Another Mijas debrief

 

And that is another Mijas trip done and my last one for 2025, although no 1 for 2026 has already been booked.

So what is it that brings me back time after time.

Firstly, the proximity  to the village, this opens you up to all the array of cafes and restaurants that are around and that really come to life in the evening, as I normally go on holiday on a B & B basis ( I don't like to be held to timings) its a quick walk to eat

The hotel, It is a fabulously quirky hotel, just my type of place, it is spotlessly clean and very quiet. They have rooms to suit all including suites. The pool area is spacious and there are terraces to sunbathe on too, if being around the pool is not your thing.

A pool bar is open the main tourist season, they closed at the end of last week. There is also a gym and a spa and I can highly recommend their facials and massages.

Things to do, of which for a mountain village there is plenty, from the botanical garden trail, with stunning panoramic views, to the smallest and  only 'squoval' bullring in Spain.

The donkey are infamous, however all those who scream about them, should take a good look, they are well cared for  and have regular 'breaks' in a area away from the main drag so that they get some peace and quiet and food.

I still don't like that they pull little carriages with tourist in, but it is the tourists that keep this going.

There is culture, bullfighting museum, which again my be frowned on and is no longer a thing in the village, but the history is there to see at the bullring. An  Art museum which holds regular exhibitions and has permanent exhibits of the works of Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, better than standing in the queues in Malaga! . The home museum, which shows you life as it was in the campo and the pueblo, very interesting.

Am I ever bored???? Well I think only boring people get bored and I always have something to do, even if its just sunbathing.

I always go with huge intentions of going to .......Tangier, Malaga, Benalmadena, and then I get up the mountain and never want to venture down.

This is not everyone's idea of an ideal holiday but for me it is perfect and the antidote to my daily work life.

I never want to venture to the coast, and this  from a beach loving girl. I like the peace and quiet and the steady beat of daily life in the pueblo.

I'm counting down the days until I go back.

Last day

And so the last morning dawned and a very early start for everyone leaving the hotel. I picked up my 'picnic' ( packed breakfast) which was exception, the 2 heavy smokers who had made me wait nearly an hour at the airport for my transfer to Mijas, came up the hill for the coach at the last minute, smoking their last cigarette for at least 20 minutes ( it gets better!).

We headed off to the airport, but not via the usual route down the mountain, but across! and there were some beautiful villages. we were at the airport in record time and told that the queues were minimal due to the time.

So I hopped off , nipped round with my case, was through security in record time and didn't have my knee flagged up as I usually do ( there is nothing wrong with my knee but it lights everything up at Malaga usually). I grabbed some Larios gin in Duty Free ( priorities) and then went to register at the machines.by this time I knew where I was heading so went straight through to B ( if you know Malaga you know this ).

I settled down for a coffee and read my book, before we knew it, it was time to board, which we did, but we were sitting and sitting.
 The captain came out of the cockpit and spoke to us saying that we wouldn't be leaving just yet as passengers were stuck in very long queues, and unlike other airlines they would try to get everyone home, we would be waiting until the last minute. He also said that the plane was on another run from Newcastle in the afternoon , so needed to be back.

And we sat, just before it was time for us to be officially be taking off, on walked the 'smoking couple' who had been at the airport 3 hours before boarding time.

We lost our take off slot and were told we could be there a good few hours on the tarmac waiting for a slot. If one came up quicker we would go.

As you can imagine the plane was not a happy place.

All my plans of nipping to Waitrose at Ponteland seemed to be rapidly going out the window, ( I know in the grand scale of things!)

eventually after an hour we took off, we had secured an earlier slot.

Getting back to a colder Newcastle than the Malaga I'd left, not as cold as it had been though, and just wanting to pick up the car and get home.

Although being stopped at customs in Newcastle was a new one on me.

A not so happy few hours ending what had been a fabulous holiday.

I was home in just over an hour, a couple of accidents on the A1 slowed us down slightly.

Case unpacked and 4 loads of washing done before bed.

Roll on 4 weeks time when I will be flying off again for Christmas.

Happy Sunday

Feelgood Friday

 

 After an amazing sleep, I awoke to this sunrise, and honestly, it was just worth sitting and watching. I sometimes think that we forget to take in the simple things, the good thing about being here is that I forget everything and then am totally taken aback by the simple things.

The morning was windy and I headed out with a jacket on this time, because Northern girl or  not no one wants to be chilly.I set off to get my steps in and make the most of the day. The village was just  beginning too wake up and I stopped off for a coffee which was hot, strong and just what I needed.

By the time I had done my circuit and stroked every dog that was going into the local vets, the wind has dropped and the sun was VERY hot. so pool it was.

During the course of late morning, early afternoon, I had several dips in the pool, bracing and exhilarating and something that I will miss.

I managed to get a bit of shut eye but was woken up by the man on the lounger behind me snoring!!!

It got hotter and hotter and by 3pm I was the only one around the pool, everyone else had headed inside or to the bar., the pool bar was not open today and they had started to reduce the number of loungers and sun umbrellas, preparing for winter.I guess.

 

By  4pm I headed into the bar, but grabbed a terrace seat and continued to bask in the golden rays, I know that soon the chances of any form of heat from the globe in the sky will be limited.

a beer and a couple of martinis later I thought I ought to get out for dinner,so I got a shower and changed and walked up into the village, I nipped into the tapas bar.

Back at the hotel, I decided to ask, just on the off chance, if they had a pair of my glasses which I have been missing since I was here in October, I really thought that I had lost them on the plane, or worse still they were in the room full of Vinted and Ebay stuff at home , never to be found. Imagine my absolute delight when Jose -Louis pulled my glasses case and glasses out of the cupboard. My favourite glasses are now safely in my handbag.

