Words by Richard Jones
For most Brits, Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport is the gateway to the commercialised resorts along the southern Spanish coastline. But what about the Andalucian port city itself?
The birthplace of Pablo Picasso is becoming one of the Mediterranean’s hottest cultural, gastronomic and leisure destinations. So rather than scurrying off south to tourist traps Marbella, Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Benalmádena, my wife Rachel and I spent a long weekend in Spain’s sixth largest city.
Málaga welcomes thousands of business and leisure visitors each day and, as a result, there is a rich choice of hotels scattered around the city. However, the historic old town is the best place to stay, in particular the four-star Hotel Molina Lario. With its prime location on the corner of two main streets, steps away from the cathedral and Paseo del Parque, it is an ideal starting point from which to discover Málaga’s urban heart.
The sophisticated 103-room hotel, part of the small family-run Gallery Hoteles chain, consists of two renovated buildings with ornate balconies, and a third modern extension, all interconnected around a central interior patio.
We spent three nights in one of its junior suites on the sixth floor, and as soon as we arrived and tucked in to the complimentary truffles and cava, we felt relaxed.
As well as spacious sleeping quarters with a king-size bed, we were able to relax with a tea or coffee on the large sofa in the living area, with views of the marina and Cathedral. There was a huge marble bathroom with a rain shower, twin sinks, a freestanding bathtub, toiletries and fluffy robes, as well as a separate w/c near the entrance.
After unpacking and placing our belongings into the room’s never-ending storage spaces, we set about exploring the hotel, beginning at the buzzy rooftop pool terrace bar, La Terraza de Molina Lario, aka The Top, on the eighth floor. We spent a few hours up there each afternoon, sharing a jug or two of sangria on the deckchairs and sunbeds, watching the sun set over the city.
The highlight of the hotel though is Matiz, recently named one of the top 100 restaurants in Spain. Diners have three options of where to eat – a charming street terrace on Calle Bolsa opposite Restaurante Gusto; the velvet-clad interior; and the patio, which is sunlit through the day and perfect for stargazing at night.
While the eatery serves up tasty hot and continental breakfasts for hotel guests in the morning, as the day wears on, it becomes a popular destination for both residents and local malagueños wanting to sample chef Pablo Molina and maître and sommelier Hugo García’s innovative food and drink.
Rachel and I were booked in for a tasting menu on the Friday, and among the 11 courses we enjoyed were cold cream of parsnip with prawns, a bao bun with slivers of red tuna belly, acorn-fed Iberian fillet steak with light aubergine and Jerusalem artichoke cream, and a citrus dessert with white chocolate and Madagascar vanilla. Priced at €59 per person, plus €20 for local wine pairing, it was a bargain.
Following a lie-in the next morning, we hit the cobblestone streets to see what Málaga had to offer. Using the marina and the imposing ‘La Manquita’ Cathedral as focal points, the walkable city is very straightforward to navigate.
A good place to start a Málaga tour is Calle Marques de Larios, one of its main shopping drags with its mix of local and branded outlets, cafés and restaurants. Although the streets can be crowded, every now and then you’ll get that lovely feeling that you’re the only people around.
If you’re partial to Spanish food and drink, you’re spoilt for choice. Among the places we sat down for tapas were Pepa y Pepi and Lolita, while there are a handful of bars where you can watch live sport on the TV with an ice-cold glass of Victoria or Cruzcampo beer.
The beautiful Mercado de Atarazanas is where malagueños flock to buy their fresh produce. Not only does the market’s fruit, veg, meat and seafood look and smell extremely tasty, the singing vendors are good fun and the displays are an Instagrammer’s dream.
Our favourite feature of the old town area was the Mirador Alcazaba, the promenade which runs through the back of El Teatro Romano (the Roman theatre) and approaches the base of the beautiful Arab fortress complex on the side of Mount Gibralfaro.
From here, you can also see actor Antonio Banderas’s sprawling apartment and terrace. As well as becoming a city ambassador and founding Soho Theater, the Hollywood star and málagueno has a vested interest in the area’s gastronomy.
Rachel and I headed for lunch at one of the restaurants that he co-owns, El Pimpi, where we enjoyed a mixed Málaga salad with tuna, fried fish tapas and Iberian acorn-fed cured ham.
During the mornings, the two of us spent a few hours by the coast. But before we reached the palm tree-laden paths of Paseo del Parque and the open-air markets near the marina, we stopped off at Casa Mira, the city’s famous ice cream parlour.
When you do arrive at the marina, you’ll see the Centre Pompidou, a coloured glass cube housing themed art works. That leads to a parade of waterfront shops and restaurants, beside the huge multi-million-euro yachts, and just around the corner from the city’s main beach La Malagueta.
Passing the open-water swimmers and joggers, the two of us strolled along the sands, paddled in the sea and flopped a towel down, before ducking in for a coffee at one of the beach bars.
At the northern end of the beach is the authentic Spanish neighbourhood Pedregalejo, an ideal place for trying the local delicacy, ‘espetos malagueños’ – skewered silvery fried fish.
And you can’t go to this part of Andalusia without paying homage to the best-known málagueno of all, Picasso. Rachel and I visited Museo Picasso Málaga, dedicated to the city’s most famous son, while there is a statue of the art genius on a bench at Plaza de la Merced, and countless souvenir shops selling themed trinkets.
Picasso’s family moved away when he was 10, and he spent most of his adult life in France. However, the artist’s heart was always in Málaga, with those early years in the Spanish city the inspiration for many of his paintings. So the next time you fly into this part of the world, rather than immediately ‘turning right’ down the coast, why not take a pointer from Picasso, when he was asked to name his favourite place: “Look over there, to the south – that’s where Málaga is.”
Factbox
Stay at the four-star Hotel Molina Lario, perfectly located in the heart of Málaga, just steps away from the iconic ‘La Manquita’ Cathedral and the Picasso Museum, with rooms from €182 per night.
For more information on the hotel, visit: hotelmolinalario.com and galleryhoteles.com.
Jet2.com flies to Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, East Midlands, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and London Stansted, with winter flights from just £25 one way.
