Sure, sure, sun, sand, surf…any more s’s? Oh yes, beaches aplenty, and you can laze around if that’s your wish, but you could do that in Wildwood, N.J…but when you get bored, there are a lot of places to see, get lost in, on the Costa and isn’t that why we travel?
If fact it would take several posts to do justice to this 200 Km stretch of coastline from Nerja in the east to Gibraltar in the west. We’re not even going to touch Marbella’s ‘Golden Mile’.
Here’s an appetizer.
The big boy in this part of the world is the city of Malaga, about which I wrote in my story “Algarve and the White Villages of Andalusia”…so I won’t repeat it here, except to add that just below the Alcazaba, towards the sea there is a very pleasant long park right by the marina, and the year we were there the book fair was held here between the two boulevards paralleling the shore. A long row of kiosks had been set up and there was anything and everything from rare books in the backs, out of reach of kiddie hands, to Superman comics from the ‘70s, old, worn paperbacks and new releases. If you were a bibliophile, this was heaven. By the way, this is also the city for Picasso lovers and the permanent residence of Guernica at the Museo Picasso in Palacio de Buenavista.
Just down the road along the coast is Torremolinos, favourite haunt of Brits in the ‘60s and ‘70s, acquired a bit of a rep with the jet set (Brigitte Bardot frequented, as did Frank Sinatra {he was arrested}). Unfortunately, the place has been ruined. The town centre is ugly, overtaken by gaudy Chinos (Chinese-owned discount shops. Some reviews describe it as grotesque – ‘nuf said. However, on the outskirts, the banlieu of La Carihuela offers the usual seaside amenities of high-rise hotels and condos, beach bars, board walk and restos, not too shabby at all.
Frigiliana – the ‘prettiest town in Andalusia’ is another White Village, located a hour’s drive east of Malaga and a few miles into the rugged interior, just north of the town of Nerja on the coast, and is so described by the Spanish tourism industry (though I’m sure other towns would beg to disagree). It is though, a picturesque labyrinth of cobble-stoned streets with white houses and blue accents on doors, windows,,,an outstanding difference is that the cobbled streets are nicely patterned. Nooks and crannies hold small squares with cafes, and local (not Chinese) handicraft shops, tiny shady parks, belvederes offer views of the arid landscape and the sea. The town is nor small – skinny and long with some hefty climbs – it is in the hills, after all. The upper town is best for exploration where you will find examples of the Moorish influence. Be sure to include Calle Zacatin and Calle del Penon as the most photogenic streets. For lunch, visit The Garden Restaurant on Calle Santo Cristo with al fresco seating and great views.
Speaking of Nerja, if you are into spelunking, this is for you - an extensive cave system lies just to the east of the town stretching some 3 kilometers. They hold concerts in one of the two main caverns.
Caminito del Rey -was the world's most dangerous walkway at one time, today fully restored. Just looking at these pictures gives me the heeby-jeebies, certainly not for those who have a fear of heights, this is some kind of special. El Caminito del Rey is an aerial walkway pinned 100 meters up onto the steep walls of a narrow gorge: El Chorro. The 8 Km walk is not strenuous and can be done in three hours, but with scenery like this, you will want to check for golden eagles, griffon vultures, Iberian ibex, wild boar….
The start is at the town of Ardales, about one hour drive north of Malaga, and the exit is at Alora, a shuttle bus will bring you back to the start. There’s a restaurant, parking and a control cabin at the start and end. The stretch with the suspended walkways, is ‘only’ 3 kilometres long. The rest of the walk comprises mountain paths and forest tracks between the control cabins.
Our favourite day trip from the coast was Ronda, about 1 ½ hour scenic drive north-west from Malaga. A deep gorge, the Tajo de Ronda separates the circa 15th century ‘New Town’ from the old town dating to Moorish rule. The iconic New Bridge connects the two, in addition to the Old Bridge lower down and then the REALLY old bridge.
There is a pair of walking paths that meanders down to the bottom of the gorge for a great view of the bridge from below. From the top of the bridge, the views of the gorge and the river Guadalevin are stunning.
Believe it or not, the second oldest Bullfighting ring is in Ronda – no, they don’t do that any more. The hidden treasures of Ronda are the best preserved Moorish baths in Spain. Dating from the 13th to 15th centuries and much like Roman baths, they had cold, warm and hot basins, but the architecture is all Moorish with horseshoe shaped arches, and barrel-vaulted ceiling features featuring beautiful star-shaped skylights. The baths were built along the Stream of Snakes, a source of spring water, which has a perfectly preserved water wheel from the Moorish era.
Take a walk through the Moorish section of Ronda, with its narrow pedestrian streets and white-washed houses, visit the Iglesia Santa Maria la Major, which, of course used to be a mosque and still shows those features including a mihrab pointed towards Mecca.
A hop, skip and a jump north of Ronda is the unique town of Setenil de las Bodegas, “the village that holds up a mountain”. The houses are built right into the pre-existing cave system with rocky overhangs above. Has to be seen to be believed.
There is evidence that the caves were used by prehistoric man as far back as 25,000 years ago and maybe longer, no surprise. The Romans were here evidenced by the settlement of Acinipo nearby with its small amphitheater. Supposedly, it was a retirement community for Roman soldiers. The Moors built a fortress on top of the hill….well…..weren’t they just everywhere??...and for the best in local food, you must visit Casa Palmero restaurant and have the “Sopas cortijeras de Setenil de las Bodegas” – the local speciality. Look for its recipe in the Gastronomy section as there are many variations.
That’s it. I hope you enjoyed this short tour through our version of a visit to the Costa del Sol.
We did.
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