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IT’S rare these days that I get a minute to myself as the mum of two small children.
So when the opportunity arose to get away from it all for a week with my own mother, let’s just say I fairly jumped at the chance.
Mum and I embarked on an eight-day Andalusian escape with , flying from Dublin to Malaga with Aer Lingus. With only a book bouncing on my knee and feeding just myself, I truly got to enjoy the three-hour flight.
Upon arrival, our tour guide, Mary, met us at the airport and escorted us by coach to our hotel. If you fancy a bit more excitement, you can always hop on a direct train from Malaga airport to Torremolinos which takes roughly 15 minutes.
When checking into our room at the three-star Hotel Sol Don Marco in Torremolinos, it became obvious that I was used to packing light and my mum was used to packing like she was performing at a Las Vegas residency.
While I brought a conservative three pairs of shoes for our seven-night holiday, she had packed 12. Yes, that’s correct - 12 pairs of shoes.
I would labour this point further if it weren’t for the fact that we are the same size so I knew I would benefit from her extravagance.
Wearing just one pair of shoes each, we decided that afternoon to walk the coast from Torremolinos to the marina in Benalmadena.
It can take anywhere from 25-50 minutes depending on how many times you stop for a beer or Sangria. We ended up on the latter end of the scale opting for the 50-min plan.
The next day, our first official day trip commenced with the beautiful whitewashed village of Nerja, which is about an hour’s drive from Torremolinos.
Although I had heard great things about Nerja, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful and pristine streets. Perhaps due to the time of year - October - it felt less touristy than its neighbouring towns in the Costa Del Sol and locals mingle freely among the tourists.
Right in the centre of the town, you can find the beautiful church of El Salvador, which has hosted many an Irish wedding. It is right next to the Balcón de Europa - The Balcony of Europe - a beautiful viewpoint where you can overlook the mediterranean sea.
Stop here for a coffee and watch the world go by. A cappuccino in the Kronox Cafe costs €2.50.
In the afternoon, our coach transported us from Nerja to the birthplace of Pablo Picasso himself - Malaga. The people of Malaga or should I say “los boquerones” (I had to Google that) are ridiculously proud of Picasso who was born there in 1881.
And so they should - he’s some man for the bit of painting!
The Picasso Museum is a must-visit, and there’s a statue of the main man near the museum that is said to bring five years of good luck if you rub his head. I’ll do anything for a bit of luck, so dutifully obliged.
In Torremolinos we decided to explore the old town of Calle San Miguel which can be reached by stairs or lift.
We opted for the stairs and, on our way, we encountered the most beautiful mansion called Casa de los Navajas. Built in 1925 and once owned by the Luque-Navajas family, it is now used to host weddings and other ceremonies and events.
Day four of our tour took us on a two-hour bus journey to the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar.
Entry to Gibraltar requires a passport and luckily for us, an Irish passport makes for a speedy transition through passport control.
FRIENLY LOOKING MONKEYS
Gibraltar is most famous for it’s giant rock landmark that towers over the town and is home to the only wild monkey population in Europe - the Barbary macaques.
I was determined to meet and hopefully take some pics with these furry friends so we took a cable car to the top of the rock and was amazed to encounter these not so friendly looking monkeys.
The last day trip of the tour was to the beautiful town of Ronda. Ronda is one of the oldest cities of Spain and is renowned for its dramatic cliffside setting and stunning views.
The city’s 18th century Puente Nuevo bridge spans a 100m deep El Tajo gorge that divides the old and new part of the town.
I loved Ronda and daydreamed about moving here and decorating my beautiful hacienda with a lovely rug that I spotted in a quaint little furniture shop.
AUTHENTIC SIDE OF SPAIN
I would highly recommend taking a day trip here to explore an authentic side of Spain, which is reflected in its well-preserved architecture, traditional tapas bars and an 18th-century bullring, one of Spain’s oldest.
Leaving Spain and the Andalucian region was bittersweet but I was armed with magical memories spending the week with my wonderful mother, while returning home to my lovely and extremely excited children.
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