What about Malaga???

[Dem920]

Our cruise next July leaves from Malaga, Spain and I really can't find out much reviews on the town and what there is to do? Is the beach nice? Could I spend a few days there pre-cruise? Any good hotels right on the beach?

 

Thanks.

 

Teresa

[HeinBloed]

Our cruise next July leaves from Malaga, Spain and I really can't find out much reviews on the town and what there is to do? Is the beach nice? Could I spend a few days there pre-cruise? Any good hotels right on the beach?

 

Thanks.

 

Teresa

 

Here are some impressions:

 

http://heinbloed-musica.blogspot.com/2009/01/tag-9-auf-msc-fantasia-day-9-on-msc.html

 

Regards

HeinBloed

[New2cz]

Thank you, HeinBlog. The information on Malaga was very helpful and the photos are great!

[Martita B.]

Teresa

I depart Malaga in Oct. for a TA Crossing ~~Malaga is a gorgeous city! A number of us will be staying at The Don Curro Hotel. The location is perfect ~~in Old Town, across from the cruise dock. There are many restaurants and fabulous shopping in Old Town.

I also booked a car/driver service for tansfers: Marbelling

"Javier" has been most helpful ~~~

I know you'll enjoy your stay and your cruise!

Martita B.

[lhall85917]

We took a tour through the cruise line to Ronda and had a wonderful day. Our guide was very informative and the scenery was gorgeous. Pictures are in the link in my signature if you are interested.

[New2cz]

We're going a few days before our cruise to Malaga and want to rent a car. I have to drive an automatic....Anyone have suggestions for rentals there?

[English Tim]

I am on Grand Princess and we stopped at Malaga, yesterday.

 

I wouldn't be in a hurry to return. They are still building much of the port and the beach is very gritty. I'd stay just down the coast at Torremolinos. Each to his own.

[Martita B.]

Thanks for the information as to Malaga.

I visited in Malaga last Oct. and the pier/dock was in a MESS!

Are the gates still locked between ships and the terminal? Were Taxi's or private cars allowed to the ship gangways? I'll again be in Malage, Oct. ~~have booked a car/driver so hoping he can come to the ship to pick me up.

Have a great voyage!

Martita B.

[Dem920]

I am on Grand Princess and we stopped at Malaga, yesterday.

 

I wouldn't be in a hurry to return. They are still building much of the port and the beach is very gritty. I'd stay just down the coast at Torremolinos. Each to his own.

 

 

How far from Malaga is Torremolinos? I want a beach town with a nice beach resort. As long as we are within 45 minutes or so to Malaga, thany suggestions would be welcome.

 

Teresa

[Wendy The Wanderer]

As I remember Torremolinos is not far, but I remember it as a horrible beach resort. This was years ago, maybe things have improved, but the Costa del Sol in general has really deteriorated, with condos blighting the hills everywhere. I might be tempted to try Marbella, althought it might be pricey.

 

Or stay right in Malaga, and forget about the beach.

[English Tim]

I did a cycle tour of Malaga and our English guide, suggested Torremolinos, as a place with a decent beach and only a few miles from Malaga.

 

Cars, busses and taxis could all park adjacent to the ship. I'm sure that by next year, the port will be much more consumer friendly.

[ruthnewark]

Here are a few suggestions about Malaga:

 

The tourist info website is www.malagaturismo.com

 

Things that we think are good to do (in no particular order):

• Alcazaba - fortress and palace of Malaga's Muslim governors (11th - 14th century)
  
• Cathedral
  
• Picasso Museum - Museo Picasso - (as opposed to Picasso's birthplace) NB imo - not as good as the Picasso museums in Barcelona and Paris
  
• CAC (Centro de Arte Contemporaneo) - smallish free modern art gallery
  
• we like a small museum - Museo Unicaja de Artes Populares (on Pasillo de Santa Isabel) - lots of exhibits looking at Malaga and the surrounding area's traditions. Can't remember whether it has labels in English or only Spanish.
  
• Marques de Larios is a wide pedestrianised street with shops and cafes on either side
  
• lots of small pedestrianised and semipedestrianised streets in the area around the cathedral and between there and marques de larios - buildings shops and people to look at!
  
