spain
HOW TO SPEND 48 HOURS IN MIJAS, SPAIN.
Friday, 7 February 2020
[this blog post is written in collaboration with Clickstay but all words and opinions are my own.]
Growing up in Gibraltar meant that taking a summer holiday to Spain was the norm several times a year as we are literally a stones throw away from the Spanish border. The great thing about travelling up the coast is that each town or city has it's own unique character and even though I was never that far from home it still allowed for that feeling of escapism and fun (and hotel buffets). One place I spent a lot of weekends in was Mijas. Mijas is located on the Costa Del Sol, around 1hr 20 minutes drive from Gibraltar or 35 minutes from Malaga Airport. It's quite a quaint little town filled with white houses, beaches and great tapas. If you're planning a vacation to Andalusia, here's my guide on spending a weekend in Mijas, Spain.
Where to stay
Mijas is one of the Costa Del Sol's more relaxing towns, so why not take full advantage of that and stay in a villa. Clickstay offers a large variety of Villas in Mijas and there's a good selection whether you're travelling with your friends, family or partner. I prefer this kind of accommodation if you're travelling in a group, as it means you can take advantage of the outdoor space and have BBQs, wine nights or even a game of Monopoly.
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| Photo Credit |
What to do
1. Walk around the Old Town (Pueblo).
If you're looking for a few photo ops then this is the place to go. The old town is full of white houses, flower pots, cobblestones and the Plaza de Torros. Which is also a great place to grab a cerveza (beer) and some tapas.
2. Visit the Aquamijas water park.
When I was younger this would always be one of the highlights of my summer. Whether you're travelling with kids or just fancy some water fun yourself (you're never really too old for this are you?) it's a great day out option and after spending a couple of days in the Spanish heat, throwing yourself in pools is exactly what you'll want. The park is open from June until late September and they have discounted tickets for children.
3. Visit the 'museum of miniatures'.
As the name suggests, the Museo de Miniaturas is full of hundreds of miniature items picked up by the hypnotist and magician Juan Elegido Millan. One of the most interesting pieces is a painting of the Seven Wonders of the World, on a toothpick, yes a toothpick.
4. Take a day trip to Gibraltar.
Since you're already that close to it, why not tick another country off your bucket list? Gibraltar is a British overseas territory situated on the most southern tip of Europe. It is separated from Spain by a border so make sure you remember your passport! You'll find people here speak English and Spanish, and you'll be able to find a mix of cuisines and influences here. Here's a complete list of things to do in Gibraltar.
5. Visit the Castillo de Colomares
Another great photo spot, the Castillo (castle) was built in the 80s and is a ode to Christopher Columbus.
6. Take an evening walk through the 'Paseo Maritimo'
One of my favourite things about Spain is that the atmosphere usually doesn't die down anywhere until midnight, even on weekdays. Most Spanish families will have dinner at 9pm, and you will still see children out and playing at this time too around the restaurants. The paseo maritimo (promenade walk) is usually filled with little shops that stay open late, ice cream stalls, restaurants and chiringuitos (beach bar).
What to eat
I couldn't write a post without sharing some of my favourite Spanish meals (or tapas) with you guys. So here they are
Patatas Bravas - fried potatoes that are covered in a slightly spicy tomato based sauce.
Berejenas en Miel - aubergine/eggplant that are cut into chips, fried and then drizzled in honey.
Croquetas - croquettes are small round breadcrumbed rolls that come with different fillings. My favourite being ham or spinach.
Tortilla de Patata - basically a very thick omelette, with potatoes mixed in too.
Ensaladilla Rusa - a cold potato based salad that is mixed with mayo, tuna, olives and peas.
Have you ever been to Spain before? What parts have you visited?
A GUIDE TO A WEEKEND BREAK IN SEVILLE, SPAIN.
Sunday, 27 May 2018
All my life I have referred to this place as Sevilla, but for international purposes we shall stick to Seville for the remainder of this travel guide. At the beginning of the month we used the bank holiday to take a little trip to Seville so that I could pretend I was in an episode of Game of Thrones and so my brother could throw up his hot dog on a Rollercoaster at Isla Magica Theme Park. Living next door to Spain, means that I've seen quite a bit of the country and I still think Seville is one of the nicest towns. If you're looking to spend a few days here whilst visiting the area here are some of my recommendations on where to stay, what to do and where to eat in Seville, Spain.
TRAVEL GUIDE | A WEEKEND OF CHURROS, DANCING AND SANGRIA IN MADRID, SPAIN.
