Malaga / Marbella

[ChocoChocoLatte]

I have booked some very cheap flights to Malaga on a whim.

Have never been so would love some recommendations please!

There will be 4 of us so any accommodation gems also appreciated. Preferably something I can book through hotels.com so I can use our clubcard vouchers lol

Me, DH & two teen children.

We're aware Feb won't be particularly warm but it's better than -5° we have up here just now lol

Not sure how long you are going for. we did a short break in malaga city one feb and it was great. not too far from airport, nice front to walk along, good restaurants and bars (though we only had lunch as they dont open till 8). Harbour, old town, and some other things such as cathedral.

posting as i'd like other resorts near the airport to try out.

we booked an apartment which worked well. Some of the roads are busy, so try not to book overlooking that. Ours was mid way between the city and the airport about a block back from the front. suggest checking on the area as some much further back from the front looked a bit rundown

Malaga itself has a good castle and the old town is nice to wonder around. There's also a new restaurant/pub complex at the end of the harbour which would be lovely to sit and watch the world go by.

We stayed in Calahonda a couple of years ago at the Macdonald hotel apartments but you'd need a car (and a strong heart as the main road is a bit hairy particularly getting on and off). Fuengirola is nice for a walk round, again with a good castle and a great food court (About Us - Mercado la Galería (mercadolagaleria.com)). And there's a cable car at Benalmadena. Both I think you can get to on the train.

We arrive just after midnight on the Monday and leave at stupid o'clock on the Sat so have Tues-Fri together.

One thing to bear in mind, @ChocoChocoLatte - most holiday lets in the various compounds/hotels villiages etc are designed for warm weather visitors.

They don't have heating, the floors are cold tile, no decent curtains, no heavy winter bedding etc. My parents booked with a group of friends one February and they were absolutely freezing. A flat in the town of Malaga or Marbella is less likely to be like that.

Malaga is a gorgeous city with lots to explore and a couple of very good art museums. Marbella much smaller, but very pretty. Fuengirola, Mijas etc are more likely to be summer season-focused places.

Thank you @LenaLamont

We're not desperately chasing summer sub, just using cheap flights for some desperately needed time away.

Happy to stay in Malaga and tour about OR stay put lol

Am thinking an apartment would be better than a hotel so we don't have two separate rooms & no communal space

@TeenTraumaTrials we have access to a car so these are great tips, thank you!

Malaga city is lovely, great bars, restaurants & beach. Resorts to the west (Marbella, Estepona, Mijas etc) tend to be a bit more glitzy than those to the east. Heading east along the coast from Malaga is more Spanish & low key. Nerja is very popular & Torre Del Mar is lovely. It's 22c in Malaga this week but the temperature definitely drops at night. As PP said it can be grim in a holiday let at that time of year if there's no heating. Hope you have a lovely time!

We did 2 years in a row in Feb half term
in Benalmadena and had a lovely time- sunny and nice not to need coats and hats!

With teens I’d go to Ronda and Granada for day trips.

Malaga is a gorgeous city with a really traditional Spanish feel in the little tapas bars. I'd stay there!

Thanks guys, am on Airbnb etc looking for somewhere that allows for stupid timings for checking in and has some parking.

Go to Malaga. Lots to see and do there. I like the docks, Alcazaba, Roman theatre, Pompidou museum and the huge fish market. Also there used to be a Picasso Museum, although I haven't been.

I recommend here

www.booking.com/hotel/es/el-museo-living-amp-experience-club.en-gb.html

Stick to Malaga city, as others have said it is a great place to visit for a few days. You have more options also if the weather is dodgy!

I don't think you'll need a car, but obviously if you have access to one, that's a no brainer. If you want nice beaches there are plenty around and not too far away either. The train goes to Benalmadena and Fuengirola if you want a day in your Sombrero lol.

I'd go to Cordoba for the day, and/or Granada. So much to see in both places and Cordoba is absolutely charming. Granada is a BIG city, often very cold, but the Alhambra is a must see. Ronda is not too far either although apart from the bridge over the gorge and a very long shopping street, cafes and winding streets it is not vital IMV, although it is a nice spot.

Enjoy your trip. I envy you so much, in a nice way obv.

I've just done this. 5 nights in Malaga.
2 days just wandering around the sights in Malaga.
1 day trip (booked through GetYourGuide) to Caminito del Rey which was amazing
1 day trip to Granada by train to visit Alhambra

It was 19-20° most days. I was able to wear shorts and no coat on one day, although all the locals were in coats and scarves as cold for them. It rained a bit on one day and temp down to 15° but still way better for me than sub zero back home. It was just so much brighter even in the dull day

I booked an Airbnb apartment that was just 10-15 minutes walk away from the centre. 30 minutes walk from main train station.

Thank you @Bumply I'm considering cancelling the car hire as everyone saying the public transport is great but we don't arrive until after midnight and we need to be at the airport for 3am so not sure yet......

Have spent the day looking at hotels/airbnbs etc to try to get a feel of where we would be. I have a few health issues so don't want to be the one to slow anyone down!

I arrived late evening and taxi from airport was €30

I got the A bus back to airport as that was daytime and I'd checked where the bus stop was (€4)

The coastal train ( modern , cheap ) runs down to Fuengirola from Malaga via Malaga airport.

Book Caminito del Rey , hire a car, set off early and after the Caminito, drive to Ronda too.

Cordoba is about 50 minutes by direct train from Malaga. The once mosque now cathedral is the main attraction and worth a visit but all the narrow streets in La Juderia area are just great for walking and window shopping.

Admittedly I've not arrived at the airport at midnight - but I think you would find taxi's very convenient to travel in - both to and from the airport and also around town if need be.

We found we could use the Uber app in Torremolinos which is the resort closest to Malaga - so quite possible you could use this in Malaga itself.

Agree with others that you definitely need to check that your rental apartment has heating before you book, and also if there are additional covers for the beds .

You'll probably need a lot of layers as it can be shorts and tee shirts in the day time (if you are lucky) but sweaters and coats in the evening .

Good plan, thanks @ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea

There’s studios/apartments next to Benalmadena marina.
Cant remember if we’re allowed to post links but the website is comfystudios ‘dot’ es

We stayed at the Picasso Suites in Malaga. As others have said, loads to do there but also great day trips to Camino del Rei, Granada and Cordoba if you want to go further afield.

We stayed in the Barcelo Malaga Hotel (in the train station) and then took a train to Granada for 2 nights, from there you can go to Seville or Cordoba and back to Malaga. Malaga was grand but the train journey was better as was Granada. (We stayed in the Barcelo Granada Hotel which was equally fab. I've done the same trip twice and would do it again in the morning!

We stayed in the Soho Boutique Colón, was lovely and very central. Malága is great, fantastic shops and restaurants. A lovely local fish place just round past the lighthouse. The Central Market is cool too. Lots to do around the city.

These are great but I think we're swaying towards an Airbnb now so we have a communal area to be together.

The first one we approached wasn't keen on our 1am arrival time though