October at Costa del Sol - I want more of it

I am back to share with you the activities we did the last time we went to the apartment at La Finca. We did more than hiking. It was the last week of October and the weather forecast was not exceptionally good ... And yet...

Monday - To shop or not to shop?

Monday was partially cloudy with some showers so we decided to go for a shopping tour to La Cañada which is a big shopping center about 20' from La Finca. A kind of shopper's paradise. What I liked the most is the terrace they have with restaurants, we were nicely snoozing in the exterior and very lucky in our choice of restaurant, pretty informal one, with original and tasteful options. It was called "Volapie" and highly advisable for a not expensive informal lunch. And I'm sure there are some other good options.

http://www.parquecomercial-lacanada.com/en/home

In case you are wondering, yes I did buy something. Tuesday - Colourful wings

Day two we went to the Butterfly Park to Benalmadena. It is really worth a visit - have a look at the amazing butterflies in the pictures. Keep in mind that the place is pretty warm, for the butterflies sake, so avoid early afternoon if you go in summer.

www.mariposariodebenalmadena.com

Time for lunch, butterfly gazing is even better followed by a well deserved lunch....

Lekker, delicious, bon, rico or whatever language you want to use.

We went to San Pedro de Alcantara to a restaurant called "Casa Fernando" which I had heard about and wanted to try. If you feel like having a higher standard lunch or dinner with good service, good food and elegant surroundings this is a good address. Lovely terrace for summer time and cosy in the inside for wintertime. Keep in mind that it is a more expensive option than others that you can find.

www.casafernandos.com

Wednesday - Perfect cycling day (really)

Day three was amazing. We rented bikes at San Pedro de Alcantara and from there directly to the promenade by the sea shared by pedestrians and bikes. It was great! 15 km from San Pedro to Marbella and once there we had some well deserved beers and tapas at a chiringuito in Marbella. And then back again with the beautiful views and cool atmosphere. Have a look at the pictures and you can imagine how enjoyable it was.

And after all that the kids still had the energy to play at the playgrounds in the avenida del mediterraneo at San Pedro. To do it again absolutely! Thursday and Friday - Finally some hiking! (promised PART 2)

We dedicated the two last days for hiking, but less demanding than I had foreseen. My family was not ready for any kind of a too exceptional effort and what they actually wanted was to enjoy the pleasures of a relaxed lunch in between walks. For the first walking day we went to Ojen. Little village exceptionally situated, see picture below. To visit the village half an hour is enough, but do not expect too much information about the surroundings at the tourism office, so better prepare in advance the hiking options, which are many.

Someone had mentioned to us about the Refugio de Juanar in the Sierra Blanca around Ojen with many hiking paths. We chose the easy options and we went first to the Mirador del Macho Montes, linear nice walk of about 1,5 km in one direction with views to the coast at the end. Nice and easy.

We went then to Mirador del Corzo about 0,5 km one way with beautiful views to the village of Ojen. Very nice indeed.

These two walks were good ones to give us the flavour of the beauty of the surroundings. It was clear that we deserved a lunch (at the Spanish time, three o'clock) at el Refugio del Juanar.

It was perfect, typical mountain food, simple but good (and nourishing indeed).

Peaceful place in the middle of the mountain. A curiosity: It seems that the general Charles de Gaulle spent some time in this place in June 1970 to write his memoirs. See the picture on the right with the paying check that General de Gaulle sent.

50.000 pesetas in 1970 deserve a framed picture indeed.

The second walking day was around the village of Istan. We got a good brochure with walking options: Before lunch we chose a circular one of 2,5 kms (Sendero 8 P.R.-A 166). Nice walk through traditional vegetable gardens and offering nice views like the one that you can see in the picture below.

Once back to the village a lovely lunch break in a terrace at the main square. We enjoyed the kindness of the service, some beers, the menu of the day for four people for less than 8 euros per person.

The after lunch walk was a circular one of 4,2 km (Sendero 3 P.R.-A137) and simply beautiful. See the pictures. And all that just15 minutes from Marbella seaside.