My wife and I are going to Benalmadena for 5 days with friends in May. Flights (to Malaga) are quite a bit cheaper if we leave a few days earlier than the planned trip so we're wondering about how/where to spend a few days somewhere in the region.

Completely open to all possibilities. Would be happy to have a few quiet days in a local village with a book or explore the region with a hire car and move from place to place. Just not got any idea about that area so a bit unsure of where to start.

Frigiliana.

Málaga itself is a great city to explore.

Spent a week in Malaga last December with Mrs V and we bloody loved it!!! Christmas lights, tapas bars, seaside, it really was great!

Highly recommend the Castillo De Gibralfaro walk near the seafront, the Picasso museum (he came from Malaga) if you’re into your Art and a restaurant called El Pimpi, which is owned by Antonio Banderas (also a famous Malagan). My God the food is good in there!!!

Can second Ampth's experience. We once went in December and it was the perfect short break: beers, tapas, warm, sunny weather, loads of things to do & see, and it was cheap as chips.

A nightmare airport for car hire
Fly to Gibraltar and hire a car it's so much easier

Masks slipped ^ boring again

Woodleyclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 24, 2024 8:16 pm

A nightmare airport for car hire
Fly to Gibraltar and hire a car it's so much easier

I found Eindhoven really easy to rent a car,fly there instead.

Robbie_painter wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 24, 2024 8:37 pm

I found Eindhoven really easy to rent a car,fly there instead.

Great suggestion.

basil6345789 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 24, 2024 8:56 pm

Great suggestion.

Nearly as good as woodleys eh

A 90 minute trip up to Granada would be worthwhile if you haven't been before. The Alixares hotel is modest but cheap for an overnight stay, especially bearing in mind it's right by the Alhambra for an early start before the crowds and heat.

If you do head that way, and have a car, a coffee/lunch break at the Teteria Baraka in Orgiva down towards the Sierra Nevada is highly recommended, and then complete a loop back to Málaga via the coast road with a stop off in the old town of Almuñecar for tapas.

I take it you are staying in Benalmadena costa? If so a trip up to benalmadena Pablo for a meal is nice, try Mijas Pablo, Ronda & defo Estepona. I live about 50 mins away in Manilva. If you have time the Cadiz coast is fantastic, Cadiz it’s self is stunning, Tarifa, Bolonia, & Zaha de Los Tunez not to leave out Conil, Chiclana de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera all real Spain with some of the best beaches in the world & black bulls in the fields.

As a Benalmádena resident you have lots of options. Firstly “May” great time to come, not too hot and not too busy. Save yourself a couple of hundred quid and the stress and forget about car hire. Train runs every 20 mins from Malaga centre to Fuengirola (via the airport) and return and it’s about €2.50 per journey or buy a multi ticket at most train stations. Buses run up and down the Costa (seafront) in both directions Fuengirola and Torremolinas) and up into the hills for Benalmádena Pueblo and Mijas at €2 a ride. If you want a day trip to Marbella, again a bus runs back and forth every 30 mins from Fuengirola bus station, and if you want to go further afield Rhonda/Granada get tickets online (Trainline app) and they leave from Malaga train station regularly. By the time you have had a day in Malaga and visited the local spots of Mijas/Benalmádena Pueblo Etc your 5 days will fly by, and finally if you are going before the end of season you can catch any clarets game with the Benalmádena Clarets at Goodies Bar. Hope this helps.

Malaga old town is surprisingly nice. There’s a fantastic market with loads of seating and tables outside that serve great value grilled seafood and wine fresh from the market stalls. The drive from the airport to the actual town isn’t the most picturesque but the architecture of the old town is lovely and the food selection is top drawer.

I’d recommend Malaga any day for a long weekend/short break.

Longsider wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 24, 2024 7:39 pm

Málaga itself is a great city to explore.

I've only ridden through it on a motorcycle several times, but it looks interesting. Probably overlooked by holidaymakers.

Xianclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:28 pm

As a Benalmádena resident you have lots of options. Firstly “May” great time to come, not too hot and not too busy. Save yourself a couple of hundred quid and the stress and forget about car hire. Train runs every 20 mins from Malaga centre to Fuengirola (via the airport) and return and it’s about €2.50 per journey or buy a multi ticket at most train stations. Buses run up and down the Costa (seafront) in both directions Fuengirola and Torremolinas) and up into the hills for Benalmádena Pueblo and Mijas at €2 a ride. If you want a day trip to Marbella, again a bus runs back and forth every 30 mins from Fuengirola bus station, and if you want to go further afield Rhonda/Granada get tickets online (Trainline app) and they leave from Malaga train station regularly. By the time you have had a day in Malaga and visited the local spots of Mijas/Benalmádena Pueblo Etc your 5 days will fly by, and finally if you are going before the end of season you can catch any clarets game with the Benalmádena Clarets at Goodies Bar. Hope this helps.

Nailed it with this one if you haven’t been out to Malaga area before. The train is a no brainer, really easy to use and frequent service - honestly, don’t bother with a taxi.

Aside from Benalmadena/Arroyo De La Miel which in itself is a nice place, Mijas and Benalmadena Pueblo certainly worth the bus ride. Some nice restaurants, and the views are amazing. Malaga city also great to explore (train from Benalmadena into the city centre), and as Ampth7 mentions El Pimpi a fab experience (make sure you book well in advance tho as its well known and Malaga obviously is a busy city).

Totally agree about no need for a car but if you do want to go further such as Frigliana which us a beautiful village mentioned by Quoon would recommend car hire - Malagacar.com. We regularly use them. They’re 5 mins offsite and strange tho it sounds a darn site easier to navigate than the onsite airport ones like Europcar (cheaper as well generally), all you do is ring them when you’ve collected bags and they send a shuttle bus.

Whatever you do, you’ll have a fab time. Fungi/Torre etc got a bad press years ago but my mum lived nearby in La Cala for 15 years and we still regularly stay with my in laws up in Mijas going into all the above places and it’s a beautiful area to visit/holiday in. You’ll love it………

Great train service in Spain in general cheap clean and they actually turn up.

Woodleyclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 24, 2024 8:16 pm

A nightmare airport for car hire
Fly to Gibraltar and hire a car it's so much easier

Why is that?
I've hired cars loads of times at Malaga.
Use a company called Zest in UK and take out my own excess insurance.
Never had a problem

Xianclaret wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 24, 2024 10:28 pm

As a Benalmádena resident you have lots of options. Firstly “May” great time to come, not too hot and not too busy. Save yourself a couple of hundred quid and the stress and forget about car hire. Train runs every 20 mins from Malaga centre to Fuengirola (via the airport) and return and it’s about €2.50 per journey or buy a multi ticket at most train stations. Buses run up and down the Costa (seafront) in both directions Fuengirola and Torremolinas) and up into the hills for Benalmádena Pueblo and Mijas at €2 a ride. If you want a day trip to Marbella, again a bus runs back and forth every 30 mins from Fuengirola bus station, and if you want to go further afield Rhonda/Granada get tickets online (Trainline app) and they leave from Malaga train station regularly. By the time you have had a day in Malaga and visited the local spots of Mijas/Benalmádena Pueblo Etc your 5 days will fly by, and finally if you are going before the end of season you can catch any clarets game with the Benalmádena Clarets at Goodies Bar. Hope this helps.

Stayed in the Rui Costa Del Sol, last international break! Bought one of those 'one off' cards for 1.5€ and then put 10€ on it to get about. It combines buses and the train you mention and saved a euro or more on each trip. Went to Malaga and back on the train. Bussed to Fuengirola and caught train back etc. All good. Still had some left on it and it was for the 2 of us on the one card (like Oyster card).

Nerja

Benahavis is a very nice village in the Marbella region if you don’t mind going down that way. Nearer to Benalmadena is Mijas.