We did it!: El Caminito del Rey
It had been a long time for us without going to our apartment at Los Arqueros and finally we could go in May for a long weekend. Some tested ideas to share with you. In the menu …
El Caminito del Rey at last!
We did it. We had to buy the tickets about two months in advance and they were almost the last tickets. You buy them online www.elcaminitodelrey.com and there are options to make the walk by your own or a guided one.
It is a lineal walk and it is well organized for that. There are buses foreseen at the exit to take you back to the starting point, you can buy the ticket (around 1 €) with your entrance ticket.
We took the guided one, which was the only one left, and honestly the explanations from the guide were worth taking, it made us understand the importance of the engineering project and how it is integrated in the nature; it gave the historical context; and it was accompanied with curious anecdotes. If you are not very well documented before the walk I think that you would miss that part if you do not take the guided one. The guide keeps on talking all the time and you have the option not to listen all the time if you need some quietness. I think that one of the reasons why he does not stop talking may be to help the people with vertigo going on (in any case it worked with me).
I suffer from vertigo and once I overcame the initial impression (as we know all is in your mind) I could go on with no problem. The kids had no problem at all. The passages are well built for you to feel safe. They are built in parallel to the old ones, and those ones … were the scary ones.The walk last for about 2 hours and half with the explanations.
The walk not only is interesting but above all extremely beautiful, the shape of the canyon, the vertical lines of the stone walls and the local vegetation make it fully advisable. You can judge by yourself:
Our ticket was for 16:30, so we asked for a piece of advice to some friends about where to have lunch before doing El Caminito. Now they are our best friends ...Restaurante El Mirador Ardales.
If you go there ask to be in a table right next to the outside part of the terrace (our table was number 22 just to have a good reference).
Very reasonable price, beautiful views, huge dishes and friendly service. In summer time the place must be extremely busy, but out of season it was so relaxing … and the good thing is that from there you walk directly to El Caminito del Rey. By the way, if you can install a lantern in your mobile phone do it… the access to get to El Caminito is through a tunnel with no lights to keep the spirit of the period I guess.
It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to arrive to the restaurant from our apartment. So no excuses if you stay at La Finca to miss El Caminito del Rey.
Sailing
My husband knew someone who rents his catamaran with skipper at a reasonable price. This person can organize several types of activities … We went for half a day sailing, it was pretty windy so it was lot of fun for the kids. They were nice enough to let them handle for a while the catamaran and to explain to them how to (try) to fish. The best of all is that we were lucky enough to see a huge group of dolphins jumping around us, it was amazing. There were dozens of them and very close to us.
Are you tempted by this? Marbella’s sport port is only 20’ from Los Arqueros. This is the information about the company:
Jesús Olivares
marbella@royalcatamaran.com
+34 657 94 11 25
Hiking around Benahavís
In the hills around Benahavís, pintoresque small village 10 minutes by car from our place, there are several options for walks. We spend a morning in a soft pace walk to visit the ruins of a tour (see related blog post) and enjoying the see views and the nature.
We finish having lunch at Benahavís, in a terrace with a fresh breeze and a relaxing atmosphere. The food was not remarkable but it was neither bad nor expensive, so we enjoyed the peace around us. Probably July and August have a different atmosphere, more festive one and therefore not necessarily less enjoyable.
Tasting new restaurants
One day we went to try one of the Chiringuitos at the seaside promenade in San Pedro de Alcantara, the closest village to our apartment. We went to Reino Nuevo, apparently a very well-known place. I confirm that the place was beautiful inside and the terrace outside very agreeable. The food was good quality and well prepared. We had an excellent seafood paella and I can tell you that it is not easy to find a good one.
More options for a long weekend at La Finca?
So why not coming out of season? Have a look at our special offers for La Finca.
