Marbella travel diary

There it is! The big Marbella travel diary! Two weeks ago TUIfly (probably known to you by their former name, JetairFly) invited me to discover one of their Autumn destinations together with a friend. I was happy to bring along bestie Lisa to this surprise trip for her birthday! With temperatures up to 28° in October and a flight time of about 3h, Marbella was the ideal destination for a short sun getaway.

Read along and discover Marbella’s beauty with me!

dscf9553

Day 1

After a smooth early morning flight (the very first one leaving at Brussels Airport in the morning!) to Malaga, we hopped on the TUIfly bus that brought us to Marbella in about 45 minutes. Upon arrival we were amazed to discover the impressive Amare Beach Hotel was not only super luxurious-looking, but also located right in between Marbella’s old town and the beach!

The light, airy and modern feel instantly brought me the peace of mind I desperately need when going on a vacay. Since we had a super short night before jetting off to Spain in the morning, we immediately crashed on the beach and slept for 3 hours straight. Helluuuuuuuuuuuu sunburn.

img_0562

dscf9607

img_0570

dscf9587

Dinner time!

After our afternoon nap on the beach, we decided to head out to Marbella town to indulge in some delicious Spanish tapas. And how great is that feeling of sitting outside when it’s still 24° at your first night out on holidays? This cute bar called Ancha was a real recommendation!

dscf9620

dscf9622

DAY 2

So, Marbella. The first thing that came in my mind when discovering about my travel destination: old people. The second thing: fancy people. But what I hadn’t realized, is that Marbella is one of those adorable white Spanish towns that are all over Pinterest!

Because we were so surprised by our late night walk trough town the evening before, we decided to head back to the old city for a decent visit. And boy, it was worth it!

img_0426

img_0306

img_0444

img_0432

Vintage shopping

After wandering through some of these beautiful tiny streets, we bumped into a fancy vintage shop called Déja Vu. Since we were celebrating Lisa’s birthday that day, we were inside browsing before we knew it! Next to lots of Prada dresses and MaxMara coats they also have loads of interior pieces and accessories.

If you’re ever in Marbella, do pop by!

img_0247

img_0250

img_0244

Next up: more strolling, eating and shopping at Spanish high street stores!

img_0414

img_0369

img_0476

img_0489

img_0484

img_0435

img_0415

img_0284

img_0380

img_0468

img_0539

img_0530

img_0410

img_0502

img_0437

img_0337

img_0458

To the beach… again

To end our intensive day of strolling and shopping, we obviously deserved a few more hours on the beach. Harry Potter, a few glasses of cava and lots of sun. Bliss!

dscf9712

DAY 3

On our third day we got up early (hi stunning sunset) for a day trip! We rented a car and drove up into the mountains off to destination Ronda. I would have loved to visit Malaga too, but since Lisa had already been there we opted to discover one of the oldest towns in Spain. The fun little mountain roadtrip itself is worth it already.

img_0568

img_0586The city

Why visit Ronda? Views views views! The city is also known for bull fighting and because writers Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles have spent many years writing in the little town. Another little fun fact: Belgian band dEUS recorded their album The Ideal Crash in Ronda. Let this city’s beauty captivate you!

img_0660

img_0622

img_0952

img_0682

img_0664

img_0692
img_0635
img_0652

img_0710

img_0718

The secret gardens

While getting lost in the little streets of Ronda, we discovered La Casa del Rey Moro. This Moorish palace has a beautiful garden and an impressive so-called “water mine” when you descend a long and creepy staircase inside a rock. For only €5 entrance fee it’s a lovely little getaway to escape the busy touristy parts of Ronda!

img_0831

img_0775

img_0837

img_0832

We spent the rest of the afternoon admiring the captivating views and stuffing our bellies with tapas, again. Living la vida Español.

img_0838

img_0898

img_0939

img_0958

Puente Nuevo

And then, what Ronda is most famous for: the Puente Nuevo. The bridge itself is super crowed with tourists and admirably, the views are great, but you discover the real beauty when you descend down the hill nearby. You can climb all the way down next to the waterfall and be a dangerous little creep like Lisa. Check out that photo below, I was scared to death.

img_0967

img_0984

DAY 4

Which unfortunately was our last day already… On our schedule: tanning. Because our trip was so short, we really wanted to soak up every tiny little ray of sun. So we stayed at our hotel’s beautiful beach, ordered our last batch of tapas and devoured some more pages of Harry Potter. We ended the trip at an excellent Italian restaurant (Stuzzikini) in Marbella old town!

img_0565

dscf9639

dscf9559

img_1549

img_1550

And that’s how our mini-vacay ended way too soon… Longing for some Autumn sun too? Flights to Malaga start from €29,99 by TUIfly.

Let me know what you think! Have you ever been to Marbella?