You can easily run low on vitamin D during the winter in Norway, and while taking supplements would be the easier choice, Costa del Sol in March and April is far more fun. We split our time between two locations. One apartment just outside Nerja and one in the city of Málaga.
Nerja
Nerja is one of those places that feels small enough to get familiar with quickly, but still has enough restaurants, sights, beaches, and side streets. We had an apartment in Punta Lara. It’s a 30-minute walk from the center of town. We found it the perfect distance to get some steps in before indulging in delicious wine and food.
Working from Nerja
Most rentals come with stable high-speed internet. Our apartment had an amazing panoramic view of the Mediterranean, so we worked mostly from the terrace. I mean, come on:
Places we ate
As everywhere in Spain, there are a million restaurants to choose from. Avoid the restaurants that are right on Balcon de Europa, but you don’t need to venture far into a side street or further up the pedestrian streets to find nice restaurants. Here are a few of our top picks in Nerja:
- Pura Cepa – Our new favorite in Nerja. They have a few restaurants in the surrounding towns as well. Excellent tapas dishes that they’ve taken up a notch. Not revolutionary, but with a clear and favorable signature. They also had a very good curated list of wines. No wine list on paper, you take your pick from the abundant shelves by the bar.
- La Restinga Beach – It looks like the kind of beach restaurant you’d walk past, but don’t. It’s located on Playa Vilches, but comes with white tablecloths and stand-out dishes. We saw lots of locals who had dressed up and ate lunch here.
- Restaurant Origen Nerja – It’s located on the quieter Plaza de España in the center of Nerja. Both new and traditional dishes from Peruvian cuisine. Can’t really go wrong here, but the highlight was the slow-cooked confit duck leg with creamy cilantro rice and aji amarillo cream (Arroz con Pato).
- Parque Plaza de los Cangrejos is a bit of a touristy plaza just off the beach, but we found two nice restaurants here: L’antica Nonna Mia, which had really good Italian food, and La Bottega Food & Wine for tapas and a great selection of excellent Spanish wines.
- Oculto – A physically hidden gem. We walked past the entrance two times before we found it. You need a reservation to get in, and they send you the code to the entrance via WhatsApp. Very club vibe. It’s down in a basement with no windows. Food was good, but I wish they had a tasting menu that let us explore more of the dishes. Still, very much worth a visit if you’re in Nerja.
Side quests
During our stay in Nerja, we rented a car. It’s not strictly necessary, especially if you live in the center. But having a car allowed us to easily explore a few of the surrounding cities and sights. Just be aware of traffic cameras on the highways. No comment.
Day trip to Granada
Granada is an old Moorish city at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, best known for the Alhambra.
It is about an hour’s drive from Nerja. We went there on a Saturday afternoon for some sightseeing and lunch. The city center is a bit weird. It’s made up of beautiful small streets and plazas, but it also has a massive El Corte Inglés shopping mall taking up a significant amount of prime real estate, which made it feel a bit cramped. Parking wasn’t the easiest as most of the garages were already full by noon.
Granada also has to be the best-dressed city in Spain. On a random Saturday, folks had put on dresses, suits, and the finest designer clothing for lunch at the local café. Going with shorts and a t-shirt made us feel weirdly underdressed.
Day trip to Frigiliana and the Nerja Caves
Over Palm Sunday weekend, we had some friends visit from Norway. We joined the other tourists for an excursion to the Nerja Caves and the mountain town of Frigiliana. Frigiliana is often called one of the most beautiful towns in Spain, and it truly is beautiful there, but it got crowded with tourists, even in March, and the narrow streets were riddled with shops selling cheap “leather” and “hand-painted” coasters. Worth a visit? Yup, definitely, just don’t expect to walk alone.
Day trip to Ronda
It’s a bit of a longer drive, about two hours from Nerja and one and a half from Málaga, but getting off the highway and driving through the winding roads leading up to Ronda was a very nice change of scenery.
The highlight is, of course, the nearly hundred-meter-deep El Tajo Gorge and Puente Nuevo crossing it. Ronda is very walkable, and we explored the narrow streets of the old town, enjoyed the 1800s park Alameda del Tajo, and had lunch at Entre Vinos.
We grabbed an exquisite bottle of Ronda wine at a local wine shop and a couple of bocadillos for the ride home.
