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.
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
Well this came as a pleasant surprise! I have been chosen to be one of the five gastronomy experts to do the final judging for an ambitious new project headed by the Sevilla Tourism Board to promote Sevilla’s Gastronomic Heritage, AKA the tapa, as a tourist attraction.
