Gibraltar & Malaga
Friday 25th October – Monday 28th October
Day 1
As we had such an early flight out we decided to book hotel at Gatwick so headed off down there Friday evening, after a takeaway. An uneventful drive, a short tour of the car park (thanks to Vikki getting the wrong lift), nearly heading to the wrong hotel (thanks to Steve nearly getting into the wrong lift), we eventually found the hotel in the terminal.
It was ‘compact and bijou’ with no storage but then the room itself was basically a big cupboard. Bed against the wall, meaning Steve had to climb over Vikki to get in and out, the worlds smallest bathroom with the unique ability to shower whilst sitting on the toilet and probably the most noisy blind ever invented (with very sensitive touch buttons).
Day 2
Super early start to the day and just as well we weren’t relying on Vikki who set her alarm for pm and not am. Quick terminal change, through security, Weatherspoons for breakfast and onto the plane. It was a quiet flight but Steve didn’t want to sit next to Vikki and kept telling her to move seats!!
Landed in Gibraltar and headed for the hire car…couldn’t find the desk, asked someone, and it was literally in front of us. Paperwork took a bit longer than it should because the computers were down but once it was done we headed out and walked across the border to Spain.
All set for the drive to Malaga and with our past history of problem free and direct routes to places, what could possibly go wrong? Well with four different map apps guiding us we got there in good time, albeit with some entertaining toll paying techniques from Steve and a scenic route round the hotel after driving past the entrance the first time.
Valet parking, suitcases carried to reception, fizz while we checked in, gorgeous room (rather more spacious than the previous night), plugs by the bed and a Nespresso coffee machine with pods – we need to stay in more hotels like this!
We headed out for an authentic Spanish tapas lunch, including the world’s biggest meatball, and then spent hours whizzing round Malaga on electric scooters, ending with a beer and G&T at the port before heading back to the hotel for a dip in the pool. Decided to give the swim a miss as it was a bit cold so just chilled out before heading out for dinner (and discovered the room had a very loud doorbell!).
The Voi app decided to have a tantrum and not let Vikki get a scooter so we ended up going tandem, which was way more fun and far more sociable. Dinner at the port (a yummy steak, a yucky burger and awful service) and then back for a drink in the roof terrace bar. A free glass of fizz and some entertainment watching some people posing for photos (always remember to lift your leg when posing for a photo!) while we waited for the bar to open.
Whilst it was a very nice bar it was a shame you had to be psychic to know which seats you are allowed to sit in before you can order a drink! Oh and whilst the setting was nice 22 Euros for a Bombay Sapphire and tonic seemed a bit much…
Day 3
Good part was having a Nespresso machine in the room meant we could start the day with a decent coffee in bed, bad part was there seems to be something going on that means Steve and coffee machines in hotel rooms don’t get on – this time it was a flood of water everywhere! That said the huge breakfast selection, complete with industrial Nespresso machine and gorgeous views made the early start to the day far more bearable.
A few hours spent in Coin visiting Vikki’s dad and then it was back to the hotel for a very quick swim in what was quite possibly the coldest swimming pool on earth. And by cold, I mean take your breath away, actually hurts, freezing cold! Vikki braced herself and just took the plunge, Steve dragged it out gradually going in super slowly entertaining everyone around the pool as Vikki couldn’t stop laughing at him!
After thawing out briefly in the sun and about 300 failed attempts at getting Vikki a scooter we eventually headed back into the centre of Malaga to enjoy chocolate pudding and a drink in the square before walking up Alcazaba de Malaga. A rather large fortress ruin built on a hill with LOTS of narrow stairways with lots of rude people barging up and down them! Great views and a bit of a giggle re-enacting the photo pose from the previous night.
Oh not forgetting the amazing singer outside the cathedral as we were leaving – probably Steve’s highlight of the weekend!
An hour of our lives that we will never get back was spent in the Centre Pompidou Malaga – contemporary art is clearly wasted on Vikki. Random sheep, giant noses hanging from the ceiling and little green naked men were amongst the delights on display!
When in Spain why not eat French?! A lovely dinner in a very nice little French restaurant, with very very nice French wine, before some more sociable (or was that drunk!?) tandem scooting back to the hotel for a relaxing end to a lovely day with a nice hot bath.
Of course things had clearly been going way too smoothly so the bathroom flooded and we had to do a midnight flit (Vikki in a dressing gown) to another room!
Day 4
Our last day started very nicely with a long lie and breakfast sat outside in the morning sun before packing up, checking out and heading back to Gibraltar, but not before Steve got the 50 euros of sneaky parking charges written off due to the inconvenience of the bathroom flood and midnight room switch!
After parking up in Spain we walked back across to Gibraltar, left our cases at the airport, got a bus to the cable car station at the bottom of the rock and stopped off to have lunch first (which given the amount of walking we did turned out to be very much the right decision!). So, when in Spain why not eat Italian?!
After a short wait for the cable car we headed up the rock and almost as soon as we got out we saw some monkeys. One particularly brave one jumped on a random man’s back and undid his rucksack and started to remove the contents!
Lots of walking, steps, hills, bridges, amazing views and we made it to the highest point of the rock – O’Hara’s Battery. Walking down was actually harder work than going up and next time we will do what the smug American’s who past us did and scale it on an electric bike!
And because walking all that way wasn’t enough we finished the day off by walking all the way back to the airport, including going across the runway during sunset.
Steve retrieved the suitcases while Vikki sat down and was then barely able to walk when standing back up again – summer canvas pumps are not appropriate foot wear for walking over 7km up and down rocks!!!!
The last hour of the weekend away was nicely spent sat in an outdoor area of the airport, enjoying a G&T and beer, with the rock lit up in front of us and watching a plane land very up close. Oh not forgetting the bargain 1litre bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin purchased in duty free for £11.95!
Another fun filled adventure with lots of giggles, the coldest swimming pool ever, the discovery of tandem scooting and our first midnight room flit.
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