Afternoon drive to Cómpeta
Cómpeta is like a mini-Frigiliana, not as picturesque maybe, but way more relaxing and not as busy. Around Plaza Almijara, you’ll find whitewashed houses and the 16th-century church, Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. Cómpeta means crossroads, from when several trade routes met here, and it served as a Roman trade hub. We had an excellent dinner at El Pilón.
Gallery
Málaga
No secret: we’re biased, and we love Málaga. We’ve been here a couple of times, and the city is absolutely amazing. The main pedestrian street (C. Marqués de Larios) and connected side streets can definitely get too touristy, but the city has a lot to offer in and outside Centro Histórico.
We stayed in La Roca, a residential neighborhood that gave us a calmer base while still keeping the city within easy reach. La Roca has a bit more everyday life, fewer selfie sticks, but still close enough to good cafés, food, and the center.
Working from Málaga
We worked both from cafés and our apartment. The city is full of small and big parks and cozy plazas. And folks don’t mind that you’re sitting at a café or restaurant for several hours.
Most apartments have high-speed internet. However, cafés and public WiFi in parks and plazas can be sparse. Getting a data SIM is relatively cheap, and I recommend it if you plan to work away from the apartment. Power outlets aren’t too common either, so charge up before you leave home, and by the time you’re out of battery, it’s time for a glass of wine anyway.
Places we ate
You won’t go hungry in Málaga, and you’ll struggle to find a poor meal. Try to avoid the super touristy restaurants along Calle Larios, but even here, there are exceptions.
- A few local to our neighborhood that we also worked from during our stay:
- Pepe Leches Taberna – They advertise the camperos, but get the Montaditos instead. They’re delicious, and you’ll need (want) around 2-3 of them for lunch.
- Gálvez 16 – Sunny little café. Nice chairs for working and power outlets. Get the Bao bun! If you’re in the mood for sweets, grab a few churros from Bar Oña next door.
- Mi Niña Lola – A more reasonable option than Málaga’s Michelin restaurants, but I’d say it upholds the standard. Outstanding tasting menu with a great wine pairing.
- Dumpling House – Chinese street food, specializing in dumplings. Very, very easy to order too much.
- Mexicano Tulum – When you’re craving Mexican, this is the spot. It only has a few tables, but also great for takeaway. I had the trip’s only Corona here.
- Kraken Centro – This one is located on Plaza de las Flores, a quiet little plaza off Calle Larios. But with great tapas and seafood, it’s a favorite if you’re in this part of the centro.
- Meson La Alegria – Another exception that’s just off Calle Larios, excellent wine selection, we had only wine and some small snacks.
Gallery
Wines
It’s no accident that wine is mentioned 23 times in this blog post. In my very humble opinion, it’s hard to go wrong with Spanish wines. You can order house red and get something decent, cheap, and good. The quality and pedigree of Spanish winemaking also give a high value for money compared to their neighbours in the northeast (🇫🇷).
A few that we came across this trip and that I’d highly recommend if you stumble upon them.
- Bodega Malvajio Vino de Garaje 2020 – We had a few from Malvajio, but this stood out as a great mid-range red from the winery.
- Laturce Rioja Reserva 2021 – New favorite staple wine. Incredible value for money, and a well-balanced reserva.
- Marqués de Riscal Reserva Edición Especial 2021 – Marqués de Riscal is huge and puts millions of bottles on the market every year. Some good, some not so good. The Reserva Edición Especial 2021 is one of the good ones. Definitely grab one if you see one.
- Viñedos Verticales Filitas y Lutitas 2020 – Excellent white from the Sierras de Málaga.
- Vega Sicilia Valbuena 5° – We’ve had this one before, many times, but it might be one of the absolute best Spanish wines. It’s a bit on the pricier side, but don’t miss an opportunity to grab a Vega Sicilia if you get the chance.
- Los Aguilares Pago El Espino 2024 – Amazing takeaway from our trip to Ronda. Ronda red wines are distinct from typical Andalusian red wines due to the unique high-altitude, mountainous geography of the Serranía de Ronda. While much of Andalusian red wine can be heavy, jammy, and alcoholic, Ronda has established itself as a premier boutique wine region with distinct reds. Would also recommend their white Breñal (2024).
- Jorge Ordóñez No. 2 Victoria 2012 – An amazing end to the great dinner at Mi Niña Lola.
- Honorable mention to the Victoria Vendeja IPA. 🍺
Six weeks on the Costa del Sol is a very effective, if slightly indulgent, treatment for the Norwegian winter. Nerja gave us the slower base, Málaga gave us the city fix, and both gave us a decent amount of vitamin D.