Tuesday, 8 May 2018
For those of you who don't know much about me, I'm from the tiny British country of Gibraltar that sits on the southern tip of Europe, bordering Spain. Now that you have that information, I can say that tapas are part of my weekly life because we have a lot of typical 'Andalusian' restaurants in Gibraltar, nestled between fish and chip shops and Gibraltarian favourites. Nevertheless, whenever I travel somewhere in Spain there are always new surprising things on the menu aside from your standard 'Patatas Bravas' and 'Tortilla de Patata' and every city has it's own charm. Ok so enough about food for now, the main reason(s) I went to Madrid was to reunite with my best friend Zoe who I met at University because it was a lot cheaper than flying to Gibraltar or London respectively AND it has been months since I last saw her, which was on our NYE trip to Barcelona. ALSO Lana Del Rey finally made her come back to Europe after 4 years, so of course we were not missing out. I'd been to Madrid twice in the past but this was the first time I actually did all the 'touristy' things. If you're planning on expanding your Spain bucket list, then here's my guide on where to get the best churros in Madrid, where to stay and what to do!
Where to stay in Madrid
No matter where you stay in Madrid, the chances are you'll be within 400m of a metro stop. Since we were pretty much just looking for a clean private room, we opted for Hostel Yolanda which only set us back £50 each for 3 nights. The room was basic but catered for our needs - clean bedsheets, a vanity table with a mirror, a full length mirror and a cute balcony to take pictures out of whilst we were getting ready for a night out (obvs). Another hotel that I've stayed at in the past is Petit Palace (Petit Palace Tres Cruces)- which is a chain you'll find in several locations around Madrid and Spain. The outside of this particular hotel looks very fairytale like and quirky, but you'll find that their rooms are very modern and the showers have more than your normal amount of nozzles so it makes for fun washing!
Where to eat in Madrid
I'm going to break this up into the four main meals of the day, if like me you like to fill your stomach to the brim when on holiday then you'll be spoilt for choice in Madrid. So on our first morning we had breakfast at La Rollerie, which is a cosy chain breakfast cafe with several of them scattered around the city. Their prices are good and their portions are large. They have everything from traditional 'bread with tomato', english breakfasts, vegan choices and a large array of pastries on offer. Me and Zoe both opted for a 'Espanol' which featured rustic bread, a slice of Spanish tortillla de patatas/omelette, a coffee and a glass of fresh orange juice - all for 6 euros.
If your palette is ok with having sweet things in the morning, then a trip to Chocolateria San Gines is a must. They've been around since 1894 and serve your standard churros and thick hot chocolate, and also 'porras' which are of the thicker variety. Zoe had never actually tried Spanish churros and thought they all tasted sweet, as in many places they're made with cinnamon and for me personally, don't taste as nice. Be warned, the queues to get a place to sit here are usually out the door, so arrive early so you're not standing outside with your stomach rumbling for half an hour. However this place is open until the early hours of the morning, so you can head there whenever you fancy them.
For lunch....whenever I travel anywhere I do my research to find the tasty, quirky and recommended places a destination has to offer. After watching one too many episodes of Riverdale I was on the hunt for a diner where I could get a burger and shake. Luckily Tommy Nels was right off the Puerta Del Sol and served exactly that. Their burgers were delicious although my shake could have done with some more flavourin, or a cherry on top at least! We had lunch at around 2pm and could have probably been satisfied up until 9pm, but of course I always have to make room for tea and cake when away. If it's innovative tapas you're after then Juana La Loca offers some interesting plates and is a nice cosy place too. Musa Malasaña also creates fusion type tapas and at very good prices - for 30 euros (between two people) you get a varied selection of tapas.
If you fancy hopping somewhere else for some tea and cake, then Lolina Vintage Cafe is great for either breakfast, brunch or tea time. If you're looking to start the night early then they also offer a cocktail and cake offer for 10 euros. Toma Cafe is another good option that offers a range of sweet and savoury options at affordable prices.
For dinner, I'd definately recommend paying a visit to the Mercado De San Miguel, which is a sort of indoor market that has over 15+ bars and 'restaurants' to choose from. The atmosphere in these kind of places is always great but it does get busy so it's not always easy to find a place to sit. If you've been walking around all morning then it might not be the ideal pit stop for lunch, but for dinner it's the perfect place to grab a couple of plates and drinks and gather around a table.
What to do in Madrid
Madrid is home to a lot of gardens, most notable the 'Parque de Retiro' where you can also have a go at rowing a boat along the...lake?) for 6 EUROS per boat, each boat holds 4 people so essentially you're paying 2 euros each for an hour, which is pretty decent. If you like to get to know your royals, you can also pay a visit to the Royal Palace. An interesting fact we learnt about this place was that if you had a baby and made it sleep in a different room every night, it wouldn't have slept in every room until it was 7, or was it 8?
