Author Archives: Teresa Galuppo

Balcon de Europa - Nerja

Step back in time at Nerja

Posted on by

The Costa del Sol has become a very popular destination among tourists, but for a truly “authentic feel” you should look towards the east and step back in time at Nerja.

Although more and more people are starting to visit this charming little town, it still keeps the essence of a small fishermen’s town. Its low rise buildings, white-colored houses (red geraniums on the balconies), and that slow-paced lifestyle of rural living, ideal for holidays.

The best beaches of the province of Malaga

It’s as if you step back in time, where traffic, crime and technology are not a big concern. Although summertime can get a lot busier and louder, you can still disconnect in one of the many beautiful beaches of Nerja, like Burriana and Maro. The latter particular, is considered one of the best beaches of the province of Malaga. Be sure not to miss it and the kayak and stand up paddle excursions offered there.

Caves of Nerja

Another great visit during your stay in Nerja is the caves. Great for the whole family, these subterranean caves have 3 huge caverns where concerts are held during the months of June and July. Check the concert programs and visit one if you’re lucky enough to be there during one.

In the town itself, you have plenty of fish restaurants to choose from, tapas bars, seafront restaurants called “chiringuitos” where you can have from homemade paella, to ice cream, to the staple fish of Malaga sworded sardines (espetos). Go to Balcón de Europa and awe at the magnificent views of the Mediterranean. Take the perfect postcard picture with your loved ones on center stage!

The caves at Nerja will entertain both young and old.

Take a stroll down Balcon de Europa

The whole Balcon de Europa area is pedestrian, and filled with ice cream shops, live music in the summer evenings, street markets, bars… the list goes on. In this area are located our Sol and Mar apartments, on Calle Carabeo. It is the ideal spot to spend a quality time relaxing, enjoying the peaceful views and sunbathing.

If you prefer to stay farther away from the center of town and enjoy the views from higher up the hills, you can stay at our newer apartment Irene. There you will enjoy the comforts of a swimming pool, three terraces and room to park out on the street.

Wherever you stay at Nerja, you will definitely have time to disconnect, enjoy the simple things in life and recharge your batteries. This charming village will delight your five senses and make you come back over and over again. Ask anyone who has come if they would recommend it and you’ll convince yourself why you should spend your next holidays in Nerja.

What to do on Feria? Activities during Feria de Malaga

Posted on by

If you happen to be in Malaga this weekend or throughout the next week, you’re going to find all malagueños out partying. The local festivity “Feria de Malaga” begin this Friday at midnight with a concert at La Malagueta beach and fireworks. The fiesta will last until the 20th of August.

Therefore, embrace the Feria de Malaga, do as locals and go to the different events and activities… and dance ‘till you drop!

Art shows and exhibits during Feria de Malaga

Firstly, all museums will open during Feria de Malaga. Special exhibits have been inaugurated for the celebration.  Visit them to take a break from the hot August weather.

  • Carmen Thyssen Museum
  • Contemporary Arts Center
  • Pompidou Center
  • Museum Picasso Birth-house
  • Russian Museum
  • Picasso Museum
  • Etc.
Decoration Feria Malaga 1

Paper lanterns decorating streets and squares during Feria de Malaga

Live music and concerts

Especially relevant is mentioning that celebrations in the center occur during the day. Between 13:00 and 18:00 during Feria de Malaga, music bands play live music at the different squares of the center. From flamenco, to blues, to pop, the center fills up with music and dancing. Tents are also set up with food stands, so you can try the most traditional and delicious Andalusian cuisine.

In the evenings, all major concerts take place at the auditorium set up in the Feria venue. It is called Cortijo de Torres and is located on the outskirts of the city. You can access by transit, bus lines are doubled during the festivities. The bus fare from the city center (Alameda Principal) to the venue cost 1,50€. Daytime bus lines are: 4, 19, and bus F runs all night. 

Concerts include:

  • 11 de agosto, viernes: Chambao. La Malagueta Beach (pop)
  • 12 de agosto, sábado: Danza Invisible. (pop)
  • 13 de agosto, domingo: Bertín Osborne. (balads/rancheras)
  • 14 de agosto, lunes: Málaga de Copla: Erika Leiva and Antonio Cortés. (flamenco)
  • 15 de agosto, martes: Café Quijano. (pop)
  • 17 de agosto, viernes: David Bustamante. (pop)
  • 18 de agosto, sábado: Soraya. (pop)
  • 19 de agosto, domingo: Camela. (flamenco)

Malagueta bullring

Bullfights

Parallel to celebrations, there will be bullfights and other bull-related events everyday during Feria de Malaga at the Malagueta bullring. From Saturday 12th to Sunday 20th the bullring will host a variety of bullfights. Most events are already sold out.

For more updated information or to purchase tickets visit: https://www.servitoro.com/en/61-bullfight-tickets-malaga

 

Make sure you check out our previous post about Feria de Malaga for a more general idea and history of this week-long celebration.

