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At the very end of January we went to visit our friend Maria in the costal town of Benalmádena, Southern Spain. Although our stay was only for four nights, we managed to see a great deal and experience some excellent food and wine. A popular tourist destination, Benalmádena is about 12km west of Málaga and has three relatively distinct urban areas.
The coastal area is a mixture of bars, restaurants, hotels and apartments, overlooking a long sandy beach. A major place of interest is the award winning marina. With some expensive looking apartments set on their own islands, designer shops and luxury yachts, it is home to the wealthy. We took a slow walk around it before stopping for coffee and some delicious Pitufo con aceite y tomate at a nearby café.
Away from the marina, and up in the hills is the original village area of Benalmádena Pueblo. It is characterised by white Andalusian houses and narrow streets; and while it will be quite busy with tourists in the summer, it was quiet and peaceful when we visited.
After an enjoyable breakfast at El Muro, a restaurant near the old church with views down the hill towards the sea, we took a slow stroll around the almost empty streets. It was a beautiful day and the un-rushed ambience of the village was very infectious. It was definitely one of the highlights of our visit.
Just below the white houses sits a strange new attraction, the purpose of which we didn’t fully understand. It tells the story (although we didn’t really see how) of Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the new world. Known as Castle Colomares, it was built at the end of the 1980s in a mixture of styles (see photo below).
The third urban area in Benalmádena is the Arroyo de la Miel. This is a more commercial area, home to many shops and the local railway station.
When visiting this part of Spain, a trip into Málaga is definitely recommended. The old city centre is overlooked by the Alcazaba de Málaga, which sits atop a steep hill. Below it are the remains of the Roman amphitheatre, making this area a very historic place of interest. The Alcazaba itself is one of Spain’s best preserved Moorish fortress palaces.
It was built in the 11th century during the period of Muslim-ruled Al-Andalus and then modified over the next few hundred years. We bought tickets to see this and also the nearby (but even further up the hill) Castillo de Gibralfaro. The Alcazaba is a series of different enclosures, many only accessible by narrow steps. At the north east end is the Nasrid Palace, which has been restored to its former glory.
After taking in the history, we ventured into the centre where we spent a pleasant couple of hours at a bar before moving next door to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner (one of at least two such restaurants in Málaga). What with the tapas bar Maria took us to earlier in the day, I can honestly say that this Spanish city was a great place in which to eat.
Travelling further afield and inland, we were able to appreciate the relatively unspoilt Andalusian countryside. Our first stop was at the three large reservoirs north west of Malaga. Set between large hills and with swathes of woodland, these lakes took on a distinct blue-green colour in the sunlight. Unfortunately, a lack of rainfall meant that they were all low on water.
After taking in the peaceful surroundings by the water, we then headed east to the interesting village of Setenil de Las Bodegas. Even out of season this place is popular with visitors who come to see the village’s buildings built into and under the rocks above. By the time we had found somewhere to park and then walked downhill through the narrow streets, we were in need of something to eat. Sadly, this resulted in the only bad food experience we had on our whole trip to Spain but maybe choosing the only place with empty tables was probably our mistake (all the other bars were busy).
But despite the food, it was a fascinating experience; and even with the very steep climb back up the hill to the car, it was definitely worth the visit.
Although only a short visit, we had a great time in southern Spain. Maria really looked after us, researching the best places for vegetarian food and driving us around on what we described as very busy roads. The weather was great too, and although it wasn’t hot, it was still much sunnier and warmer than back home in Scotland.