• Cafeteria Lepanto is the 'special' cafe in Malaga - in square at top of marques de larios. Seats inside and out - but look at the inside anyway! More expensive than other cafes - we just have a coffee sitting outside a cafe in a square or on a side street and watch the world go by!
  
• Beaches
  
• El Corte Ingles is a good Spanish department store
  
• In the mornings there are lots of flower stalls down the centre of Alameda Principal - a wide central street
  
• the central produce market - Mercado Central de Atarazanas - in mornings - is in a fantastic building and it's great to wander round and look at all the fresh food. It's on Atarazanas. It's been undergoing renovation which i think has finished now
  

All of these are central - and easy to browse if you wish to 'do' Malaga without an organised tour.

 

Enjoy!

 

Last edited by ruthnewark; July 2nd, 2009 at 10:06 AM.

 

If you decide to stay in Torrie (tho' I'd definitely choose Malaga over it) - there's a good half hourly train service between the two - much more straightforward than using a car.

[rosey1946]

I need some advice badly. I am traveling with a 76 year old who is mobile but walks with a cane. I'd like to do a ship's excursion, especially to Ronda but fear the walking will be too much and too fast. She can walk distances but at a slower rate.

Can anyone give me feedback if not on Ronda, on other excursions? Thanks.

Linda

[knitter]

We did the shore ex to Al Humbra, which was great. It is almost a 2 hour drive each way, so I wouldn't recommend it as a do it yourself. I generally avoid ship's tours, but was very glad we did this one.

[kestrel]

I highly recommend Ronda for a day trip from Malaga.

 

Alhambra in Granada is not to be missed. However, it is far away from Malaga (about 2 hrs of drive each way), and you need to pre-book a ticket in order to go into the palace. Therefore, I will recommend either a cruise shore excursion or a land trip pre- or post-cruise.

 

If you can stay a couple days in the area, other interesting places to visit include Seville, Cordoba, Jerez de la Frontera and Gibraltar. This site provides nice photos and useful information: http://www.travelinginspain.com/index.html

[kestrel]

I need some advice badly. I am traveling with a 76 year old who is mobile but walks with a cane. I'd like to do a ship's excursion, especially to Ronda but fear the walking will be too much and too fast. She can walk distances but at a slower rate.

Can anyone give me feedback if not on Ronda, on other excursions? Thanks.

Linda

 

Ronda is wonderful, but you do need to walk a lot. I suggest that you can try the following options:

 

(1) Rent a car and drive to Ronda yourself. There is a big parking lot near the Plaza de Toros. After parking the car there, you can explore Ronda yourself. The area is pretty compact to explore.

(2) You check with the cruise line to see whether the tour will work for you. Maybe there are other seniors in the group and they will move in a slower pace. Or, you will be allowed to walk in a slower pace, and then meet the group back at the bus at a specified time.

[snorklinbarb]

lhall & kestrel (or any others)

 

Can you tell me a little more about Ronda? I'll be on Norwegian Gem with a call at Malaga. I've already done Granada, Seville, Alhambra, etc. so am looking at Caves of Nerjas, Ronda or Mijas.

 

Very few posts that even mention Ronda but NCL does have a shorex. llhall, I believe that's the one you took on the Jade? Could you tell me about the day? What stops were there? I'm not fond of too much shopping time - about 1/2 hr is enough - what was your experience? Any food or drinks provided?

 

You mention it's about a 1 1/2 hr bus ride from Malaga. Is it scenic along the way?

 

Did you feel the NCL tour offered a good value? I'm sailing solo and just do not wish to go off wandering on my own all day. Not interested in doing buses or trains alone either.:eek:

 

Any comments about Mijas (another shorex offered) also would be appreciated.

 

Any possible places to buy local wine while on the Ronda shorex?;)

[kestrel]

lhall & kestrel (or any others)

 

Can you tell me a little more about Ronda? I'll be on Norwegian Gem with a call at Malaga. I've already done Granada' date=' Seville, Alhambra, etc. so am looking at Caves of Nerjas, Ronda or Mijas.

 

Very few posts that even mention Ronda but NCL does have a shorex. llhall, I believe that's the one you took on the Jade? Could you tell me about the day? What stops were there? I'm not fond of too much shopping time - about 1/2 hr is enough - what was your experience? Any food or drinks provided?

 

You mention it's about a 1 1/2 hr bus ride from Malaga. Is it scenic along the way?

