Annie Bennett
Annie Bennett, Madrid-based food and travel writer

@anniebennett

AVIOS ACADEMY • February 2023

The Reward Flight saviours: Malaga

Are you making the most of your Avios? Our Reward Flight Saver could have you winging your way to a new destination from as little as £1*. In our new series, we suggest the places to go and the perfect weekend itineraries for those willing to spend some Avios...

With Reward Flight Saver you can use your Avios to cover the cost of your return flight, paying just £1* for taxes, fees and carrier charges for many destinations.

For only 23,500 Avios plus £1* for a return flight, you could be enjoying good times on Spain’s Costa del Sol, which is warm and sunny for much of the year. Early spring is perfect for discovering tapas bars, local culture and knockout nature in this exhilarating, exuberant and cosmopolitan Mediterranean city...

Food

Start the day in traditional style at Casa Aranda with a platter of churros to dip into coffee or dense hot chocolate. Then stroll around the corner to the popular Atarazanas food market – book a market and tapas tour with Tapas in Malaga to learn about the magnificent local fruit, vegetables, olives and fish. For a superb seafood lunch, jump in a taxi to one of the beach restaurants such as Maricuchi or the boisterous El Tintero. Book ahead for dinner at lively La Anxoeta for creative local cooking or go for gourmet tapas at KGB or Uvedoble.

food-Atarazanas market

Drink

In the fashionable Soho neighbourhood, Café de Estraperlo is a welcoming spot for a coffee, an orange juice or a beer at any time of day. Try a refreshing horchata (crushed tiger nuts and ice) or granizado de limón (lemon juice with crushed ice) – and maybe an ice cream at Casa Mira – on the elegant shopping streets of Calle Marqués de Larios or Calle Císter near the cathedral. For the quintessential Malaga experience, elbow your way to the wooden counter at Antigua Casa de Guardia for a glass of sweet Malaga wine from the barrels behind the bar. Later on, zoom up to one of the city’s chic rooftop bars, such as Ático at the AC Malaga Palacio hotel.

drink-Atico at the AC Malaga Palacio Hotel

Culture

Easter in Malaga (9 April 2023) is particularly atmospheric, with ornate figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary carried through the streets accompanied by hundreds of robed ‘penitents’. The 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso, who was born in Malaga, is commemorated this year with events all over the city. Book ahead to visit the Picasso Museum to avoid queuing. Get an insight into Malaga’s rich history at the Roman amphitheatre near the museum, then walk up to the 11th-century Alcazaba fortress on the hill above it. Take in heavyweight contemporary art at the Centre Pompidou Málaga and the CAC Malaga museum.

culture-Picasso Museum

Nature

With its Mediterranean location and great climate, Malaga is a city where people spend a lot of time outdoors. Hire bikes from Malaga Bike in the Soho area for easy rides along the promenade that stretches for miles along the beaches. Birdwatchers should cycle west along the Paseo Marítimo Antonio Banderas to explore the Guadalhorce nature reserve in the delta formed by two branches of the river. A 15-minute taxi ride (or 40 minutes by bike) north of the centre, La Concepción Botanical Garden is a surprising and sensuous mix of European and tropical plants. Spring, when the wisteria is in flower, is a particularly good time to visit.    

nature-La Concepción Botanical Garden

Where to stay

The Gran Hotel Miramar by La Caleta beach offers grande-dame glamour in a palatial setting – you may well spot a famous face here. A huge outdoor pool and sumptuous spa make it easy to relax after sightseeing. Book a sea view room to make the most of the luxe experience. In the old town, award-winning Palacio Solecio, a renovated 18th-century palace, sits at the heart of the action near museums and lively restaurants. Archaeology fans will love the central Vincci Selección Posada del Patio, where vestiges of the Roman and Moorish city walls are on display – and there is a tempting rooftop pool, too.

where to stay-The Gran Hotel Miramar

Find flights to Malaga

*Reward Flight Savers are British Airways’ best value reward flights. Reward Flight Saver offers customers great value flights with a low flat fee, to cover taxes, fees and carrier charges with a fixed Avios amount. To be eligible for Reward Flight Saver, you need to have collected at least one Avios in the past 12 months. To find out more about Reward Flight Saver, click here. Reward Flights are subject to availability.  

The prices referenced are for a Reward Flight Saver fare and based on an off-peak, return fare for 1 passenger travelling in Euro Traveller (Economy), from London. All prices and Avios amounts quoted are correct as of January 2023. 

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This article has been tagged Adventure, Destination