The original plan was Portugal, but at some point in the research, we turned right into Spain. BLS (not VFS for a change!) was not as bad as it looked online, and we got the visa ahead of the promised time. We travelled in the first half of October, and the weather was pleasant (our winter jackets, which we decided to carry thanks to a 13 degrees we saw somewhere, weren’t touched). Best to book flight tickets at least 4 months in advance.

We chose Malaga as the first port of call because it seemed like a good base for Andalusia in general, at least given the places we wanted to see. So here goes – where to stay, what to eat, and what to see and do in Malaga, Granada and Ronda.

Stay

This is Hotel Soho Boutique Urban, and I think we would choose this on hindsight too. In fact, this was our favourite amongst all the hotels during the trip. It has decent eateries nearby, and most of the street art (which was my favourite part) was close by. It’s a good 15 min walk to the bus/train station, but you can get public transport if you’re not in the mood. It’s also walkable distance from places like the Plaza de la Constitución, and La Malagueta beach. Again, book well in advance, because the good places get sold out fast.

See/do

Street Art was the first on my to-do list, and this map was super useful. The entire Soho neighbourhood is full of some amazing work.

I think we saw over 20 of them, and by the end of it, I kind of looked like this guy because at any given street art location, I was busy figuring out exactly where it was!

There is an excellent free 1.5 hr walking tour at 11 AM and 1 PM, which starts at the Plaza de la Constitución and is a great way to get introduced to the city. That installation (third image) is called Points of View, and when you walk around it, you’ll know why. It is on Calle Especería, which can make you feel lighter – in terms of wallet, that is!

The Alcazaba de Málaga, the Roman amphitheatre at the bottom of it (which the city learned about relatively recently) and the Catedral de la Encarnación de Málaga are all things you will see during the tour. Not inside, those cost separate tickets that you should book in advance.

Muelle Uno is a shopping and eating area along a promenade, and the La Malagueta beach is within walking distance of it. A good place to go in the evening, especially given the plethora of dining options around.

‘Mandatory’ to visit the museum, since Malaga is Picasso’s birthplace. You can buy tickets beforehand, but if you’re lucky, the line will be short in the afternoon. 😀

Atarazanas market. Famous in Malaga, but if you plan to go to Madrid or Barcelona, you can easily skip.

Eat

We reached Malaga around noon, and Naked & Sated was where we had planned lunch, since it was nearby. Lovely place, with an interesting menu and friendly staff. I finally found great Kombucha here! Tacos obviously, a Jamon Iberico (ham) Gallette, a dessert named 4 chocolate stories (who can resist that?) and their special, called a Donaked (awkwardly named almost-donut) – the Tiramisu version.

Dinner was at Cambara at Muelle Uno. D tried Vermut (vermouth) and loved it. I got an Old Fashioned that was a tad too sugary. Tiger Musssels, which were very good, and a Gnocchi au gratin with ox tail bolognese and curry béchamel, which was decent.

Mason Iberico was impossible to get into without a reservation, until one evening that nice lady in black said she could give us a table for an hour. I tried the Alhambra Reserva (lovely bottle, decent lager) and D had wine. For round 2, I tried the Brugal Reserva (rum) and D tried Cava (sparkling wine). Moorish style meat, (Pork) Cheek in sauce, Black Pudding from Burgos for mains, and a dessert on the house.

La Quinto Neria wasn’t on our list, but after the walking tour, we were famished, and thought they had an interesting menu (and craft beer). That Maja Reta (IPA) was meh, but D struck gold with Kopparberg (cider). The Flamenquin Cordobes was excellent to finish the meal with, but we started with Tacos and another excellent find – a Pintxo Paleta (Pintxo has various versions, this is shoulder ham). Good place to hang out.