I headed in to have my last martini or3 for the evening .

Today  I had intended to do one last museum in the village and then thought I would save that for my next visit.

I was in bed by 8.30pm but remember it is The Ashes..........

Windy with an icy blast

 

I could hear the wind as I woke up yesterday morning, looking out over the pool I noticed that they had sectioned off part of it as they were giving the palms a haircut, maybe not the best day to do it as they were bowing in the wind.

Being a northern girl, I put a cardi on to go for my walk and spotted the Spanish as they were bundled up in hats,coats and scarves. Mind you the wind had an icy blast to it and I was informed by a lady, that the wind was coming from Grenada. I doubt that, I think it was coming down from the North Yorkshire Moors!

I headed off to the 'Casa Museo' in the centre of the village. For the entry price of €1 you were given an overview of how life was in the campo and the pueblo, the production of wine and olive oil and making woven  goods. very interesting.

There was also a mock up of the house of  Manuel Cortes Quero, who hid in the village for 30 years without ever being discovered ( this was to do with the Spanish civil war), he eventually came out of hiding in 1969.

The museum is well set out and informative, with great exhibits  and if you visit the village it should be on your list of things to do.

I then moved onto do a tasting of Malagan wines ( sherries really) and let me tell you, doing this at 10.30am was probably  not the best idea, but it really was a great experience. The sherries and  vermouth were of exceptional quality and I  have a bottle of the said vermouth to bring home.

I then headed  down to the Cafe Bella Vista for pan con tomate , which soaked up some of the alcohol.

Back at the hotel, the wind was still bracing but I found a sheltered spot on the main terrace and settled down to soak up some rays.  I noticed that the palms had been well and truly scalped..

I was planning an early night  but saw that they were putting the Christmas decorations  up in the reception, so decided to have a drink.

Gabriel continued to unsettle me with his chatty ways, I'm not sure I can take much more of him speaking to me !!!

The tree was up when I  left the bar and it looked lovely, simply decorated in white.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

A lot going on in the Village

 

I had a bit of a change of routine yesterday, after breakfast I decided to sort out my case and be a step ahead with packing, and then the sun was blazing though my bedroom window, so I donned my pool wear and headed off to soak up and some rays and top up vitamin D, which according to the weather reports from home, seems like the right thing to do.

I had a good 3 hours soaking up the sun, bathing in peace and quiet, and being lulled in and out of sleep by the birds who were in fine voice. I was getting  tad hungry so decided to head into the village and get some lunch.

I took my usual 'upper' route in to the village and passed the Art gallery  where to my surprise I found out that the exhibition that Tracey and I went to see last year, is now a permanent feature. I went in and was talking to the gallery owner,saying I had visited last year and loved it, he let me go round again, free of charge. And so I once again delighted being in nearness to Picasso and Dali. The selection of pieces, paintings, sketches and ceramics was as great as last year.

Leaving the gallery, I wandered along the street  and was stuck by the Christmas decor in the shops, luckily the lights in the streets haven't gone up, but the Christmas market huts are ready.

I wandered into a shop selling Spanish porcelain, Lladro and Lalique, I was in my own little heaven, but as soon as I moved from one display to another, I was pounced on by a shop assistant, the first time it was ok, but by the time 5 assistants had homed in on me I was trying to get out the door.

I did some some stunning Lalique wine glasses,  they had'nt a price on them so I took that to mean I couldn't afford them.

I would have bought this Lladro Christmas tree, but I was being pushed in to a corner literally by a shop assistant and decided that their bully boy tactics had just lost them a sale and I would track it down online.

I walked down into the main square where the flamenco show was taking place, it is always a delight to see.

I had lunch in the cafe Bella Vista which does have a 'bella vista'

 

I  decided to walk back up to the town hall where there was an artisan market, before going to the Virgen de la Pena and saying a prayer. This is  a beautiful, shrine, carved out of rock.

Heading back to the hotel I gave the donkeys a scratch and they responded favourably. I am terrified of horses and avoid them whenever possible, but donkeys are a very different thing.

Back at the hotel I spent a couple of hours on my balcony relaxing in the afternoon sun and reading, I have totally switched off and am loving it.

An early evening sundowner and some dinner completed my evening.

Not before I found a little display at the far end of the bar, which was a history of the hotel, who knew Jimmy Carter had been a visitor!

Lets  see what today brings

The sun returned

 

Hurrah, the sun did return to the mountains and great joy was felt by Lainey. 

However the morning started out cold and starry whilst the sun was waiting to rise. At least there would be no rain or so the weather forecast said.

I had breakfast and then headed into the village for my daily walk

I enjoy seeing the village come to life, often there is no one around as I set off and by the time I have completed my hour long circuit, shops are opening and the children are off to school. A normal day for them all.

I walked along past the museum of miniature items and the tuk tuk stop, then down the hill and around by the donkeys, which contrary to popular belief are very well looked after, although I don't think there is a need for anyone to be shown around the village in a carriage pulled by them. Tourists are to blame for the donkeys gaining such notoriety, they initially asked the local farmers if they could have ride on their animals and had photos taken, it went on from there.

I stopped off for a coffee at the taberna, the bar set off the main road, its always busy and always full, a good sign.

Back at the hotel I got ready for pool day, the sun was shining and it was time to swim and sunbathe.

I also was booked in at the spa for a massage which was a birthday pressie from Tracey, I had a great facial here last November, so was looking forward to it.

I was asleep in the blink of an eye and an hour later I was out and feeling very relaxed.

I decided to have a couple of martinis and an early night.

I might have had one martini too many, but  I am on my holidays.

And now to go and be fed and watered before heading out.

Happy Whatever day it is.