recent blogs

los caracoles : frigiliana : andalucia : spain

los caracoles : frigiliana : andalucia : spain

On a drive, high up in the Andalucian hills, above the white washed town of Frigiliana and the coastal town of Torox, we spotted some very unusual shapes ahead of us. White domes, almost hobbit-like, overlooking the sea. From the roadside, they looked a bit forlorn,...

nerja : andalucia : spain

nerja : andalucia : spain

We've not visited Nerja for a while, but when we still lived in Didsbury, we did visit often. We were very lucky that we had a friend with a family apartment there, and so if there was availability, we could make a booking and do a quick getaway from Manchester. We...

frigiliana : pueblo blanco : andalucia

frigiliana : pueblo blanco : andalucia

The small white village of Frigiliana - one of the famous pueblo blancos - is in the Axarquia region of the Costa del Sol, and regularly features in lists of Spain’s most beautiful villages. This pueblo blanco is distinctively Moorish in appearance, with the old...

ayo : burriana beach : nerja

ayo : burriana beach : nerja

A chiringuito is usually a bar or a restaurant on a beach - and one of the most famous ones in Nerja, is called Ayo. Like most chiringuitos, outdoors, it is a simple construction with a partly roofed wooden terrace. On the menu, you will find tapas, fried and grilled...

seville : andalusia : spain

seville : andalusia : spain

Our trip to Seville was over an Easter weekend, so it was largely taken up with following the routes of the AMAZING Santa Semana processions. But, we did get to see quite a lot of the centre of this beautiful city, in between the Easter fervour. We're not religious at...

tasty tapas in malaga…

tasty tapas in malaga…

“Traditional” tapas restaurants and bars are abundant in Malaga and we’ve yet to experience one other than very good. Value is always exceptional with most providing complimentary tasters if you’re just having a pit-stop, rather than a full-on tapas session. There is...

alhambra : granada : andalucia

alhambra : granada : andalucia

The absolute beauty of Andalucia. One moment, you can be lying on a beach - this was in November - and the next, up in the snow of the Sierra Nevada mountains. With a trip to the Alhambra, in between. the alhambra palace and generalife gardens So, a bit about the...

tarifa : andalucia : spain

tarifa : andalucia : spain

Tarifa lies on the Costa de la Luz, across the Strait of Gibraltar facing Morocco, in the province of Cádiz, Andalucia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world's most popular destinations for windsports. We...

puerto banus : andalusia : spain

puerto banus : andalusia : spain

Puerto Banus was built in May 1970 by José Banús, a local property developer, as a luxury marina and shopping complex. And, as we were staying in the area, we decided to check it out - depsite our reservations. And, my goodness, it was EVERYTHING we expected it to be....

casa 1800 : granada : andalusia

casa 1800 : granada : andalusia

Casa 1800 are hotels I've had an eye on for some time. With one in Seville and in one Granada, I figured that some way we'd find a way to visit one of them, at least, but I also assumed that price may be prohibitive. So, when we decided to visit The Alhambra again, we...