Lastly, we recommend if you are coming with kids, pass by Calle Alcazabilla (side street of Albeniz Cinema). There will be different activities focused on the young ones. Games, storytelling, magic and more to keep them entertained and happy!

Entrance to daytime Feria on Calle Larios

Tour group Malaga

Tour of Malaga center: Discover the city for free!

Posted on by

If you are visiting our beautiful city for the first time, you might want to consider taking a tour of Malaga city center. The good news? One of the best in the city is free!

At Solaga we are always looking for ways to improve our guests’ experience and enjoy our city to the fullest. That is why in an attempt to help you get a first glimpse of what the the city has to offer, we have partnered-up with Explora Malaga, one of the best walking city tours company in Malaga.

Free tour Malaga

Daily tours are given in English and Spanish, with around 10-12 people by group. You can arrange your tour of Malaga in other languages in advance. The meeting point for their free walking tour around the center (2 1/2 hours) is Plaza de la Constitucion, in the heart of the city. The tour begins at 11:00, which is the perfect time to begin your Malaga experience after a hearty breakfast.

Start your holiday with a tour!

It is the ideal beginning to your holidays as it helps get your bearings around the city. The tour takes you around the most important landmarks of Malaga. They explain our history, culture, traditions, etc. with great humor and enough detail for you to actually remember specifics! Forget about boring audio-guides that spout dates and names so much you can’t even remember the first sentence. Our partners at Explora Malaga make your tour fun, entertaining, educational and surprisingly short. At the end you can’t believe two and a half hours have passed.

Malaga tour Cathedral

Young, friendly and knowledgeable staff takes you for a walk around Malaga city center. Maria, one of the tour guides, explained that the word marmalade came from French doctors who recommended eating oranges for sea sickness (French words mer for sea and malade for sick). Being that oranges in Malaga were sour, they were preserved with sugar. Due to evolution of language and economisation of words, people ended up calling this preserve marmalade. All this cool explanation came under the shade of an orange tree at the entrance of our cathedral. Magnificent view, sea breeze and good company included.

Wine tasting at Malaga

Tour with history, culture and…wine

Then you go off to visit one of the oldest bars of the city. Decoration include old wine barrels, a traditional Andalusian patio, bull fighting parafernalia, etc. They even provide a small tasting of sweet local moscatel wine. The tour of Malaga promotes local businesses without overwhelming or hustling visitors. You can buy something local without feeling forced to do so.

At the end of your tour, you decide how much you think it was worth and pay your guide accordingly. Don’t think of is as a tip, but more as a way of the customer to show their satisfaction with a service provided. Our friends at Explora Malaga they are so confident about the quality of their tours and their guides, that they don’t pre-set a price for many of their tours. So far customers are never disappointed.

Other tours they offer

If you are not a morning person, you can take one of their evening mystery tours, where they take you around the center while telling dark stories and legends of different places in the center. Perhaps you want to take a tour of the Alcazaba or a private one with just your family… maybe on a Segway. On their website you can see all different tours available, we are certain you will recommend it.

The sure thing is that we want our customers to have the best Malaga has to offer, and with Explora Malaga we are certain you will be satisfied with whatever tour you want to take. They are professional, offer a quality service and can tailor-make a tour to your specific needs.

 

 

The best ice cream in Malaga

Posted on by

You have to try the best ice cream in Malaga! Try our most popular flavors like leche merengada, turron or seasonal fruits. Now that the heat will be with us for the next months, you find yourself having ice cream twice a day! Continue Reading →

The Feria of Malaga: The best and biggest fiesta in town!

Posted on by

Imagine a hot summer day. Picture everyone partying all around you. Women dressed in traditional flamenco dresses. That’s the starting point of what the Feria of Malaga is like. But let’s explain from the beginning ’cause… there is so much more! Continue Reading →

Roman amphitheater of Malaga

Roman amphitheater of Malaga

Posted on by

Right at the bottom of the Alcazaba (Arab fortress), lays the oldest monument of Malaga: the Roman amphitheater. The remains of this ancient building have survived the wear of time thanks to having been buried for over 5 centuries.

The rich cultural heritage of Malaga is larger than meets the eye. Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and Christians have all left their mark in this cosmopolitan city by the sea. And even though its monuments might not be as spectacular as others in Rome, Istanbul, Granada or the Vatican, it is this richness and variety that make it unique.

Seating Malaga roman theater

History of the building

The medium-sized theater dates back to the early V century b.C. The Roman amphitheater is in the heart of cultural triangle of Malaga, determined by the Picasso Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and the Alcazaba fortress.

It was constructed by taking advantage of the natural slope of the hill to be used as the cavea (seats) of the theater. The upper seating section no longer exists, but a few remaining steps indicate us of its existence. On the upper part of the theater, there would have been long fabric pieces, used as awning to protect from the elements.