As always, we did a 'free' walking tour with Sandemans and our guide was pretty entertaining, he told us all about why Plaza Mayor used to smell so bad including the fact that the statue in the centre used to have its mouth open, and birds used to fly inside get trapped and die, so yeah picture that. We also learnt why 'tapas' are in fact called tapas, but I won't disclose that so you can hear the story for yourself if you go! (or a simple Google will do the trick).
There are plenty of museums in Madrid and a lot of them are free at certain times or to EU nationals (lol you better go quick). Some notable ones are el Prado which is free from 6pm-8pm on weekdays, the Reina Sofia which is free from 7pm-9pm and the very romantic 'Museo del Romanticismo' which is free on Saturday's after 2pm. For a more extensive list you can see TripAdvisor's list of free museum entries in Madrid. We also paid 4 euros (2 with a student card) to get in to the Madrid botanical gardens, which was a pleasant walk around and obviously got us some good shots for Instagram.
If you're travelling with kids, or in a group of friends and fancy something a bit of exhilarating, then you can find Warner Bros and Parque de Atracciones in Madrid. The latter has more 'thrill' rides as such whereas WB is home to Bugs Bunny, Batman and all that stuff. So if you prefer more themed theme parks then that might be more entertaining for everyone.
Some of the more trendy areas in Madrid are La Latina and Malasaña, if you're looking for an area to go out. Me and Zoe did a pub crawl with Madride* which I was kindly invited along to, and hands down it was probably one of the most enjoyable pub crawls I've done. FIRSTLY, because pub crawls always say there's going to be drinking games (everyone knows I love a good drinking game) and they never happen, whereas we actually had a go at a couple in the first bar which worked as a great ice breaker for the group. The drink deals were awesome, we paid 5 euros in the first bar for 1 hour of unlimited Sangria, and in the next paid 10 euros for 1 hour of spirit mixers. You can imagine what we ended up like by the end of the night, or when we had to wake up at 8am to go catch our flight home ha ha ha.
Last but not least, it's always good to see what's actually happening in Madrid when you're there! Whether it's a football game at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, a concert at the Palacio Vista Alegre, a Whitney Houston musical or a flamenco show - there's always something going on in this buzzing city. I'm also going to leave this lovely photo of Lana here I took, despite having queued for just an hour (and the queue being 800m long) we managed to get a pretty good spot.
Have you ever been to Madrid? What tapas are your favourites? I think 'aubergine fries with honey' have to be my current ones!
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for more to do in Madrid head to my Spain Pinterest board
for more to do in Madrid head to my Spain Pinterest board
Want to explore more of Spain? You might want to take a look at my Barcelona travel guide or Ibiza travel guide.
*items marked were given to me on a complimentary basis for the purpose of this blog post
CITY GUIDE | HOW TO SPEND 3 DAYS IN BARCELONA, SPAIN.
Monday, 8 January 2018
So this year I brought in 2018 standing in the port of Barcelona shoving 12 grapes in my mouth as the clock struck 12. This is hopefully the first of many as my goal is to try and spend NYE in a different city every year, as long as my wallet permits. I spent 4 days in Barcelona and only used public transportation once (from the airport) so let's just say our legs got a good workout. Here is my itinerary on things to do in Barcelona, where to stay and most importantly, where to find the best tapas in Barcelona!
SPENDING A WEEK IN IBIZA, WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK.
Sunday, 29 May 2016
Hey guys! Sorry for being MIA this last week but if you follow me on Instagram or any other social media platform, you might have seen I've been away in the island of Ibiza having the time of my life - and the sunburn to go with it. I'd been so busy on the lead up to the trip I hadn't really looked into it and I wasn't as prepared as I was with my other holidays, meaning we hadn't booked any tickets for anything and we were simply going to go with the flow. Keep reading to find out more about my time there, tips and tricks to save money and of course where the best places to go are!
20 PEOPLE DESCRIBE THEIR CITIES IN A NUTSHELL.
Friday, 4 March 2016
The world is a very big and fascinating place, and sometimes I fear I won't have enough time (or money) to explore it all. During my 21 years on this earth I've been very lucky to be able to meet people from all corners of the globe, and sometimes this is enough to gather an insight to a city or country without even having to visit it. Or it means you've got a free bed and tour guide for when you do decide to visit. I decided to catch up with some of my friends and readers on what life is like in their city.
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