 

Did you feel the NCL tour offered a good value? I'm sailing solo and just do not wish to go off wandering on my own all day. Not interested in doing buses or trains alone either.:eek:

 

Any comments about Mijas (another shorex offered) also would be appreciated.

 

Any possible places to buy local wine while on the Ronda shorex?;)[/quote']

 

We went to Ronda during our one-week land trip in Spain. We had a rental car. The driving to Ronda from Malaga was about 1+ hrs. The last part of the trip was on a mountain road (not freeway), and was very scenic. I personally enjoyed the trip very much.

 

We parked our car in a big parking lot near the bullring. Every famous attractions in Ronda were walkable from the parking lot. We had a very relaxing day in Ronda walking, sightseeing, taking photos, shopping and even visiting a tapas bar.

 

This is a link to a travel article of Ronda written by Rick Steves: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/10/24/ronda.spain/index.html

[nomad10]

Sunset Beach Hotel in Belamedina Costa de Sol Malaga is a very nice place to stay great beaches and about 25b euro from town in a taxi I have spent a lot of time there.

[Hlitner]

If you are departing from Malaga you need to consider the region as well as the city. Malaga is in a wonderful location (southern Spain) that offers enough travel options to fill weeks. We once spent more than 30 days just driving around southern Spain and loved every day. As to beach towns, I agree with Wendy that Torremilinos is not a great beach town (we would tend to call it a blight on Spain) and has become an over-developed, tacky, city full of high rise condos, time shares, and cheap hotels full of tourists on low priced European tours. Personally, we prefer to drive further east to a smaller town called Nerja. A few years ago we really enjoyed the Parador in Nerja which is located on the top of a cliff overlooking a great sandy beach. They even had a glass outdoor elevator that would take you from the parador down to the beach. This beach has a vender who made a huge pan of Paella every morning (the wonderful aroma made us all hungry) which became lunch for many of the beach goers. The southern coast of Spain has unfortunately been somewhat spoiled by a tremendous amount of overdevelopment spurred by folks from other EU countries wanting to own condos and time shares in the south of Spain where the weather is among the best in Europe.

 

Hank

[snorklinbarb]

We went to Ronda during our one-week land trip in Spain. We had a rental car. The driving to Ronda from Malaga was about 1+ hrs. The last part of the trip was on a mountain road (not freeway), and was very scenic. I personally enjoyed the trip very much.

 

We parked our car in a big parking lot near the bullring. Every famous attractions in Ronda were walkable from the parking lot. We had a very relaxing day in Ronda walking, sightseeing, taking photos, shopping and even visiting a tapas bar.

 

This is a link to a travel article of Ronda written by Rick Steves: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/10/24/ronda.spain/index.html

 

Interesting article. Thanks.:)

[Sargent_Schultz]

When in Malaga, we took a ship tour to Alhambra (Granada of the Moors)

 

Lots of pictures

 

Mal 2 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra)

Mal 3 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra)

Mal 4 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra)

Mal 5 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra)

Mal 6 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra)

Mal 7 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra)

Mal 8 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra)

Mal 9 Granada of the Moors (Alhambra), Lunch

[spanishlili]

Yes if you are prepared to spend looots of money,

[Mparis184]

Thanks for the information as to Malaga.

I visited in Malaga last Oct. and the pier/dock was in a MESS!

Are the gates still locked between ships and the terminal? Were Taxi's or private cars allowed to the ship gangways? I'll again be in Malage, Oct. ~~have booked a car/driver so hoping he can come to the ship to pick me up.

Have a great voyage!

Martita B.

 

I am starting my research on Malaga. We will be there in January 2011 on Oceania Marina's inaugural voyage. If you can please share the information on your driver/tour I would appreciate it. Is is worth taking a private tour in Malaga? I always like to get out of the main part of town and see some of the country surrounding the main city. You can email me at cruiztime at yahoo dot com.

 

Thanks,

 

Marion

[cruzfool]

We just spent a glorious day in Malaga on our Norwegian Jade cruise. We booked a walking tour thru a company called Malaga Walks. very interesting, informative and customized just for us. Easy to find from ship and a nice relaxed overview. The tour leader, Neil, is British and very easy to understand. Highly reccommended.