Make time for Malaga
The jewel of the Costa del Sol has bags of culture, style and fine food, plus the wonderful Gran Hotel Miramar, finds
If Malaga means nothing more to you than the unfortunate destination name-checked in the classic Danny Fisher tune, Takin’ Ma Lager Tae Malaga, released to support the Scottish national football team in their 1982 World Cup campaign, it’s worth noting that tourism has moved on somewhat in the friendly Spanish port city in the intervening years.
There’s probably still lots of lager in Malaga, but you’ll also find craft ale, sweet and semi-sweet wine produced mainly from the Pedro Ximénez and moscatel grape varieties and – ignore the tired old criticisms surrounding the cultural credentials of the Costa del Sol – five new art galleries in recent years bringing the total to 30 museums.
There is plenty to discover on a short break to one of the oldest cities in Europe. If history is your thing there are archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras, making the centre of the city an “open museum”, even better if the spring sunshine compels you to remain outside, leaving touring those museums for another time. However if you want to pay tribute to one of Malaga’s most famous sons – sadly there is not yet a museum dedicated
to another – movie star Antonio Banderas – the Picasso Museum comes highly recommended. The permanent collection comprises more than 200 works of art including oils, sketches, engravings, sculptures and ceramics owned by the artist’s niece and grandson, Christine and Bernard Ruiz-picasso.
If your tastes are geared more in the direction of retail therapy fret not as the home of Picasso and Banderas also gave the world Zara and Mango and visitors might want to note that prices of Spanish high street brands can be up to 10 per cent lower in Spain, than in other European countries.
These days Malaga is challenging both Madrid and Seville as a weekend break destination as the bustling gateway to the seaside resorts of the Costal del Sol remains a resolutely Spanish enclave with narrow streets and alleyways to explore. The main market – Mercado Central – is a 19th century iron structure on the site of the old Moorish dockyards. If you visit in the summer be sure to try the fired fish (pescaito frito) as well as one of the city’s most traditional dishes, ajoblanco, a refreshing chilled soup made from almonds, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt and olive oil. We loved the Paseo del Parque,
a botanical garden amid the urban bustle, with plenty of benches on which to perch and watch the world go by.
There is also every kind of accommodation available from the humblest Airbnb to The Gran Hotel Miramar, perhaps the city’s plushest hotel and certainly the one with the most colourful history. The Gran Hotel Miramar has lived many lives, beginning its story as the first grand luxury hotel ever built in the ancient Andalusian city of Malaga in 1926, but operating as a field hospital during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and later as Malaga’s Palace of Justice until as recently as 2007. Spanish group Hoteles Santos took it over in 2016 and spent two years and €65 million returning it to its former glory. It’s a beautiful building and the city seems to have grown up around it as its prime spot in the area of Caleta in the centre of Malaga means you can enjoy sea views from the glorious terrace, just minutes from the middle of town. There can’t be a better spot for lunch in the city than at a whitelinen clad table at the Mediterraneo Restaurant overlooking the pool and the Med.
Clockwise from main: the Gran Hotel Miramar; a Premier bedroom; the Principe de Asturias restaurant
The white city is ideally positioned to explore the coastal towns of the Costa del Sol, especially if golf or lazing on the beach is your thing. Alternatively if you have a hire car you can wind your way into the interior of the Sierra Nevada mountains for some incredible walking. If you’ve got a week you’ll probably manage to do a bit of both.
Don’t miss the white towns of Malaga region, one of the prettiest of which is Mijas, famous for its burro or donkey taxi fleet as well as its white-washed walls. There’s also a chocolate museum and many nice bars and restaurants to eat tapas. Apparently Robert Redford lived here for a year in the 1970s which the locals are still pleased about.
So never mind Paris in the Springtime. How about Spain?
Gran Hotel Miramar (www.granhotelmiramarmalaga.com/en, +34 952 603 000) offers a special two-night Indulge & Detox package from €1,000, including accommodation
for two sharing a luxurious Premier comfort room; buffet breakfast; daily access to the Botanical Spa by Sisley; daily Complete Detox treatment; two meals from the hotel’s Delicious Detox menu (excl. drinks); and late checkout. Price includes tax. Subject to availability.
The Mediterraneo Restaurant overlooks the pool and the Med