Kraken was definitely on our list, and we tried a bunch of things. D had a Sangria, while I started with a Barcelo (which in addition to Brugal make up most of the rum sales in Spain) and ended trying out another beer that was on my list – Estrella Galicia, which turned out to be the second best I had during the trip. We began with a Presa (ham) tapas with kimchi and peanut sauce.

We then went on to that Russian roulette game that is Padron peppers (about 1 in 10 are mad spicy). We survived. For mains, D tried anchovy and didn’t really fancy it. My Kraken Burger (octopus, obviously) was really good!

Restaurant Tormes is near the Picasso museum, and is a very traditional place. We sat inside, because we were early, but the seating outside is just perfect. D got herself Cava and I repeated an Estrella since I had liked it earlier. We had been itching to try two signature dishes that Spain is known for – the paella and the ox tail stew. I really liked both, D didn’t like the paella much. I have to admit, it isn’t biryani-level though.

Casa Mira, on Calle Especería, and serving ice cream since the 1890s. The one we had was what Google translated to Grandma’s Cake, and it was delicious.

Restaurant bills were usually in the 30-40 euro range, including drinks, in Malaga and surrounding areas (except Tormes because they only make a paella for 2).

Granada

See/Do

We made a day tour of Granada. The train was about 1hr 20 min but was delayed a bit, which led to us having to change our itinerary from what we had set out to do. Oh well. Maybe a good idea to use a tour operator if you’re not much into planning.

Parts of the Alhambra of Granada – the thing you come to see here. It has the Nasrid Palaces (tickets get sold months earlier, and they are very strict on time), the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V, and outside it, the Gardens of Generalife. If you’re really into architecture, this is worth a visit.

Being a little less civilised, I loved the views more!

We started at Plaza Nueva, walked around Caldereria Nueva and the Teahouses, the Plaza Bib-Rambla, where a celebration seemed to be happening, and La Alcaicería (Arab Spice Market), which we felt was a little undermined by our trips to Morocco and Turkey earlier in life!

There are a bunch of viewpoints – Mirador de San Nicolas (arguably the best), Churra, Mirador Placeta de Carvajales Carmen de la Victoria,  Mezquita Mayor de Granada (not a complete list), and you pretty much get the same view from different angles. Make sure you have some time to get gelato. Afternoons are warm, and these are long walks.

Eat

Taberna La Espera is a great place for lunch. Excellent calamari, beef and chicken croquettes, and a nice lady, who seemed to be the only person managing all the tables, and was super helpful!

Ronda via Setenil de las Bodegas

We took another day trip, but this time with a tour operator. It was decent but I thought they could have planned a little better and made more time for lunch and walking around in Ronda.

See/Do

Setenil de las Bodegas is famous for roads, businesses and houses built within caves. You can walk up one of the streets (left or right, Cuevas del Sol Street / Cuevas de la Sombra Street) separated by that chasm and walk back on the other.

What you walk to see is the Mirador del Carmen. A few steps, and an excellent view as reward.

Plaza de Toros de Ronda is the bullring to see in Spain, with its rich history.

As part of the tour , we had an option to walk around the old town. On hindsight, we could have skipped this. I think the Tajo gorge is best viewed from the bottom, and that was impossible during the tour.

Eat

If you feel peckish at Sentenil, La Telera is a great place to try out. It has a nice view of the gorge. We had meat in a cone for a change.

The speedy lunch in Ronda was at El Rincón de la Manzanilla, where D had Tio Pepe (the world’s best-selling Fino wine) and I tried the beer that would be my favourite – Cruzcampo. Iberian ham pâté  and chorizos for starters, before we went to Black Coffee Gelato for mains – D’s cheesecake flavour was stupendous, though on hindsight, we should have gotten ourselves small cups!

We spent 4 days in total in Malaga, including the day trips, and unless you’re really into architecture and would rather stay in Granada, I’d rate this as a great starting point. It has the touristy creature comforts, and a lively and friendly atmosphere.

That’s the railway station, which took us to Granada, and our next destination, Seville.