IWNA 2019 Issue 2

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56 INTERVAL WORLD n Issue 2, 2019
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MÁLAGA
JEREZ
CÁDIZ
3. FEAST ON FISH IN THE SEAFOOD MECCA OF
TORREMOLINOS
La Carihuela has been the home of pescaíto frito (fried fish) since
Torremolinos was a humble fishing village — and is still the Costa
del Sol’s most iconic seafood strip. The endless esplanade running
all the way to Benalmádena is awash with beachfront restaurants
tempting with the aroma of brine-fresh whitebait, crisp calamari, and
anchovies sizzled in tempura batter. Casa Juan Los Mellizos, serving
up divine fish dishes since 1963, is an old-time favorite. Or pull up a
beach chair at a chiringuito (beach bar or restaurant), and dine with
your toes in the sand. It’s the only way to try traditional espetos —
silvery sardines spit-roasted on canes aboard beached bluefish
boats. One taste and you’ll understand why this time-honored deli-
cacy is up for UNESCO World Heritage status.
4. PUSH THE BOAT OUT AT PUERTO MARINA IN
BENALMÁDENA
Voted Best Marina in the World twice over, this party puerto (port)
is an architectural marvel of Moorish minarets, canals, and Oriental-
style bridges linked to floating islands topped with dome buildings
that resemble a soft-serve ice cream swirl. Shops, bars, and eater-
ies of all ethnicities are clustered along the quayside, and the seafood
is amazing. From the terrace at El Mero Los Mellizos, inches above
the water, you can feed the fish as well as your belly. Then, try wake-
boarding and game fishing, feed stingrays and go face to face with
sharks at the Sea Life Benalmádena aquarium, shiver in an ice bar,
and stay past sunset — this insomniac port goes full steam until the
morning hours. For an extra-nautical experience, take the daily ferry
from Málaga or Fuengirola. And look out for Antonio Banderas, who
keeps a yacht or two docked at the marina.
5. EXPLORE MIJAS PUEBLO BY THREE WHEELS
While donkey taxis have been toting tourists up and down the
steep cobbled streets of this picturesque village for half a century, a
new and less burdensome mode of transport more familiar to the
streets of Bangkok has zipped into town: tuk-tuks. Not the noisy,
fume-belching rickshaws of Far East infamy, but silent, electric,
chauffeur-driven eco-transport. A 35-minute tour whizzes visitors up
the jigsaw puzzle streets for panoramic views of the coast, past many
boutique charms: Spain’s smallest bullring, tiniest chocolate factory,
and a Museum of Miniatures. It’s the way to go in this go-ahead
village, where the police ride Segways.
6. GO BUSH AT BIOPARC FUENGIROLA
You could lose yourself for hours wandering this lush, tiger-prowled
rain forest sprouting in the heart of downtown
Fuengirola. Cageless habitats simulating the
ecosystems of equatorial Africa, Madagascar,
Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Pacific allow multiple
species to coexist as nature intended at this very alter-
native zoo. Monkeys chatter in the jungle canopy, reptiles slither
along the forest floor, piranhas lurk in a mangrove swamp, and
lemurs cavort in the branches of a giant baobab tree. The park’s
award-winning captive breeding program helps out more exotic
residents like the vulnerable Komodo dragon and critically endan-
gered lowland gorilla. In July and August, it’s open for nocturnal
visits, when simulated moonlight allows visitors to spy on leopards,
flying foxes, and other creatures of the night.
7. WALK MARBELLA’S GOLDEN MILE
With its posh marble promenade, swanky waterfront bars, and
elephant-statue showers jetting water from their trunks, Marbella’s
beach life is as glitzy as its reputation. In the summer, the action pivots
between seaside siestas on decadent white-curtained daybeds and
Champagne parties at world-famous beach clubs. But a stroll along
the Golden Mile — named for its millionaires’ row of beach villas — is
always in season. A new suspension footbridge has extended this
sporty fashion catwalk into a nearly 5-mile waterfront workout stretch-
ing from town to jet-setty Puerto Banús, with plenty of places to stop
for refreshments and celebrity spotting. Put on your best designer
sneakers and prime yourself with a café con leche (scalded milk with
strong coffee) beside tropical Alameda Park, then begin with a walk
down Avenida del Mar’s striking boulevard of Dalí sculptures.
8. SAY IT WITH FLOWERS IN ESTEPONA
Take a stroll along the esplanades of Estepona and you’ll soon
see why this seaside village is known as the Garden of the Costa.
Some 20,000 painted and polka-dotted geranium planters adorn
100 of the Old Town’s cobblestone alleys with a kaleidoscope
of color. A profusion of seafront flower beds adds to the aromatic
overload, and a triple-domed orchidarium with an indoor waterfall
shelters 1,500 exotic blooms. The botanical binge would inspire
anyone to wax lyrical, but that’s already been thought of. Busts of
famous wordsmiths and plaques inscribed with their poetry deco-
rate Estepona’s picturesque plazas, while the walls of tall buildings
flaunt 50 jaw-dropping Banksy-style murals.
9. UNWIND AT A ROMAN SPA IN CASARES COSTA
Enjoy a rejuvenating spa treatment in the open countryside, as rec-
ommended by Julius Caesar. Hidden along a dirt track 10 minutes
inland from Casares Costa are the Roman Baths of Hedionda. Said
to have cured Caesar’s dermatitis while he was governor in these
parts, a dip in the sulphur springs will leave your skin glowing — just
be sure to bring your own towel. Modern handrails aid descent into
Maremagnum/Getty Images; swilmor/Getty Images
Go Costa-Hopping in
Spain.
or
at .
Getaways start at $479.
The Getaway price is valid Aug. 1, 2019,
through Jan. 31, 2020.