The bottom part of the seating section – the one closest to the stage- called orchestra was reserved for the most influencing and important members of the society. The seats were made in marble and highly decorated. In front of them, a large rectangular and highly decorated stage was decorated with columns and wooden doors.

The Roman amphitheater was in use until approximately III century A.D., when the growing salting industry took over the area. Even today we can find near and in the Roman Amphitheater area many tanks used to make garum (fermented fish sauce).

Modern uses

Nowadays the Roman amphitheater is used for many events in the city. During the summer, the Roman amphitheater comes alive again, hosting the Roman Theater Festival that goes on during July and August.

Starting 22:00 one can enjoy a magical evening of theater in a historical place with great acoustics and beautiful surroundings.

You can also enjoy during the summer months other more modern plays, flamenco shows and dance shows. The local government is adding projects to the list, in an effort to give more use to Roman historical buildings of Andalusia and bring them to life again.

Visiting the Amphitheater

Photo courtesy of Fernando Gonzalez

Today, you can visit the Roman Amphitheater of Malaga from Tuesdays to Sundays. Enter the monument through the visitor center on the left hand side. Inside the center, you can see a few pieces retrieved and videos of the excavation itself. Then, you go on to enter the theater itself, through a wooden platform and see up close the ruins.

Entrance is free to both the visitor center and the amphitheater, from 10:00 to 18:00 opening days.

Weather in Malaga

Weather in Malaga: 320 sunny days a year

Posted on by

There’s no denying it: Malaga has great weather. The beautiful city has an average of 320 days of sun per year, which translates into over 3000 hours of sunlight during the year. The weather in Malaga has very little rain or covered skies, and that makes it a fantastic holiday destination. The odds of you coming and having bad weather during your whole stay are as rare as it snowing in the city!

One of the many advantages of the location of Malaga is that not only we get many days of sun throughout the year, but also that temperatures are milder than other places in the same latitude.

Average temperatures

Weather forecast Malaga

The closeness to the Mediterranean sea makes the weather in Málaga and its temperatures more constant. The winter is not as cold as other cities of Andalusia located more inland; nor hot summer temperatures get as high as in the rest of the country. Seville and Cordoba are famous for having summer temperatures of 45ºC and higher while Malaga’s average summer temperature is 25ºC.

During the summer, the low temperatures average 21º and the highs 30º, perfect for walking down the historical center and visiting the landmarks or walking to the beach and getting a tan. During the winter, the low temperatures are around 8ºC and the highs can get up to 18ºC… not bad at all!

Rain like you mean it!

Never rains in Malaga

When coming to Malaga, always keep in mind that the time of year when we get the most rain is November-December. This doesn’t mean that it rains everyday during these months, but it is more likely that if you visit us during that time of year, you might have to use your umbrella once.

Another interesting fact is that when it rains here, we really mean it! We can have torrential rains for short periods of time, so one day we can get 80mm of rain in a four-hour period, and then have sunshine again. This is enough to provide the city with running water, but not to keep us from watering the plants.

Aside that, there is usually a fresh sea breeze that helps bear with the heat during the summer and can really make a difference if you cover under shade.

Don’t sweat it

Temperature in Malaga

The weather in Malaga can be quite humid, and it might give you the impression that it is warmer than it truly is. You’ll find yourself sweating… a lot. This is caused by humidity levels of 70% and above. You will quickly realize that it is not because of the temperature. As soon as you stand or sit under shade and feel the breeze, you’ll notice it’s actually not as warm.

Hand fans can be a very useful tool, and make you look cool and very spanish when using it. It is very common for women to carry one in their bags (or their hands) during the whole summer. Fans are not part of any costume, but a real thing that people use everyday.

There are a million reasons to visit Malaga, and any time of year you’ll enjoy great weather and plenty of things to do. The city is vibrant, full of activities and sights, and has a lot of charming little towns nearby where you can immerse yourself in southern Spain’s culture.

Sales in Malaga

Shopping in Malaga: summer sales now on!

Posted on by

If you want to do some serious shopping in Malaga, there is no better time than now! The summer sales just started and will go on until the end of August. With discounts of up to 70%, you can do some serious shopping. So prepare your bags and credit card and let’s head on to the stores! Continue Reading →

Tapas Malaga

Tapas in Malaga: order like a pro!

Posted on by

When you go out for tapas in Malaga, how do you know what everything is? How can you order when you don’t know what the names are? We want you to order like a pro by knowing the most traditional tapas in Malaga.  Continue Reading →

other beaches in Malaga

Summer in Malaga: beaches, mountains and a lot more

Posted on by

Poza de los Huevos in Mijas is perfect for a fresh water swimNow that the heat starts and everyone is thinking about the upcoming summer and going to the beach, we thought to give you a few ideas of activities to do during the summer in Malaga to combat the heat and avoid the crowds.

Continue Reading →