of Castillo de Gibralfaro, ruins of a Moorish castle fortress that sits atop a mountain and gives spectacular views of Málaga. While waiting for the Christmas light show to start we had to grab croissants from the best spot in town. This Portuguese bakery, O melhor Croissant da minha rua, makes their croissants fresh and they’re so delicious. Because the lights on Calle Larios don’t have a set time of starting the show due to the pandemic, we only got to see the very end of it. However, they are turned on every day around 6:30 pm. The company that illuminates the city for Christmas, Iluminaciones Ximénez, also does installations in places like New York and Dubai. There also is a projection of animated images on the Cathedral’s south tower that we got to see in its entirety. Finally, we finished with a stroll along the port at Muello Uno, a waterfront promenade.
Day Five
We were both really looking forward to this day where we went to Ronda. This mountaintop city has an incredible gorge and a stone bridge that spans across it that you can see in my picture. Right after parking we decided to eat some McDonald’s, our guilty fast food pleasure, because we knew it would be a steep walk to and from the viewpoint. To get there we went across the bridge which was insanely high and then headed to the entrance that takes you down. The city itself is really nice and clean and overall has a very calm vibe. Since we were in the area, we decided to also drive over to Setenil de las Bodegas. This town about twenty-five minutes away is known for its whitewashed buildings built into cliffside. The streets here were very tight, but fortunately we did find some street parking. The town isn’t too big so you can see it all rather quickly.
Day Six
This sixth day started out pretty rough. Both public parkings we put directions to where not structures and it was busy between all the cars, buses, and horse-drawn carriages. We ended up stumbling across parking in a garage owned by a sweet old man who had much cheaper rates and located super close to the Plaza de España! This large plaza is one of Sevilla’s main attractions and it was originally built for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. Located within the Parque de María Luisa, the architecture of this plaza is beautiful. The surrounding large park is also lovely and full of lush greenery. Later, we headed to the Seville Cathedral and its bell tower, the Giralda. This cathedral is really close to the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, however we were unable to go inside because we had Pepa with us. We also ventured into Barrio de Santa Cruz, a former Jewish quarter. Here we got a bit lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets. By this time we were hungry and since we didn’t know any good local spots, we defaulted to McDonald’s again jajaja. But in our defense, the chicken is much better in their Spanish locations. Afterwards, we walked along the Guadalquivir River. It’s the only major navigable river in Spain. This part of the river was manipulated to be able to flow through the city. Along it you can see the military watchtower, Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold), which used to control access to the city.
Day Seven
By now, we returned the car. The process to return it was simple and quick at the airport. Although we no longer have it, we still visited the Cueva del Tesoro. This is one of the only three marine caves known in the world and the only one in Europe! It is truly unique and we didn’t know it was so close by where we are staying. We got a reservation close to the opening time. If you go within the first hour, the admission is free as well. Admission included audio devices to hear information throughout our walkthrough which we didn’t know about. Besides informational displays there are also artifacts that you can see. Surprisingly, when we got there, we had the whole place to ourselves. It’s been a great vacation so far and I’m glad I was able to put together this blog post of everything we did. You can see more pictures from this week on my Instagram @melynablanco.
AN says
Awesome trip. Need to go there soon.