Málaga | Urban Living Holiday Apartments

liborio apt 4 (1)
A couple of weeks ago I booked a two-bedroom holiday apartment with Urban Living in Málaga for a three-day getaway with friends. I shared the apartment in calle Liborio with one friend (our other two friends were staying at another Urban Living apartment in calle Fajardo). The apartment was located on the third floor with balconies in every room, which gave a lot of light. The beds (one double, two single) were very comfortable and both bedrooms had lots of closet space. The open kitchen was well-equipped and the living room next to it was bright and attractive. The only complaint about the apartment itself was that the bathroom was missing a light over the mirror (there were just wires sticking out of the fixture) and it really needed some shelves – both in the room and in the shower – to put toiletries. In the end we had to leave our things on the floor.

liborio apt 4 (2)
Calle Liborio runs between Larios and Nueva streets, an ideal central location, though it can’t be directly reached by taxi and is a few minutes walk from the main road. The Atarazanas market is nearby, as well as a supermarket, so it’s easy to pick up food and supplies. The Urban Living office is located on the fourth floor of the building, which was convenient for leaving our bags after checking out (my train wasn’t until 7 pm), but checking in was a bit of a fluke. I’d made arrangements for someone to meet me there at 2 pm because I was on crutches at the time, and they forgot – it was just by chance that someone else was in the office when I arrived.

But my main complaint – and it is a big one – is that I had specified before booking that I needed to have an excellent WiFi connection because I had to work that weekend, and I was assured of this. But the connection was very poor. I mentioned this immediately after arriving on Thursday and was told that something would be done to “boost” the connection. By late afternoon Friday nothing had been done and when I called the office nobody was there. Finally someone brought over a router (while we were out) which didn’t work at all, so we went from having a poor connection to none at all. And nobody returned my calls for the rest of the weekend. VERY disappointing. The connection should have been tested before we arrived, as it had been a specific request and had been guaranteed.

Overall it was a pleasant stay, in a nice bright apartment right in the centre of town. But I’d hesitate to book with Urban Living again because of the management issues.

Urban Living Málaga
Calle Liborio García, 1
Málaga
952 60 22 47

Eating Out in Barcelona

Last week I celebrated my birthday here in Sevilla with friends and then two days later took myself off for a special birthday treat – four days in Barcelona! My first trip to that vibrant and colourful city was seven years ago – also to celebrate my birthday – so it was time I went back. I met up with friends, did a LOT of walking around on my own, and enjoyed several good meals. I’ll do another blog post about some of the other great stuff I saw and did, but for now this is all about where I went to eat.

bcn food boqueria

One of my favourite things to do is visit markets and check out what’s going on as market bars traditionally have a good rep for providing super-fresh market food. And although I’d been warned by my very savvy foodie friends that the Boqueria Market on the Ramblas had turned into a touristy nightmare I really wanted to see it again. My first memory was coming across it by chance on a January afternoon just before sunset… I had no idea it was even there and if I hadn’t turned my head to the left at that moment we’d have walked right by. Instead my friend and I went in and I was charmed and delighted by… well, by everything I saw. But it was getting late and we were tired after a long day out and about, so we didn’t stay long.

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Hinestrosa Siete Holiday Apartments in Málaga

view from my private terrace
view from my private terrace

I am just back from two wonderful whirlwind weeks in Málaga, my second home here in Spain. As some of you know, usually when I visit Málaga I stay at my friend Manolo’s apartment on the Malagueta beach, but normally only for a weekend or a few days at a time. This time I was actually taking two whole weeks – my first real vacation in over 20 years! My original plan was to go on a northern Spain adventure but once again (just like last summer) Life Stuff got in the way, including this lovely wee thing that happened into my life. So in the end I decided to take a total RELAX holiday in Málaga. Manolo very generously gave me the use of his fab beachside apartment for the first week and for the second week I thought it would be fun to stay in the centre of town for a change. And as so often happens, Twitter came to the rescue.

Turns out that the the brother of the owner of one of my favourite tapas bars in Málaga – Taberna Uvedoble – has four fabulous apartments in a newly renovated building (designed by their architect father). Take a look on the Hinestrosa Siete website (my apartment was Duplex 1) and you can also see more pics on their AirBnB page. Normally I would have taken a lot more of my own photos but when I moved over from the Malagueta I had just enough time that morning to get Morcilla settled before dashing off to see some processions, and later I forgot to take any before unpacking, so instead you get these.

I just loved the apartment. It’s on a quiet pedestrian street and is all white minimalist, clean lines, with a bright well-equipped kitchen and – very important – a good wifi connection. And Fede was fine about Morcilla being with me. As the week went on we discovered we had even more mutual friends in town. It’s a small Twitter world out there.

Morcilla waking up after a siesta
La Morcilla de Burgos waking up after a siesta

In fact, I’ll be going back to Málaga at the end of August and staying another week in what I think of now as My Apartment. I guess just for one person (and a small kitten) one of the studio apartments would suffice as they are also very bright and cheerful. But I kind of like the extra space and Morcilla loves running up and down the stairs.

