Lifestyle – Simple Single Lifestyle

6 January 20247 January 2024

Hong Kong Pineapple Bun Bo Lo Bao

Hong Kong pineapple bun, also known in Cantonese as Bo Lo Bao is a very classic bread pastry. This bun is very popular and iconic in Hong Kong bakeries and is a perfect delight for a Fika time. Fika is a Swedish tradition for a coffee moment accompanied with cake or cookies that can serve upto seven kinds of cookies on a tray. However, Fika is not really relevant in my recipe but since my partner is Swedish, I’m using the terminology Fika all the time for every Coffee & Pastry moment 😊.

Bo Lo Bao is soft and lightly sweet and it’s topped with a golden-brown sweet crumbly crust. The softness of the bread is created by the Chinese Tangzhong (water roux) technique of heating flour and water into a gel paste that is then added to the bread dough. This will improve the texture of bread in making the dough softer and fluffier.

Despite the name, Bo Lo Bao does not contain any pineapple nor flavours. The name rather refers to the look of the characteristic topping crust which resembles the skin texture of a pineapple. It may sound unlogic if you can’t see the image resemblance….. me neither but just take that as historic food story.

Let me know how your Bol Lo Bao baking turned out and enjoy your Fika moment!

Baking time: ~3 hours, time includes about 2 hrs in rising the dough. Serving ~16 buns

Ingredients & Tools

Kitchen scale
Saucepan
Whisk
Small bowl for cooling down Tangzhong
Plastic wrap
Kitchen towel
Big bowl for mixing the bread dough
Big bowl for mixing the topping
Small bowl for egg wash
Mixer for dough and topping
Baking paper
Baking brush

Tangzhong roux

25gr patent flour
125gr water

Dough

360gr patent flour
70gr sugar
½ tsp salt
25gr fresh yeast or 7gr instant yeast – I used fresh yeast
120gr milk on room temperature
1 large egg on room temperature
Tangzhong roux
30gr softened unsalted butter

Topping

125gr patent flour
90gr sugar powder
50gr softened unsalted butter
15gr custard powder
1 egg yolk on room temperature
1 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder

Egg wash

1 egg yolk to brush the topping for a golden-brown crust topping

What to do?

————- Prepare Tangzhong ————-
Add 25gr patent flour in saucepan and slowly add 125gr water while stirring.
Heat over medium-high and constantly keep stirring until mixture turns into a thick gel paste
Transfer the gel paste into a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. This is to prevent the paste getting dry.
Let the Tangzhong cool down to room temperature.
————- Prepare Bread Dough ————-
In a big bowl, put 350gr patent flour + 70gr sugar + ½ tsp salt.
Dissolve the fresh yeast block by crumbling in the saucepan with 120gr milk and stir on low temperature until lukewarm. If you use instant yeast, you can just pour it into the big bowl mixture.
Then, add the egg and Tangzhou into the big bowl
Mix the mixture on low speed for ~5min until everything is combined.
Add 30gr butter into the mixture and mix on medium speed for ~5min until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too sticky, then add a bit more flour at a time.
Finish the dough off by kneading the dough by hand, then shape it into a smooth big ball.
Re-use the big bowl or take a clean one. Sprinkle some flour in the bowl and place the dough ball in and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rest and rise on a warm spot, in a sunny or room temperature spot for 1 hour.
————- Prepare Bun Topping ————-
In another big bowl, put 50gr butter and mix it until the butter turns into a creamy consistency
Then, add 90gr sugar powder and mix until it turns into a creamy consistency.
Then, add 1 egg yolk + 15gr custard powder + 1 Tbsp milk and mix all together.
Then add ¼ tsp baking powder + ¼ tsp baking soda + 125gr patent flour and mix until it turns into a thick paste
Put the paste in a plastic wrap and shape it into a small log, like a sausage
Let the topping rest until the dough is ready after 1 hour rise.
————- Start making the buns ————-
The dough should have risen. Punch a finger into the dough and it should slowly bounce back
Take the dough out of the bowl and divide in equal pieces. Personally, I like smaller buns especially mini sizes. The smaller it is, the tastier it gets with an equal balance of the crunchy sweet topping 😊
Gentle shape every piece into a ball and cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for 15min.
After 15 minutes, softly knead each piece and shape it into a smooth ball. See short video on the technique used in shaping the dough into a ball
Put each ball on a baking sheet with space in between to let it rise for another 40 minutes.
During the last 10min, pre-heat the oven on 175°C fan function. I use fan function as I have two trays I want to bake in the oven at the same time. If you only have one tray, pre-heat the oven on 190°C on upper & lower heat function.
Then, cut the topping in equal pieces as the number of buns. Don’t throw away the plastic, I prefer to re-use it rather taking a new sheet of plastic.
Shape each piece into a ball.
Wrap each ball, piece by piece in the plastic and flatten into a round shape and cover it on top of each bun
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and brush the top of the bun. This will bring a gold brown crust in the baking process
Bake the buns for ~15min but do check a bit before as you don’t want them to be burnt or bake it a bit longer if you like to have your buns more gold brown.
For next day consumption, heat the bun short on low heat in the oven or microwave.

