The last leg of our Euro-trip was Malaga, Spain. A Mediterranean wonder in the Iberian Peninsula. We had a very short, but great stay. I loved the fact that we arrived there with no plans. Just the most amazing Airbnb (Details later) and a beach to look forward to. I had never heard about this place, until my mom told me that my aunt (her sis) used to live there and she recommended it. We fell in love with the place when we did some research, and the rest is history.
Getting There:
Just like Barcelona, we flew through a low-cost airline called Ryanair from Barcelona – El Prat Airport to Malaga Airport – Costa del Sol. (See more details on Ryanair on THIS post.) The flight was no more than 2 hours. The airport is about a 20-minute ride from City Centre, which is where we stayed. But traffic during the day can build up, since they have one-way and pedestrian only streets. Traffic was not a problem heading to the airport, since we left early in the morning. But you may want to give yourself extra time if you’re traveling out during the day.
Getting Around:
The best part of Malaga is that if you’re staying in City Centre, you’re already in one of the main attractions and close to a lot. City Centre is a pedestrian only district packed with endless restaurants, bars, shops and nightlife. All we had to do was walk across the street from our Airbnb and get lost in the historic alleys.
You can also catch a cab at literally anytime on the main road; and we were really glad to learn that they had Uber When it came to further trips.
*Save $ when you sign up for Uber with code marileidymue
Where to Stay:
This has been the #1 question about this trip. Everyone, including ourselves is obsessed with the Malaga Airbnb. But before going into the nitty gritty deets, lets talk general geography. As mentioned earlier, we stayed in City Centre which is district 1 of 11 in Malaga. We chose this area based on reviews about first and foremost safety, things to do and proximity to the beach and other attractions. There are many other areas, and I am not saying that they do not fall in any of the categories above. But we just found the perfect place that fit our budget in an area that met all of those pre-requisites. FYI, this is a busy area with a very late night life, so if you’re looking for peace and quiet, you may want to check out another district, maybe near the beach.
Malaga AirBNB from thesocialbutterfly on Vimeo.
Now to the fun part! OMG!!! I have been waiting so long to spill all the beans bout this Airbnb. It is literally as beautiful as it looks in pictures. It’s the penthouse floor of an apartment building. The building looks old and a bit shady when you first walk in, but once you make your way to the top floor, it’s like you’re entering a dream. It’s a 2-bedroom open concept apartment. With a terrace and a rooftop. The master suite has a private bathroom. The rooftop is great for lounging and has a small sized pool/Jacuzzi. See my Airbnb review on the listing below.
“We truly loved Noemi’s place. It was beyond our expectations. The place is very clean and modern. The rooftop is breathtaking and our favorite place to watch the sunset, where we enjoyed the complimentary champagne from our hosts. Noemi responded quickly to any questions or concerns that we had. Her son Lucas helped us with the check-in. He was very helpful and gave us some great tips about family friendly places that we could visit since we had 2 children with us. We felt very safe in the area, which is very important to me, especially since we were a group of girls. The apartment is right across from the “City Centre”. A pedestrian only area with multiple alleys filled with restaurants, bars, shops and historical landmarks. We would certainly stay here again and recommend it to anyone looking to visit Malaga.”
See listing below and tell them that Mari Morel sent you.
Stunning Penthouse with Private Roof-Top Pool
Use link below to sign up for a discount on your next Airbnb stay.
https://www.airbnb.com/c/marileidym?currency=USD
What to Do:
As mentioned in the title, we did not spend much time in this amazing place. And to be honest, by the time that we got there, we just wanted to relax, enjoy the beach and our Airbnb. FYI, Malaga is a Mediterranean city, so although that you are in Spain, you will encounter a mix of Spanish/ Mediterranean cuisine with different veggies or dish options. One learning curve for us, is that some places may not cook certain foods all the way, like we’re used to. Not saying it’s a Mediterranean thing, maybe just a local thing. So just be kind and ask them to cook your meals all the way if you run into that situation.
Malaga City Centre from thesocialbutterfly on Vimeo.
First 24 Hours:
Daytime:
- Walked around City Centre and grabbed lunch.
- Rented a scooter for our pre-teen and grabbed gelato.
- Took a nap, because self care.
Evening:
- Had dinner at Bodega Bar El Pimpi in City Centre.
- Walked along the Roman Theater, right outside the restaurant.
- Grabbed gelato and liquor to go from a Galitzia shop.
Last 24 Hours:
Daytime:
- Slept in, because YOLO.
- Took a cab to El Pedregalejo beach. It has rocks that blocks big waves and it is very kid friendly. We rented a palapa (palm top hut) with 2 chairs it was like $20 euros for the entire day.
- Had lunch at a beachfront restaurant. Don’t remember the name, TBH but there’s lots of places to choose from. Just FYI, they open around lunch time. So if you get there early, you may want to have breakfast before or bring snacks.
- Ordered mojitos to go from the restaurant and enjoyed them by the beach.
- Headed back to the apartment for some drinks and to enjoy the rooftop.
Evening:
- Went over to the port and marina called Muelle Uno. It is a beautiful water front complex with lots of shops and dining options.
- Shopped for souvenirs at the tents in the port.
- Enjoyed beautiful views on Malaga’s city at night.
- Hung around The Centre Pompidou Málaga. A really cool art center housed in a glass Rubik’s cube.
48 hours in Malaga is certainly not enough. I would love to go back and explore more, and would certainly stay in the same place if it’s available. If I missed anything that you wanted to know, or you have any recommendations on Malaga, feel free to leave a comment below.
Also, see the 2 blog posts below to read more about my Girls/Euro-trip this past summer.
Paris Travel Guide
2 Days in Barcelona
Mari
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