I don’t know about you but if I stay somewhere for more than a night or two my choice is always to go with a holiday apartment rather than a hotel. For the same money (and usually less) you get a lot more space and also a small kitchen. Turns out I did next to no cooking this last holiday but it’s great having the option to make brekky at home, have a fridge to keep drinks cold and basically not feel cramped. And it’s great having a washing machine too.

One of the many things that set Hinestrosa Siete apart from most holiday apartments is finding a little “welcome basket” of snacks in the kitchen (and cold juice and water in the fridge) along with travel size shampoo and shower gel in the bathroom. Also, everything is sparkling clean when you arrive, with perfectly folded towels and the bed made so professionally you actually feel like you’re in a hotel. Plus Fede is just a phone call or email away if you need anything. I almost hesitate to give such a glowing review here lest I never find My Apartment available again, but I honestly can’t recommend this place enough. Perfect for a weekend getaway or even a longer holiday (it’s just a ten-minute walk to the beach). And Fede will also give you lots of recommendations for things to do while you’re in town. Can’t wait to go back.

Hinestrosa Siete Holiday Apartments in Málaga

Málaga Christmas Visit

malagueta beach sunrise
If you follow me on Twitter (@azaharSevilla and @SevillaTapas) then you know that I spent last week visiting marvellous Málaga. It was an impromptu trip that came about after a Sevilla Tapas Tour a couple of weeks ago. I was talking with one of my guests – Justine from New Zealand – about her Spain itinerary and it turned out that she hadn’t even considered Málaga! Well, by the time she left Sevilla a few days later she said that after hearing me wax lyrical about my “second home” she was going to fit it into her rather flexible schedule. At which point I started thinking about how nice it would be to see Málaga at Christmas time again and then Justine said she’d happy to have a new friend in town the same time she’d be there. And so, with one thing leading to another, and the good people at Spain Holiday and Global City Break jointly offering me the use of one of their apartments on Malagueta Beach, suddenly it was a done deal and I dashed off to buy my train tickets.

view of old city from the portI have to admit that at first I had doubts about the apartment (the photos really don’t do it justice), though I knew it would feel like coming home because on all previous trips to Málaga I’ve stayed at my friend Manolo’s fabulous apartment just two streets over. But once I got there all concerns flew out the window. The apartment was adorable. And super-clean. This last point is crucial to me and I don’t think my hosts could have imagined just how fussy I am or they may have thought twice before asking me to review their place. The only negative I could see was that, if there were four people staying (it’s a two-bedroom) then the bathroom might feel a bit small (depending on how fussy you are), because it also has the washing machine in there. But there are so many positives.

When Global City rep Steffen met me at the apartment he said that people have sometimes joked that the place feels like being in an IKEA showroom, but to me that was exactly what made the apartment feel and look so fresh and clean. Both bedrooms have two single beds (mine was VERY comfortable) and tons of cupboard space. Lots of hangers, extra pillows and blankets, an alarm clock, bedside tables and lamps, clothing racks for drying laundry. I think the thing that kept surprising me was how well-thought out everything was. walk through malaga parkThe open kitchen was superbly equipped with high-quality appliances (Bosch, Whirlpool). There’s an electric kettle and coffee maker (and a good supply of filters in the cupboard), an espresso maker, toaster and stick blender. And the two-burner ceramic stove-top, microwave oven and full-sized fridge are more than adequate for holiday cooking needs. Oh, just across the street there is a supermarket and a greengrocer next to it. Also a pharmacy. Double-glazed windows and balcony doors keep out the noise, though I know from previous visits that this area isn’t particularly noisy, even at peak season. There are two terraces, one off the larger bedroom, the other off the livingroom with comfy terrace furniture.  And there is light. This is the thing I probably loved the best (other than it was so clean – did I mention how CLEAN it was?). Nice partial views of the mountains and the sea and lots and lots of light. The Malgueta beach (see that photo above?) is a two-minute walk from the front door of the building. There are also lots of great tapas bars and restaurants in the neighbourhood, plus the newly revamped harbourfront, MuelleUno, is just another two minute walk in the other direction. And it’s about a ten-minute walk to the old centre. At first I had hoped to stay in the centre, where Justine had booked her place, but in the end it was great being back in my ‘hood next to the sea.

I’m still sorting through my Málaga photos, but you can see some of them on the photo blog. I’ll also be adding to and updating my Viva Las Tapas Málaga restaurant guide soon and will be doing a few blog posts on the city, things to do and see there. I already can’t wait to go back.

 

Up On The Roof

[views from various rooftop bars in Sevilla]

What better way to finish a great day in Sevilla than with a cocktail (or two) at a rooftop bar, looking out over the most beautiful city in Spain and contemplating the stars. Time was when rooftop bars were something of a rarity, or for guests only, but over the last few years a lot of hotels have cottoned on to the attractions of “drinks with a view” in comfortable surroundings, so now you have plenty of choice of where to go. Here are some of the best…

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