Relaxing in Fuengirola and Malaga

We left the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, saying ‘arrivederci’ to Italy and landed in Malaga, Costa del Sol, where we greeted Spain with ‘buenas noches’. Upon landing we were met at the airport by my dad and were driven to their home in Fuengirola, our home away from home for the next 10 days.

Upon arriving in Fuengirola we were also greeted by my mother and my youngest brother, Denis, who we hadn’t seen for 8 years and who had just arrived from New York earlier that same day. Denis had taken the opportunity to travel across for a few days to see and spend some time with us and there were embraces all around when we all finally got together. 

That night, we all went out for dinner at a local restaurant just a short stroll from their home, and being Spain, having dinner at around 21.00 it’s perfectly normal (if not a bit early even). After our meal and drinks, we took a walk, getting our first view of the local beach Los Boliches Beach as the main attraction of Fuengirola is undoubtedly its stunning beaches. 

The following morning it was my time to celebrate my birthday and we started our day by going back to Los Boliches Beach where Xander and Eloise were loving playing around with the waves whilst Suz had a relaxing swim and loved soaking in the ocean and the Mediterranean sun. After the beach, we returned to our home and soaked in their pool for a while before it was time to go and have lunch.

We all went for lunch to Mesón El Torillo restaurant where we all enjoyed some lovely steaks followed by the whole restaurant singing happy birthday to me whilst having a great dessert. After lunch we took a leisure stroll through the main streets of Fuengirola, enjoying some churros and beers along the way and finished up that evening by enjoying some authentic Spanish cuisine with some tapas and sangria, not a bad birthday I have to say!

Over the next few days we did a few trips to various destinations, all of these within easy reach of Fuengirola, we walked El Caminito Del Rey, visited Gibraltar, Ronda, Setenil de las Bodegas and even did an overnight trip to Tangier in Morocco where we got to  experience a taste of what North Africa has to offer (all of these trips have been separated in their own individual blogs).

On one of these days, we boarded the local train and travelled to Malaga. After arriving in Malaga, we made our way to the historic centre, the “Centro Histórico” where we strolled among its beautiful cobblestone streets past historic architecture buildings and narrow charming alleys. We saw the Picasso Museum, birthplace of the artist Pablo Picasso however decided not to enter on this occasion as his art has never really interested us.  After lunch we decided to climb the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress, and Xander and I climbed all the way to the top of Gibralfaro Castle, which offered great panoramic views of the city and sea.

After the castle we came across a street artist painting caricature drawings. As both Xander and Eloise were keen, we decided to get them a drawing each which turned out to be great fun and a good memory to take home from their Malaga and Spain trip.

Back in Fuengirola, the Feria de Fuengirola was in full swing. This is an annual festival that celebrates the feast day of the town’s patron saint, Our Lady of the Rosary. During the day we saw a parade where not only the participants, but also many of the attendees dressed in traditional Andalusian attire with colourful flamenco dresses. And during the nights, we attended the local fairground which hosted a range of amusement rides which Xander and Eloise took full advantage of.

The rest of our days in Fuengirola we spent enjoying the beautiful town and had more great food, not only tapas but also local dishes such as gazpacho and grilled sardines (espetos). On our last day however we barely left the residence as Xander had caught a stomach bug, wasn’t feeling the best and needed a well deserved rest before our departure the following day.

Fuengirola provided us with a lovely family reunion, a beachside holiday and I got to enjoy my birthday there as well. We know that we will be back, hopefully soon enough, and can’t wait to return as there is so much more to see Andalusia that we didn’t have time to experience on this trip.