I had been dying to go to Malaga, Spain for about a year or so before I was actually able to go. When I finally got there I wasn’t disappointed. Hard not to be excited with 300 days of sunshine and beauty all around. My friends and I tried to do the most that we could in 48 hours even splitting up to achieve that as a couple of them had visited Malaga before.
As soon as we arrived we took a taxi into the city center. The ride was about 20 minutes. The streets are so small and narrow in Malaga’s city center that cars can’t go down certain streets. So the taxi dropped us in the middle and told us we had to walk to our apartments. We definitely weren’t the only ones. Every time we walked around the city center we saw people rolling and lugging their luggage to and from their accommodations.
It took awhile, but we finally found the apartment before my friend’s phone died. The apartment was in the heart of it all. Once we found it, it was hard not to find again. Even just wandering around we always ended up on or around the block. I found our apartment on Airbnb. It was a nice 2 bedrooms place. My room had plenty of natural light. Only downside to it was all the noise at night when trying to sleep.
After settling in a bit we got a little bread and ham from a restaurant and then took a walk to the Malagueta, the beach. It was a good walk so comfortable shoes are definitely a must. While walking, we went down the street Larios (main picture above), which is like the 5th Avenue of New York City, but in Malaga. It was lively and pretty. I soon spotted a ferris wheel.
Malaga is home to Pablo Picasso. There is art everywhere around Malaga so walking along Puerto De Malaga we saw plenty. After awhile we finally got to the beach. It was really pretty out. The water was freezing, but plenty of people were in the water. I must have forgotten where I was because someone had to point out to me that many women were topless. I hadn’t even noticed and then realized I had never been to a European beach before.
Being hungry we walked over to Mami Beach and ordered some delicious seafood and sat on the beach and ate. We ordered shrimp, octopus, fish, and more. A true feast for the four of us on the beach. Even though we were already ready for a good nap we had made appointments at the spa.
I wish I was able to take pictures inside, but we weren’t allowed to. Hammam Arab Baths is amazing! They only let a certain amount of people in at a time. There are several baths that range from ice-cold to very hot. A steam room and hot slabs to lay on. There are also places to sit and relax, drink very delicious tea, and play chess. You can also opt in for massages and body scrubs. Which of course we did.
The place is gorgeous and I loved it. The prices were great. An hour and a half in the baths with a massage was around 43 Euros. You must wear a bathing suit inside, they do provide lockers, towels, showers, hair dryers etc. It is so amazing and refreshing. Especially after walking around Malaga all day.
Of course after all that a nap was in order. Later that night my friend and I walked around the city center taking it in the night sights and sounds while grabbing some food. The others stayed in as they had been to Malaga before they planned a trip to Tangiers. Malaga is close to Morocco. So a bus ride and ferry would get them there for the day. They were gone the next day from 5am till 9pm the next day.
While they made a day trip to Morocco we took a free tour. Our guide was cool and we did a ton of walking! She pointed out Pablo Picasso’s old house and school, took us to the infamous El Pimpi where many go to enjoy the local food and wine. We got the opportunity to taste some wine, which I thought was a bit to sweet.
As we kept walking with saw so much, Alcazaba, which is a military fortification and Teatro Romano. The Pablo Picasso statue, Antonio Banderas’ home (he is also from Malaga), and several beautiful churches including La Manchita (because it looks like it has one arm since one of the towers was never completed.) We saw so much that we worked up an appetite and found a tapas place to eat before siesta came and some places started to close.
After walking around some more we headed over to the NoHo area to find some street art. I was very excited about this and after walking around a bit I began to find street art all over the place. There was plenty and each new discovery excited me. The pigeons all around made me nervous as I kept thinking any minute one would poop on me. I happily made it out of there poop free.
After a nice nap we met up with the rest and headed out for the night. We are a delicious dinner down the block from our Airbnb. Shrimp, fish, octopus, and more at Puro Pescaito. My friend knew of a Cuban spot so we headed over there. The atmosphere was fun. People were line dancing when we came in. One thing I found interesting was that they have you make your own drinks. When ordering a Malibu and Pineapple they handed over a huge glass with the alcohol in it and then pineapple juice on the side. So it was like we were our own bartenders.
After we left there we headed over to a night club, Sala Gold. I thought it was cool that people weren’t just dressed up for the club. Many had on t-shirts, hats, sneakers, and flip-flops. It was very chill and laid back. It was high energy inside. A guy was even beating a drum on stage. We stayed for a while enjoying before heading back to try to get some rest.
We got a little breakfast and did a little shopping before leaving and heading to the airport. I loved Malaga and would happily go back. Not only to see Malaga again but to explore the other towns surrounding it. That is really high on my list to do as well as heading back to that amazing spa!
Have you ever been to Malaga?
