Some fifteen towns and villages in Málaga province were represented at Fitur 2025 in Madrid last month. I know them all. They range "from the sublime to the ridiculous".
FITUR is an important trade fair held annually in Madrid.
Tourism bodies from around the world attend and set up “stands” to promote their “wares”.
Fitur 2025 [Photo: Diario de Sevilla]
Málaga province has a major presence. In January 2025 15 places were represented under the umbrella heading of "Andalusian Crush".
This is Part II of "Promoting Málaga". Click here for Part I.
Málaga City
Málaga was ignored for years as tourists landed at Málaga Airport and headed west to the tourist resorts of the Costa del Sol.
Yet, in the last ten years or so, the sixth largest city in Spain has had a "makeover".
Málaga by night [Spain.info]
A revitalised port with shops and restaurants, more than a dozen museums and art galleries, fantastic Casco Antiguo (old part), a restored Roman amphitheatre, great restaurants and promotion of its splendid beaches and other attractions.
We love it and go whenever we can and stay over for at least one night.
Aerial view of the Port of Málaga [Wikipedia]
Links:
MALAGA CITY - Help me, Ronda
Magnificent, under-rated Málaga - Eye on Spain
Mini-break in Malaga - Help me, Ronda
Museums in Málaga City - Help me, Ronda
Coín
This busy town is close to Málaga airport, so has a significant number of foreign residents. It’s the sort of place you end up in when you get lost in that area. Not my "cup of tea" at all.
Marbella
I had never liked Marbella – too big, too busy, too dirty, too loud and too full of “guiris”.
Then when the local “fuzz” fined me incorrectly for a parking offence, I vowed never to set foot in Marbella again!
But, for health reasons, we have had to go a couple of times a week recently.
Rita has had two eye operations on our private health care plan and where is their hospital? In Marbella!
Hospital Ochoa overlooks the Mediterranean [FVV Ochoa]
While these ops were taking place I had time to kill, so I did some exploring on foot, and I have to confess I’ve grown to like the place.
Especially the Casco Antiguo – the Old Town.
It’s small but traffic-free with good shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.
Marbella Old Town [Marbella Living]
Link:
The Spanish Police are beginning to get on my nerves! - Help me, Ronda
Mijas
Like Casares, there are two settlements: Mijas Pueblo in the mountains and La Cala de Mijas on the coast. We like both for different reasons.
Mijas Pueblo [Photo: Spain.info] La Cala de Mijas [Photo: MalagaCar.com]
Mijas Pueblo is very “foreign” but delightful with superb views, and great hospitality venues and shops.
La Cala is situated on a long and wide sandy beach. Although it’s busy and touristy and there’s nowhere to park, the chiringuitos that form a backdrop to the beach are varied and relatively affordable.
In the little “centro”, there are all kinds of shops, ranging from pricey to “cheap and nasty”.
La Cala is our “go-to” place if we are nearby. We’ve even spent the odd night there in Airbnbs or booking.com rentals.
Ronda
What can I write about the Ciudad Soñada, the City of Dreams?
It’s where both Rita, from Germany, and I, from the UK, chose to live independently of one another (we met in Ronda, in fact).
As a Spanish-speaker, who fell in love with Spain aged 20, it was always my dream to live here someday.
It took nearly 40 years to achieve that goal, but in that time I travelled to every region, bar one (Galicia), and Ronda was the best place I found.
Aerial view of Ronda [Photo: Andalucia.org]
As somewhere to live, Cádiz (Cádiz), Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha), Frigiliana (Málaga), Fuenterrabía/Hondarribia (Guipúzkoa), Guadalupe (Extremadura), Nerja (Málaga), Salamanca (Castilla-León), San Sebastián (Guipúzkoa) and Santander (Cantabria) also "tickled my fancy", but Ronda always had the edge.
Cádiz City [Photo: Hertz] Cuenca [Photo: Wikipedia] Frigiliana [Photo: Malaga Hoy]
Hondarribia [Photo: Wikipedia] Guadalupe [Photo: Spain.info] Nerja [Photo: La sexta]
Salamanca [El Confidencial] San Sebastian [Wikipedia] Santander [DTI]
Links:
My Top 10 places in Ronda - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Ronda Romántica: Falling in love in the 'city of dreams' - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Top 10 places to visit around the Serranía de Ronda and beyond
Ronda - City of Dreams - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Torre del Mar
Torre del Mar is the coastal town paired with Vélez-Málaga (qv).
I don't know it well but the beaches are spotless and so are the public toilets, of which there are many. The huge car park behind the beach is free.
Torre has a lot going for it. Good shops, normal ones as well as tourist traps.
The superb beach in Torre del Mar [Wikipedia]
Torremolinos
The very name Torremolinos is enough to give you the shivers.
Eric Idle's classic monologue about Torremolinos for Monty Python's Flying Circus did nothing to enhance its reputation as a tacky and cheap holiday resort for lower-class Brits.
Torremolinos [Wikipedia]
Yet, nowadays Torremolinos is a very different "kettle of fish". The eastern end was always undeveloped, yet the beach there is amazing - deep and sandy, and loads of chiringuitos.
Even the centre of town and the Casco Antiguo have shifted up-market. Out with the lager-louts and jerry-built hotels and in with the more discerning tourist.
We discovered its charms, together with next-door Guadalmar, when we were looking for a hotel near the airport if we had an early morning flight.
Hotel Royal Costa in Torremolinos is 20 minutes from the airport and costs around 50€ for a double room with breakfast or a packed breakfast if you have a really early flight out of Malaga.
5€ for a taxi to the airport. Amazing!
Hotel Royal Costa [Photo: Trip Advisor]
Nowadays, if I'm picking someone up who is arriving late afternoon/early evening, I go early.
I do a bit of shopping in stores not available in Ronda (eg Bauhaus, Carrefour, Conforama, IKEA, Leroy Merlin) and then have a couple of hours on the beach, either in Guadalmar or Torremolinos, including a snack, some sunbathing and a swim.
The beach at Guadalmar [Wikipedia]
© The Spanish Fly
Further Links:
Mini-break in Malaga - Help me, Ronda
The best and worst of the Western Costa del Sol - Eye on Spain
Photos:
DTI, El Confidencial, Facebook, Hertz, MalagaCar.com, Malaga Hoy, Spain.info, Trip Advisor, Wikipedia
Tags:
"Andalusian Crush", Bauhaus, Cádiz, Cádiz City, Cantabria, Carrefour, Casco Antiguo, chiringuito, City of Dreams, Ciudad Soñada, Conforama, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla-León, DTI, El Confidencial, Eye on Spain, Facebook, Frigiliana, Fuenterrabía, Guadalmar, Guadalupe, Guipúzkoa, guiri, Hertz, Hondarribia, IKEA, La Cala, La sexta, Leroy Merlin, Málaga, MalagaCar.com, Málaga Hoy, Marbella, Mijas Pueblo, Nerja, "Promoting Málaga", Ronda, Salamanca, San Sebastian, Santander, Spain.info, The Spanish Fly, Torre del Mar, Torremolinos, Trip Advisor, Wikipedia
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