DAY ONE
As part of Archie’s birthday present I got him a few trips, which I will write about briefly another time. But one of those trips was Malaga.
We originally were only going to go for a day. Thanks to the group Extreme Day Trips on Facebook, I became addicted to the idea of being able to explore new places for just a day – we did actually do this when we visited Innsbruck, which I will write about soon.
Anyway, as it got a bit closer and after having participated already in an Extreme Day Trip, I (along with Archie) decided that actually it would be nicer and more beneficial to spend the night in Malaga and have 2 full days there instead of cramming everything in to one.
So, whilst it ended up being slightly *cough cough* more expensive than originally planned due to fees to change the flights, etc. we ended up having a much more enjoyable time than I think we would have done had it just been the day.
I don’t know about you but I find the hardest bit about travelling is having to wake up at an ungodly hour to get to the airport, so you don’t end up being one of those poor souls that gets their name called out over the tannoy and then ends up having a near-on heart attack sprinting to the gate and having to do the walk of shame on to the aeroplane, knowing everyone is secretly hating you for making them wait, because, “well I managed to get here on time so why didn’t you?!”
Hurrah for alarm clocks is all I can say, but the stress of counting how many hours sleep you’ll get if you ‘fell asleep now’ is just too much. So once we are in the car and ready to go, then I can start getting a little bit excited…. not fully, because who knows what road closures and traffic situations you might meet on the way.
We drove to the airport due to the flight times and the trains not running that early, although I quite like having that element of “control” because when you come home late at night the last thing you want is to be waiting around for a train that may or may not decide to turn up!
Our closest airport is London Gatwick, and we always park in the long stay car park. It cost £37.00 for the 2 days, much less than the short stay car park. It just means you have to fight other holiday makers to get onto the free shuttle bus that then transfers you to the airport. But I find a dirty look and a shoulder barge normally helps…. I joke, of course!
Once at the airport and you’ve half stripped and been felt up by the security staff, that you wish was the rather hot gentleman opposite – although being single for so long I’ll take what I can get – we can finally go through to the shops to buy unnecessary things at extreme prices. Our purchase this time was a neck cushion each that we decided we needed (we really didn’t but anything to make us look like well travelled people right?!)
Then you have the agonising wait to see whether your flight has been delayed/cancelled…. which to our delight, ours was not! Time to walk the 100 miles to the gate – thank god I woke up to my alarm!
Landing at Malaga was dreamy. Flying into sunshine when we were in the midst of a very wet, never-ending winter made me want to dance with joy. The great thing as well about only going somewhere overnight is that all you need luggage wise is a backpack each – no need to wrestle a case from the overhead locker or to wait ages for baggage to arrive on the belt. We grabbed our backpacks and headed through security, which is always terrifying as a single parent as I always think they are going to question me like I’m a kidnapper and of course I forget my sons birth certificate every bloody time.
But finally we are free and ready to enjoy our weekend away.
The cheapest and quickest way to get into Malaga is to head out of the airport and go to the train station. All you need to do is tap your bank card on the barriers (don’t bother joining the massive queue for the tickets) and go on through. Go to the left hand side set of stairs/escalator and catch the C1 line to Malaga. This is the last train stop so it’s impossible to miss it.
Phobia of tight spaces or a hatred of people touching you? Maybe opt for a taxi because this train made London Underground look breezy. I’ve seen videos of people on socials over the years in different countries pushing people onto trains and always thought “how crazy, I couldn’t do that” and here I was stuffing my 10 year old in and giving him strict instructions that if the doors close and I’m not on then to get off at the next stop. Drama! But alas, we both squished on and here I was again getting more close contact with a human being than I have in years.
The train journey was only short though and after trying and failing to tap our way back out (multiple times) the guard took pity and let us through. But normally you just need to tap your bank card back out again like you would in London. Of course, it wasn’t as simple for me, but it’s me… life would be boring if it was straightforward, right? Right!
The warmth of Malaga was amazing and I would go back in a heartbeat just to soak up some more. It’s definitely a must-do thing every winter. Although I know some others that have gone since (from the EDT Facebook page) and haven’t been so lucky.
Our hotel was just a short walk from the station, thank you google maps for guiding our way. What did we do before technology? Oh I know… we got into the map. (Shameless Friends reference!)
