This One Time, in Malaga

I went to Malaga, Spain in February with my family, which was lovely. I never wrote about it, which was naughty. Better late than never though, right? Here's my thoughts on things to do in Malaga...

Don't assume it's full of stag dos and the cast of TOWIE
It is not. A friend of mine made this assumption when I went, but actually Malaga is a very classy place, with a relaxed vibe and plenty of lovely streets, buildings and beaches to explore without a whiff of chav to be found.

Me at the fountain in the main square - lovely!

Have a good ol' wander... there's lots to see

I went on a walk with my brother, heading nowhere in particular with no real plan of what to see, and we had a great morning. We took in the bull ring, the cathedral, the Roman ampitheatre, many other beautiful buildings and streets and a lovely little coffee shop with teeny but tasty cupcakes.

    

Traditional "jumping" photo at the cathedral, the Roman ampitheatre and Our David enjoying a tiny coffee and tiny cupcake. Manly.

Eat fresh, barbequed fish on the beach

Self explanatory, and why wouldn't you? There are loads of little restaurants all along the beach, catching and cooking fish daily. We had lunch at one of these places on our first day and it was a great start to the holiday - sitting in the sun with a beer/vino eating the fish we'd watched a guy cook for us in an old boat he'd turned into a bbq. We took a nice stroll along the beach after we'd stuffed ourselves and burned off the calories (well, sort of... exercise still counts if you stop for a pint at the other end of the beach, right?)

Go to a football match

If you like that sort of thing, of course. My dad and brother went to see Malaga F.C -they were able to walk to the ground from the centre, and had a great time with the "crazy, mental" fans there. Malaga's ground also played host to an international fixture on our last day and the city was overrun by excitable South American marching around en masse chanting "Ven-Uz-Ua-Laaaaa!" all afternoon. It was brilliant.

Malaga's newest fan

Climb up to the Paradores Hotel

The views from this 5 star hotel are great - you can see all of Malaga while enjoying a beer in their garden bar (you don't have to be a resident to drink there) and the walk is a nice, scenic one with plenty of places to stop for a rest on the way if you're as unfit as we are. It was only when we got to the top that we realised there were buses... so maybe get the bus up and walk down, instead of the other way round like we did... I imagine it's much less sweaty.

Ma and I checking out the view halfway up

Go to the Picasso Museum

Malaga is where Pablo Picasso was born dontcha know? So of course there's a museum with plenty of his fantastic art on display. I have a Picasso tattoo so obviously enjoyed the museum, but if that's not your thing his influence is still very obvious throughout the city... and you can pose with a statue of him that sits on a bench too, if you're so inclined :)

Eat, Drink and Be Merry

There are a LOT of amazing tapas restaurants in Malaga, and many great bars too. It would be rude not to take advantage...

FYI... we stayed at the Petit Palace Plaza hotel which was lovely and ideally located. If you're not travelling with your amazing and generous parents though, there are plenty of more budget friendly places to stay. Viva Malaga!