Let me know if there are any improvements can be made. Thank you & bon appetite 😊

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11 June 202311 June 2023

Refreshing Healthy Quinoa Salmon Salad

Refreshing healthy quinoa salmon salad is delicious for all seasons but especially in the summers when you make the dressing from fresh lemon juice and honey. However, making this salad will take a bit of effort in multitasking in preparing the ingredients but you will for sure love it at your first bite.

A suggestion is to make a double portion and keep one portion for max two days in the fridge. I prepare most ingredients for 2 consecutive meals in one go but do the salmon, cucumber, tomatoes, and dressing separately when I eat it the next time again. This will save you time in making the salad from scratch. You can keep the cooked quinoa & pan-fried vegetables after it cooled off for max 2 days in the fridge. Make sure you keep it in a contained box.

Quinoa seeds are rich in fibers, protein, vitamin B and nutrients and is lower in calory than rice. When you add a small piece of salmon on your salad, it brings a healthy tasteful light meal for your body.

Cooking time 1 portion: 35min

Ingredients & Tools

60gr tri-colour quinoa (60gram per person or 1/3 cup)
8 stalk green asparagus or a handful sugar snaps
4-5 shitake mushroom
1 toe garlic
½ fresh yellow lemon juice
1 tsp extra verge olive oil
1 tsp liquid honey
Olive oil & butter to pan fry the vegetables
Pepper & salt to taste
125gr salmon with skin
4 cherry tomatoes
8cm cucumber
Optional garnish: roasted sesame seeds or garden cress
1 pot to cook quinoa
1 big glass/ceramic bowl
1 bowl/cup for dressing
1 frying pan
Kitchen paper towel

What to do?

————- Cook Quinoa ————-
Boil water in the water boiler.
Put 60gr or 1/3 cup quinoa in the pot and pour gentle boiling water in with 1,5 cm water above quinoa level.
Boil the quinoa with the lid on medium-low heat and let it simmer for about 12 minutes.
Once all water is evaporated, switch off the heat and put the pan aside. Stir through the quinoa and let the heat steam off.
Scoop the quinoa over into a big glass bowl to let it cool off further.
————- Prepare Vegetables ————-
Rinse 8 asparagus stalks under the tap.
Dispose the end (this part is often hard and not nice to eat) and cut the asparagus sideways in bite sizes.
Remove any dirt from 4 shitake with a brush or rub dirt away with a kitchen paper towel.
Cut shitake in medium-thin slices including the stalks.
Chop 1 toe garlic very fine.
Heat the fry pan with a bit of olive oil mixed with a bit of butter.
Fruit the garlic in the pan and add the asparagus and shitake in the pan. If you like crunchy vegetables, pan-fry it short and try one if it’s to your texture.
Sprinkle salt & pepper to taste and scoop the vegetables in the quinoa bowl to cool off.
Bear in mind, the heat in the vegetables is still in a cooking process. You might not want to cook it too long if you like it crunchy
————- Panfry Salmon————-
Re-use the fry pan without cleaning and add a bit butter on medium-low heat.
Dry the salmon off with a kitchen paper towel and put the skin side on the pan.
On the skin side, you can cook it the longest to make it crispy and easy to remove if you don’t like to eat that part.
Bake on each side until the salmon is cooked.
————- Salad dressing ————-
Meantime while baking the salmon, squeeze ½ fresh lemon juice in a small bowl/cup.
Add 1 tsp extra verge olive oil
Add 1 tsp liquid honey and mix it well.
————- Mix the Salad ————-
Cut 4 cherry tomatoes in quarters and add into the quinoa bowl.
Unseed 8cm cucumber and cut in bite sizes and add in the bowl.
Add the dressing in the bowl but not everything. This is to keep a last splash for the salmon.
Mix all ingredients in the bowl.
Add the salmon on top and splash the remaining dressing sauce over the salmon.
Optional: garnish on top with garden cress or roasted sesame seeds.