The hotel we stayed in was called Hotel ILUNION and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a place to stay in Malaga. If we return we will definitely be staying there again. The best thing also… it only cost me £21.00 thanks to my Tesco Clubcard Vouchers, which I will write about in my Money Saving Blog. The hotel was beautiful, clean and welcoming. We got into our room straight away, even though we were 4 hours early and it gave us an opportunity to just chill for 5 before heading out for lunch.
Another great thing about the hotel was that it was far enough from the centre to not be in the hustle and bustle, but close enough to walk comfortably.
We went for lunch at a place called La Cueva de 1900 and had a mixed paella to share for 35 Euros. This was Archie’s first experience of paella and as a massive seafood fan, I knew he would love it. It was absolutely incredible! Even thinking about it now is making me salivate. We were planning on exploring a little after lunch but actually we were pretty worn out from the travelling and the 2.30am wake up, so we decided to go chill at the hotel for a bit before heading out again later.
The beach and harbour were about a 35/40 minute walk from our hotel so we headed down there after re-boosting our energy and the atmosphere was fantastic. There was a live band playing on the promenade and people dancing to their music. It gave us a real happy, “we are on holiday” feeling. There are so many bars and restaurants along the harbour and plenty of shops too. We mooched about and had a look in the Real Madrid football shop, because Archie cannot go anywhere without having a look at football kits, whether they are his team or not.
The beach is further along the harbour and we stayed there for a while. Archie played on the playground equipment and we had some much required photos taken on the sign that we have seen so many photographs of.
As it started getting darker we headed back to the hotel, stopping at a supermarket along the way to grab snacks and food to have back in our room whilst chilling with a ready downloaded Netflix movie!
DAY TWO
After a beautiful nights rest we were greeted with what can only be described as heaven… every breakfast food you could possibly hope for all in one room. I am a HUGE foodie and this was an absolute dream. From cereal, to cold meats and cheese, from cooked breakfast, to pancakes and churros. There was literally something for everyone. Or in Archie’s case, everything for him! I have never seen him eat so much in one sitting. He was LOVING it.
We did some sightseeing on this day, having slept well and regained our energy we were ready to conquer our step goal, and then some.
We headed into central Malaga and saw the cathedral, which was unfortunately closed until 2pm on a Sunday. We were also queuing to go into the Pablo Picasso museum, but after standing for about 10 minutes and it not moving, we decided it would be best to go another time (along with the cathedral) when we have longer, as we didn’t fancy spending our last day in a queue…. and I can’t lie, I’m not a fan of queues at the best of times. But then again, who is?
We walked to the Roman theatre where we took in the fantastic views of Malaga. There are a number of steps to go up but they weren’t too trying. Bearing in mind I am UNBELIEVABLY unfit – so if I can do it – there’s hope for you too! We visited the Mueso de Malaga which is free entry to EU citizens or 1.50 Euros for other nationalities (Thanks Brexit!)
For lunch we decided on a restaurant on the harbour called Gaucho Grill. You will 100% find something you like here as it is essentially multiple restaurants in one. There is the grill plus Greek, Indian and Mexican.
We opted for the grill and had a fillet steak each, with Pil Pil prawns and BBQ chicken wings….. and here I am drooling on my keyboard again. It came to about 90 Euros, which I didn’t think was too unreasonable and my god, was it worth it! Also, the view of the Dynasty yacht opposite helped me to imagine I was a rich woman and money was no object.
Later in the day we decided to head back to the hotel (after stopping for some Dunkin Donuts) and even though we had checked out already they allowed us to use the swimming pool. It was lovely and quiet and helped us kill some time before heading back to the airport.
The train journey back to the airport was much better in that we actually managed to get a seat and weren’t pressed uncomfortably next to any crotches or armpits. The tapping actually worked for me this time too which was a winner! The train cost about £3 each for the one journey.
Malaga airport is a great size and had plenty of places to grab some food. There are also lots of charging posts around, including at the gates, which is so helpful when you’ve been away from any plugs for a while and need your devices for whatever delights you’ve downloaded for the plane home.
We landed back later than expected at 11:40pm, which meant we got home at about 1am (no thanks to an M27 road closure), which of course was a joy for waking up the next morning for school and work…. but boy, was it worth it!
If you want to see a video of our trip, which shows much more of what we saw and experienced, head over to our Instagram page @theboythedogandme