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Travel: A Trip to Costa del Sol

Spain was wonderful.

Early in May Jim and I had a week’s holiday in the Costa del Sol.  The weather was beautiful with hardly a cloud in the sky, and it wasn’t too hot. Not an area we had ever been to before but my brother Danny and his wife Ann had put us in the notion for a visit after raving about their holidays there.

We went to Torremolinos and stayed in the hotel that they recommended, the Sol Pedro Don Pablo, one of a complex of three hotels located near the sea.  It was lovely, spacious and comfortable, with lots of different areas and activities including a bowling green and both indoor and outdoor pools. There was entertainment at night and a very impressive selection of food in the restaurants.

It was a great base and very relaxing but we tended not to hang around the hotel too much.  We hired a car, which added considerable excitement to the holiday, mainly because we kept getting lost.  Jim’s a pretty confident driver but it’s been a while since he last drove on the other side of the road and he didn’t get off to a good start as the car hire location was situated in the most confusing spot.  Malaga Airport is about a ten minute drive from Torremolinos – it took us about an hour and a half to find our way to our hotel.

When we were coming home we left ourselves plenty of time to return the car but again we ran into problems. After asking directions from various people, including two policewomen, we eventually met an angel, who had a look at our confusing map and then, in perfect English, said. ‘Follow me.’

Before setting off we had ambitious plans to drive to various tourist attractions and possibly take in Granada and Seville. We did get around a bit but it was stressful as  the Spanish signage is not kind to strangers.  However, we managed several shortish trips – on our first day we went to Puerto Banus and admired all the beautiful yachts, swanky cars and designer shops.  We also had a long walk on the beach and lunch in an expensive restaurant.

Another day we went to Malaga.  We appeared to park the car at the outskirts as we walked for miles before hopping on a bus. It’s a lovely city with beautiful architecture, grand churches, gracious squares and fascinating lanes.  I particularly loved the streets lined with palm trees. We spent a long time in the ancient Alcazaba, apparently the best preserved Moorish fortress in Spain, it was a fascinating place to investigate.  It was a bit of a hike to the top but the views over the city and out to the Mediterranean were wonderful.

After our exertion we spent quite a lot of time hanging around drinking, dining and people watching.  We had plans to return to Malaga on the first cloudy day and visit some of its famous museums but we never had a cloudy day.  We also got lazier and lazier as time went on and by the time our holiday came to an end we were beach bums.  On one short car trip we discovered a beach that we really loved at La Carihuela.  It was quieter than the beach near our hotel, although, it wasn’t all that busy except at week-ends when Spanish families were out in force with babies, grannies and teenagers all in tow.

We loved the waves at La Carihuela, crashing against the shore, they were noisy but lovely to watch and to hear.  We spent the last couple of days of our trip there – just lazing on the beach, reading and relaxing.  Mind you, we’re hardly sun worshippers as unlike most of our beach companions we kept moving our loungers into the shade rather than spreadeagle ourselves in the sun.  I also enjoyed a stroll around the shops along the Paseo Maritimo.

I loved, ZuZu, and had a super chat with Joanna Donaldson, from York, who worked there – she  was absolutely charming.  I bought a beautiful Sara Santos top and Joanna gave Jim and I the low down on some interesting places to visit nearby.  We did take a drive up into the hills behind Torremolinos and Benalmedina and the views were wonderful but we couldn’t find the Pueblo that Joanna had suggested for a place to eat.  However, we loved Restaurante Los Pescadores back in La Carihuela.  The food was delicious, reasonably priced and the staff very friendly.

Unlike in Italy, I didn’t have a clue what I was eating half the time, but I love seafood and fish so it was usually some sort of variation.  Jim is a big fan of the Spanish omelette so he had several concotions of spuds, onions and eggs.  We’ve been in Italy several times and somehow get by with everyday chat but despite the fact that I studied Spanish for a year, long time ago, sadly I have no conversational skills in the language.  For the main part we didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Most of the Spanish people we met were working hard and pretty busy.  I wondered if, due to the crisis in their economy,  people were having to work harder because others had been laid off.  One sure sign of economic difficulty was that many shops were under liquidation and others boarded up and closed.  However, unlike in Scotland, there seemed to be a lot of construction work and roadworks.

I was very impressed by the railways.  We took the train from Torremolinos to Malaga and then caught a train to Ronda. It was a lovely journey.  The trains are comfortable, not nearly so busy as at home and fares are half the price.  It took two hours from Malaga to Ronda and I think opting for the train journey was a good move as we really enjoyed the trip and it would have been a long, and possibly hazardous, drive.

Ronda, one of Andalucia’s most famous ‘white towns’, is a major tourist attraction. It has a long and chequered history, having been home to the Romans, Greek Byzantines and the Moors. It would  probably much busier in the height of the season but when we were there many of the streets were very quiet.  It’s a beautiful place, nestling way up in the mountains, it sits over a steep gorge where the high white houses sit precariously.  Orange trees grow in the streets, there are lots of little alleys to investigate and pleasant squares where you can sit and watch the world go by.  It’s very atmospheric and it’s little wonder it has gained some notable fans, including James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway.

The people in Ronda were very friendly and we had a wonderful meal at the Meson El Sacristan.  We stumbled upon the restaurant by chance and loved the location next to Iglesia de Santa Maria Major.  Jim had his usual tortilla and I ordered the E10 Menu del Dia and selected the mixed Tapas.  The food was delicious.  By far the best meal of our trip. The staff were very attentive, friendly and efficient.  Had we been staying in Ronda, we would definitely have returned.  It was a lucky find as I looked it up when we got home and found that on Tripadvisor it was ranked No 5 out of 125 restaurants in Ronda.  Our hotel is also placed very high and I would agree with both rankings.

We had a great time ambling through Ronda, lapping up the atmosphere and admiring the wonderful scenery.  I left my hat on the train from Malaga and Jim bought me a new turquoise hat so that’ll be a pleasant reminder of our visit there.  It’s a place I would love to return to.

I liked Torremolinos too. When I told people that we were going on holiday to Costa del Sol and staying in Torremolinos, there were a few eyebrows raised and a couple of people implied that we wouldn’t like it but they were wrong. It is manufactured for the tourists and the large concrete hotels dominate the sea front but at the end of the day the sea being fronted is the Mediterranean.  The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the beaches long and bright, the fish fresh and the town centre, high above (you get a wee lift up), is lively.   I think we went at a perfect time of the year, before it got too hot or too busy.

It was s great break – if we go back we would go for longer and take a few more trips, maybe to Seville and Granada, but we had a blissful week..

Now back in Glasgow and the sun is shining here.  I am yearning to hang out some washing on our balcony but that’s now allowed.  They know better in Torremolinos.

Pat Byrne, June, 2013

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