I would like to hear your feedback once you tried this salad 😊 Bon appetite!

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4 May 20235 May 2023

Fascinating and Intense Marrakech

Fascinating and intense Marrakech can be love at first sight or a one-time experience. This is my first visit in Marocco and to be honest I have a mixed bag of feelings going there. However, I feel very excited to explore this city and get my impression on how the vibe is in Marrakesh.

On our arrival, our trip already started with a bumpy adventure around midnight. We booked a taxi service via booking.com, all went good with a bit of chaotic coordination regarding which driver will drive whom, as there were other passengers than us with transfer bookings. The driver dropped us at a taxi point and called our Riad for pickup by foot. Once arrived in the Riad, we realised we are dropped at the wrong place. Adventurely, we arrived at the right place with good people helping us as well as uninvited pedestrians from the streets who strongly urge themselves in leading you the way while you use your gps to get there. Of course, no surprise at all they rudely ask for money for their ‘genuine help’ services. Luckily, tired and all, this first taste of cultural experiences didn’t scare us off yet.

Staying for 3 full days in Marrakech, we decided to take things easy and explore on the go as we didn’t have must do’s. There are excursions in the rural of Marrakech and in my opinion, those would be nice to book if you stay here for more than 3 days and maybe to getaway from this busy city.

Practical tips before planning or during your trip

Ensure you don’t book your holiday during Ramadan. There might be limited shops or restaurants open.
Stay over in a traditional Moroccan house with an inner courtyard (Riad) instead of a hotel. It’s like B&B.
Pre-book airport hotel pickup to avoid distress of ‘pushy’ taxi drivers and negotiation hazards. Especially when you stay in the maze of Medina, book your transfer directly via your Riad. They charge about MAD220 per car. Riad’s can be hidden in small alleys where a taxi cannot reach, and some drivers have no idea where to find it. You can also call your Riad to pick you up at a taxi point closeby. I heard a taxi ride cost about MAD70-100.
Ignore locals who approach you initiatively offering help to guide you to your destination. Sometimes, they even call you out if you turn into a street, they inform that the road is closed (in French ‘ferme’) and ask where you want to go. It’s hard to know if the person is genuine or not and often it ends up in a game they play to get money at the end. Just say ‘la choukran sīdī’, means ‘no thank you sir’ and keep walking.
If you need help with directions, suggest you to ask cafe/restaurant staff or shop owners. You can also try ask locals for help who you may think are genuine but bear in mind they may not speak English.
Start with sightseeing around 9-10am until you have lunch to avoid the afternoon heat. Post-lunch, take a rest in your hotel and restart your wander after 19pm.
For nicer and popular restaurants, I highly recommend making table reservations.
Traffic is insane. Be alert and cautious all the time when you walk-on and cross over the streets. Scooters drive crazy, even in the small alleys of the souk. You can easily be hit if you don’t watch out. Seems, a lot of drivers don’t care as they are in a rush.
We did Marrakech by foot to explore the city and cannot share much on how much a taxi ride cost. For sure you have to haggle, and I heard from other travellers that a short ride cost approx. MAD30-50.
If you fly back home from Marrakech airport, make sure you read the airline check-in procedure when you receive an email. For example, Ryan Air does not accept mobile boarding pass and will fine you on the airport if you cannot present an old school paper boarding pass. Also, make sure you go to the check-in counter first to get your paper boarding pass stamped before you go to the departure immigration hall. You must do this, even if you do not have any check-in luggage: at least for Ryan Air flights.
At the airport, there is a sign that cash is not accepted at the tax-free or only in Euro bills. Fortunate, they do accept cash in euros or dirham at the kiosks and cafés behind the customs.

Adhan – call to public prayer over city speakers

What to Wear as a Woman?

Marrakech is a busy and touristic city but it’s still a Muslim country. There are no specific rules here. Suggestion is to dress with modesty out of respect. As a female traveler or travelling together with my partner, I like to avoid any kind of uncomfortable catcalling or ‘street harassments’. Those beautiful Instagram pictures with short skirts (above knee), booty pants and strap tops are deceiving as they paint an inaccurate picture on what is appropriate women wear in Marrakech. To avoid unpleasant pervy male gaze, it’s better to cover up your shoulders, legs until knee and cleavage. This may not stop catcalling necessarily but it will minimise unwanted attention. For male, short pants and t-shirt or polo shirts are fine. However, in rural Morocco you better wear long pants. It is disrespectful to be showing off too much skin.

