HAMMAM AL ANDALUS BATH & MASSAGE is decorated with lovely Moorish arches, murals and mosaic tiling. You can enjoy a 90-minute bath with a 15-minute relaxing massage for just €43. (Plaza de los Martires, 5; +34 952 215 018; malaga. hammamalandalus.com)
PHOTOGRAPH BY JeSúS DOMíNGuez/MuSeO PICASSO MáLAGA
MÁLAGA CATHEDRAL is the largest and most important Catholic church in the city; a hybrid of Spanish Renaissance, Gothic architecture and Baroque decoration. Referred to as “La Manquita” (Little One-Armed Lady) – the original plans envisaged two bell towers but only one was completed – it hosts a belen, which is a magnificent version of our own crib and features street scenes from Bethlehem. (Calle Molina Larios, +34 952 215 917)
Three hotels I like in Málaga are all in the city centre and within walking distance of everything: the four-star HOTEL DON CURRO (Calle Sancha de Lara, 9, +34 952 227 200; hoteldoncurro.com) and ROOM MATE LARIOS (Calle Marqués de Larios 2, +34 952 222 200), which has a great roof terrace bar between October and May, and its three-star sister hotel, above, ROOM MATE LOLA (Calle Casas de Campos, 17, +34 952 579 300; room-matehotels. com), a five-minute walk to Málaga’s beach.
The PORT OF MÁLAGA (Muelle 1) is a new promenade filled with shops, cafés, restaurants, child-friendly areas and a beautiful palm tree garden. I like to visit for Sunday lunch, followed by a little shopping … although if you want some peace and quiet, go during the week. There are a couple of upmarket restaurants, such as RESTAURANTE JOSÉ CARLOS GARCIA . (Plaza de la Capilla, +34 952 003 588; restaurantejcg.com)
An insider’s guide to
Málaga
Finola Sloyan gives us a whirlwind tour of the Andalucian city. The city’s famous PICASSO MUSEUM is housed in the 16thcentury Buenavista Palace, near the artist’s birthplace, Plaza de la Merced. (Calle San Agustín; +34 902 443 377; museopicasso malaga.org)
More about Finola
The five-star VINCCI SELECCIÓN POSADA DEL PATIO is something special. During renovations, builders discovered the remains of Málaga’s old Arab walls and it was decided to leave them visible at reception. The area has been beautifully preserved and the bedrooms are stylish indeed. (Pasillo Santa Isabel 7, +34 951 001 020; vinccihoteles.com)
Kilkenny woman Finola Sloyan, who has been working and living in Málaga since 2006, runs her own business as a Holiday & Golf Travel Planner. Before Spain, ain, Finola lived in Paris, New York, Dublin and Accra. Socially, she runs ns a “foodie club”, which meets every month, and is also is a member of a hill-climbing club. Finola comes from a big golfing family in Ireland and has kept up the tradition in Málaga with friends. She is a member of the Public Relations Institute of Ireland and representative of the Spanish Irish Business Network (SIBN) for the Costa del Sol area.
December 2013/January 2014
| 107