Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Has anyone been to Malaga?

28 replies

SPARKLER1 · 10/08/2005 09:45

We are off there on holiday a week on Friday. We managed to get a reasonably good deal on Expedia. Would be interested to hear your experiences or recommendations of places to visit and things to do while we are there.
TIA x

OP posts:
Original poster
SPARKLER1 · 10/08/2005 10:03

?anyone?

OP posts:
gingerbear · 10/08/2005 10:05

El Corte Ingles - big department store, great place to buy shoes!

Mum2girls · 10/08/2005 10:05

Well we flew into Malaga but stayed about 50mins drive away. The water parks are great - good one at Fuengirola. Do you have a car? If so Rhonda is a lovely place to visit as is Puerto Banus.

Original poster
SPARKLER1 · 10/08/2005 10:06

Yes we've hired a car which we will collect from the aiport.

OP posts:
Original poster
SPARKLER1 · 10/08/2005 10:09

We are staying in Calahonda. Wherever that may be?

OP posts:
Mum2girls · 10/08/2005 10:12

Try to visit Tourist Information as you'll probably get some money off vouchers for the parks.

Definitely go to the Selwo adventure park - you'll see it advertised everywhere. Looks a bit like a small zoo when you first go in, but then you get on these enormous trucks which take you around the park for real - it's really good fun and you get to see loads of animals (tigers, elephants, bears etc.), some quite close up. Is a brilliant place.

If I remember rightly, you can get a 3 in 1 ticket for the water park, Selwo and somewhere else (cant remember).

Tivoli world looks lovely- but is a rip off. The rides there are for adults or toddlers - but my 3yo was really bored with the toddler rides, so slow and tame.

gingerbear · 10/08/2005 10:13

It is near Mijas IIRC, a large new 'Urbanizacion' to the east of Malaga. Never been, but I have stayed in Mijas, which was nice. Senorapostrophe or Lucy05 might know a bit more??

Original poster
SPARKLER1 · 10/08/2005 10:14

Thanks so much. You've been really helpful. It's nice to get suggestions especially as we are only going for a week. We can try and get organised and arrange our week a little before we go.

OP posts:
Mum2girls · 10/08/2005 10:14

We stayed in estepona very near to Calahonda. We were there 2 weeks ago (and went there last year too). It's such an easy holiday with young kids.

Original poster
SPARKLER1 · 10/08/2005 10:16

That's nice to know. We are taking our two dds 6 and 3.

OP posts:
Original poster
SPARKLER1 · 10/08/2005 10:16

Our hotel is child friendly too. Children's pool, kids club and entertainment.

OP posts:
Mum2girls · 10/08/2005 10:17

There's also a cable car ride up to the top of a mountain (well v.large hill). Quite exciting for the kids - at the top there's a cafe, birds of prey and some Spanish horse riding (can't remember the name of it, but you know how the Spaniards train their horses to do very intricate moves).

Mum2girls · 10/08/2005 10:20

Ours are 4 and 2 now and they adore it. The foods great and the people in that region are sooo friendly. You'll have a great time.

sammac · 10/08/2005 10:23

Just back on Saturday, about 30 mins inland from Malaga, a town called Coin, on the way to Rhonda. We didn't go but is meant to be beautiful. Can't help with activities as we were very lazy and stayed by our pool. If you are picking your car up at the airport- as soon as you come through from collecting your luggage, before the exit, all the car hire guys are waiting for you, so if it's prebooked, hopefully you won't have to wait in a big line. We got our car right outside the door, which was great.

Enjoy

Janh · 10/08/2005 10:30

There are 2 Calahondas - one east, one west - better find out which one it is! We stayed near the eastern one (gingerbear's, not mum2girls's) last October - it is a small town with fishing boats and a beach. The previous Oct we had a week nr Torremolinos and a second week in Marbella, at Easter - had a great time but water parks etc weren't open then so my kids would envy yours!

Will think of some places to go for a bit.

Janh · 10/08/2005 10:32

(Ignore the prev Oct bit in description of Easter hol!)

Janh · 10/08/2005 10:33

If you are at the eastern one you are a loooong way from all the things M2g mentioned (it's over an hour to Malaga from there and then another hour the other side). Find out which one it is!

dillydally · 10/08/2005 10:37

Malaga airport is crap.
You can only check in two hours before the flight so ignore whatever it says on your ticket about early check in
After security the restaurant is truly dreadful, if you want to eat use the spanish restaurant before security on the way to the airport chapel...or better still take your own food.

gingerbear · 10/08/2005 11:24

what is the name of your hotel? A google might pinpint the right Calahonda!

Janh · 10/08/2005 11:37

Andalucia.com - Costa del Sol

It describes the eastern and western parts and has lots of links to things to see and do. The Motril Calahonda isn't actually in Costa del Sol - the coast there is called Costa Tropical (lots of greenhouses!). But there are some lovely seaside towns nearby like Almunecar and Salobrena as well as Nerja.

This map shows Motril midway between Malaga and Almeria, and Estepona between Malaga and Gibraltar.

sammac · 10/08/2005 11:51

When you are driving, there are not any advance signs like here- you know like next turn 500 yards type. Suddenly your turn is right there( and if you're like us, you've just driven past it!) Took a bit of getting used to. Stay in the inside lane and get good directions!

Mum2girls · 10/08/2005 12:06

The caves at Nerja are breathtaking.

gingerbear · 10/08/2005 15:04

Janh, I heard it was nicknamed the Costa Plastico for same reason!

Janh · 10/08/2005 15:05

Where we stayed was nothing but plastico, gb - just outside Calahonda - and there was a gorgeous camp site down the road called Don Cactus, lol

gingerbear · 10/08/2005 15:14

Shh, don't put her off!