Day 1 - Spain: Journey to Malaga

Buenos días amigos! I’m back on the blog and ready for a 10 day adventure across Andalusia Spain. Ever since I went to Spain on my honeymoon I’ve been itching to return, and my mom has been wanting to travel there for awhile now, so for her 65th birthday we gifted her an early bday present with a 10 day trip to Spain. Although her birthday is in July, it would be way too hot and crowded to come then, so we settled on the end of May into the first week of June. Riding along with us for the journey is my husband Stelios and my sister Jen. We’ll be visiting Malaga, Nerja, Marbella, Ronda, Seville, and ending in Ibiza. It’s a much faster paced trip than I am used to but we’ll definitely enjoy our time and make the most of it!

Some pre-trip thoughts:

I’m so excited to see my mom experience her first time in Europe. Being 100% Hispanic and having that Latina energy I think she is going to THRIVE in Spain, plus she speaks fluent Spanish. My Spanish is decent but rusty and I hope to pick it back up on this trip.
I think I’m going to fall in love with either Malaga or Marbella. Eventually I would love to live in Spain for a few months and work remotely but haven’t decided where yet, maybe one of these towns will be it!
I’m very excited for the wine tour we have planned in Ronda
I’m nervous about handling the heat in Seville but I predict that is where we will enjoy the best tapas
I can’t wait to return to Ibiza for the beauty of the island and energy, but also to take a bite of the bocadillo (sandwich) at S’Escalinata in Ibiza, and I really hope Kiwi, the cute dog at the Ibiza motorbike rental shop is still there.

Unfortunately I barely slept on the plane but I hope the adrenaline and excitement of being in Spain will keep me awake. Despite all the online posts about the EES process in Europe, we breezed through security and secured our luggage all in less than 30 minutes. We got our rental car which took slightly longer, and it was only a 20 minute drive from the airport to our Airbnb — a cute 3 bedroom apartment with a Juliette balcony facing a placita (small plaza/gathering place in Spain) with a fountain in the middle.

Once we changed and unpacked, we were in search of food so we walked to a tapas bar called Lolita and grabbed a table outside. It was great for people watching. Stelios & I shared a jamon tostada con tomate & a jamón tostada con queso. Mom and Jen shared a Spanish potato omelette. Then Jen started chatting with the bartender and he gave us round of shots of an herbal local liquor on the house. Salud!

After our Spanish breakfast we walked 20 minutes to tour the Alcazaba of Malaga and Castle of Gibralfo. The tickets were only 10€ per person to see both sites and there was a very short line to get inside. The Alcazaba was a true maze of a fortress and the walls were still in tact. After exploring it we continued up the hill to climb to the top of Castle Gibralfo. I did not realize how much of an uphill trek this would be and I felt so bad that my mom was in sandals. We asked her if she wanted to stop but she was determined to make it to the top. After 30-40 minutes and multiple breaks in the shade, we finally made it to the top where a lovely bar with a view of the city below was waiting for us. Mom said it was an incredible FEAT for her and immediately ordered an ice cold beer to celebrate her triumph of climbing up the windy hill to the top of the castle. Stelios got a beer also, Jen had wine, and I chose to stick to water since I felt a bit dehydrated and have been dealing with a slight cold. After everyone finished their drinks we started our journey back down. Mom held onto Stelios to ensure she didn’t slip going down in her sandals and Jen also got nervous so she held onto me. Overall going down was much easier than going up and we got to the bottom in one shot without any breaks.

At this point it was 2pm and we hit our 10k steps for the day – time for some tapas! We walked 7 minutes to Casa Lola and snagged the last table available outside. I ordered a Malaga Chardonnay and everyone else got Tinto de Veranos. For tapas we ordered 2 types of croquetas, Galician octopus, the squid special, shrimp pil pil style, and tuna tartar with the quail egg on top. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a whole squid that big, it was delicious and the octopus was full of flavor.

After our tapas lunch we walked 15 minutes to the waterfront and grabbed a seat at Nusa Cocktail bar. I ordered an espresso martini as my sleep deprivation from the plane was starting to catch up with me. At this point everyone except Jen was pretty beat. She is used to that Miami heat, so the Spanish sun doesn’t seem to wear her down at all. Mom, Stelios, and I all shared 1 couch just to stay in the shade. We were in desperate need of a break in the AC so after our cocktails we ubered back to the airbnb. While mom and Stelios rested, Jen and I did a quick grocery run to get water bottles only to get locked out of the Airbnb. Luckily Stelios answered his phone and let us in. Everyone took a quick shower and 20-30 minute siesta before getting ready for the evening.

The plan was to go to a rooftop bar during golden hour and then dinner. The route we took lead us onto the main shopping street and the downtown was alive, full of energy and people. Unfortunately the Valeria rooftop my mom wanted to go to was at capacity. Luckily I had other rooftop spots saved on my Google Maps list so we walked to Lolita skyview which was right around the corner. It had a beautiful view of the mountains in the background. We ordered a round of drinks and the Spanish cheese platter to share for an apertivo. The cheese was delicious and much needed to hold us over until dinner time.

Around 9pm we walked 5 minutes to dinner, a Spanish fusion restaurant called La Antxoeta. The vibe of the restaurant was very artsy, it reminded me of Vandal in Palma. The dishes were presented very well and the service was excellent, but overall I thought the food was just ok. The exception and highlight of the the meal was the local Grenache Syrah bottle of wine we ordered which was delicious 4.5/5 and the veal cheeks melted in your mouth. Jen was hesistant to try them but she was so happy she did because we all agreed that dish was phenomenal. After dinner we stopped at Lucciano’s gelato for dessert and then made our way back to the airbnb for a much needed deep sleep. It was an incredible full first day in Spain with the fam, setting the tone for the rest of our trip.