Casa Joy Elviria, Marbella

Below are just a few trips, we'll update them as soon as we've made another one. MIJAS PUEBLO: a beautiful white town in the hills with many narrow streets and excellent restaurants. MARBELLA: don't miss the famous orange square (La Plaza de los Naranjos) in the old town with many restaurants. In the old town there are also many small nice boutiques, bars and restaurants, including several with a Michelin star. Towards the beach and the harbor many more restaurants and a 6 km long and beautiful promenade (Paseo Maritimo). PUERTO BANUS: for when you like shopping. Various exclusive shops and boutiques, but also the Spanish Bijenkorf: El Corte del Ingles. LA CANADA: is the shopping mall on the outskirts of Marbella with many international brands, food court, cinema, DIY store, etc.. DESIGNER OUTLET MALAGA: near the airport an open-air mall in American style, a kind of designer outlet but is actually more than that. RONDA: via a beautiful car ride up through the mountains you reach a breathtaking city with many beautiful viewpoints. The oldest bullring in Spain is located here, which also houses the Bullfighters museum. There are many historical sites and wonderful views over the river and the valley. MALAGA: Picasso's hometown. Beautiful historic city to really get out for a day. You can visit the birthplace of Picasso and the Picasso museum and you can walk on the old city wall. The Plaza Mayor is a large complex of bars and shops and is especially fun in the evening. Furthermore, the Botanical Garden La Concepcion. The harbor is also definitely worth a visit. If you go further up, you will come to "Parador", a hotel with historical value. The view here is beautiful, you can see the entire coastline. In Malaga East on the beach in the El Palo district is an "El Tintero", which means something like ”auction food”. A unique outdoor event. The waiters who serve the food shout loudly for what is on their plates, if you raise your hand you can get that dish. You can eat fish or meat, grilled, fried, cold dishes, salads, paella, etc. When you want to pay, the waiter counts the plates on your table. The restaurant is open on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 1 pm to 5 pm. GIBRALTAR: approx. 60 km from Elviria, a British Crown Colony. Don't forget to bring your passport and watch out for the monkeys! GRANADA; with the Alhambra, the palace of the Moorish kings (book in advance). FURTHER: The cities of Seville, capital of Andalusia, Cordoba, Antequera, place of historical/artistic value with monuments from the Baroque period. The Sierra Nevada, highest peak of 3482 mtr. with many winter sports options. Nerja, with its famous balcony of Europe, windsurfing, water skiing, diving, horse riding and beautiful beaches. Hiking tours on your own or organized. Flamingos in the lagoon of Fuente de Piedra. Whale watching in August at Tarifa. The orcas arrive when the fishermen are fishing for tuna, hoping to catch a fish. Dripstone caves (Cueva de Nerja). Water theme park and zoo in Fuengirola. Sierra de Tejeda Natural Park. Natural Park El Torcal de Antequera. El Retiro Bird Park in Churriana, near Malaga. The zoo in the mountains of Selwo Hills near Estepona. La Caleta de Velez with its fishing and marina, fish auction. Several nice markets in the immediate vicinity. Friday in Elviria and the largest on Saturday in Puerto Banus. But a trip to Morocco is also possible, this is still on our wish list.

Here are some restaurant tips; PERLA BLANCA For lovers of a lunch with fish, we recommend Perla Blanca. At the weekend you should definitely make a reservation here because otherwise it is full of Spaniards. LEKUNE Our favorite for truly the best Pinchos is Lekune in Marbella. Park your car in the large parking garage nearby or sometimes there is also space in the street. If you come before 19:30 then you often don't have to wait long, after 20:00 you have to wait a long time in the street for a spot. Mainly Spaniards and the more exclusive pinchos. Very affordable. La Taberna del Pintxo A little more touristy is La Taberna del Pinxto (chain) in Marbella near the marina and the boulevard. Here are the pinchos. There is something more to see and after dinner you can take a nice walk on the boulevard and drink a coffee or get ice cream elsewhere. Here too it is always busy and affordable. ROSMARINO Rosmarino is our favorite Italian restaurant within walking distance of the apartment. Always friendly, good atmosphere, small dogs no problem and of course very good food. Dutch prices for good portions. For breakfast we recommend getting a baguette at the Opencor, especially the brown baguette is delicious. But once it doesn't feel like it or it just doesn't work out then go to Caffe San Martino on the square next to the Sabadell bank. For less than EUR 5 an Italian breakfast, croissant with butter and jam, Illy coffee and a fresh orange juice on the table in no time. Delicious fondue in Spain? Then to La Fondue Steakhouse, of course also for a good steak with fries.