Money Exchange

Avoid exchanging money at the airport. Withdraw money from a bank ATM or exchange in town. There are a few reliable exchange booths that take 0% commission. We changed at ‘Bureau de Change‘, I’ve seen a few in Medina and I heard ‘Hotel Ali‘ at the Jemaa El-Fna square is also a good place.

Things To Do

Get lost in the maze of narrow streets and alleys of Marrakech historic old town Medina. You will find colourful souks (open from about 10am-22pm), artisan shops and historic buildings. I was surprised, that the overly persistent vendors were not that aggressive as I had in mind. Probably, time and experience has changed their sales method.
‌To get different impressions of Marrakesh other than Medina (old town), take a stroll at neighbourhoods of Kasbah (Jewish quarter, popular for spices) and the new town Gueliz. All can be done by foot within 30 minutes.
‌Stroll at the big square Jeema El-Fna. Life starts here from 19pm with lots of food & juice stalls and market shopping.
‌Pre-book a comfortable (touristic spa) hammam experience with a massage. Nice Spa houses may be fully booked. A traditional authentic hammam may not meet your expectations in relaxation. Often, there is zero aesthetic in bath houses and the service and amenities (bathrobe, towels, shampoo, shower gel, hairdryer, locker) may be less. Personally, I experienced an authentic Moroccan hammam & scrub in The Netherlands, and I must say I quite liked the adventure. After having a Hammam Scrub in a Spa house of Marrakech, I prefer the authentic style. In the Spa, they don’t really speak English either and don’t inform you on the HOWs beforehand and you pay much much more (approx. MAD350 pp). When you book for two persons, they even put you together in a treatment room with one resource instead of one each. Certainly, it may be cleaner and seeing a star sky ceiling would bring you a nicer feeling, but it all depends on what you personally prefer.
‌House of Photography, (historical) photos and portraits of people living in Marrakesh. End your museum visit at the roof terrace cafe, where you can have a nice chill out or have a delicious lunch menu for €15 pp including a drink. This building has the highest roof terrace in the area and gives a clear view over Marrakesh.
Bahia Palace, showcases Moroccan architecture and beautiful gardens.
‌Le Jardin Secret, situated in Medina with beautiful gardens and historical architecture. It’s a place that has kept ancient structures intact.
‌Jardin Majorelle, exotic gardens designed by Jacques Majorelle and later restored by haute couture fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
‌Some 4-5 star hotels offer non-guests a day pass to make use of their swimming pool area. The price often includes a lunch and a towel for use.

Where to Eat

There are plenty of eateries, restaurants and cafes in Medina, Kasbah and Gueliz. You can find local places and lots of places adjusted to ‘tourist/expats’ service, hygiene & exterior acceptance resulting in a higher price range. Places where I visited:

Le Jardin Restaurant Marrakech (Medina): nice trendy atmosphere and getaway from the heat in the garden area. They have a roof terrace but we hided in de garden to cool off. From the garden, there is a staircase up to a little local women boutique shop ‘Noria Ayron’ where they sell beautiful dresses and jump suits.
‌L’Mida Marrakesh (Medina): trendy cafe restaurant serving fusion Moroccan food. Make sure you book a roof terrace table for dinner. Service is excellent but the food can take a while if the place is too crowded.
‌Cuisine de Terroir (Medina): nice ‘local’ place with its charms. Good service, great value and yummy food. A proud place recommended by TripAdvisor & Guide du Routard. They have a roof terrace but if you prefer a bit ‘cooler’ temperature, I think a table downstairs on the ground floor is better. However, it may be noisier from the street.
‌La Famille (Medina): a lushy cosy inner courtyard place serving vegetarian lunch. Booking is highly recommended.
‌El Fenn Hotel (Medina): have a sunset cocktail at this amazing hotel roof terrace bar restaurant. Cocktails cost about MAD130-160 but definitely a nice place to enjoy design & a trendy vibe with good service.
‌Le Kilim (Gueliz): great service & delicious food. Really liked the tajine chicken and vegetable plate with full flavours in each veggie.
‌Le Palace (Hivernage): recommended as an absolute must go by a friend, especially booking a table at ground floor with art-deco design. Downstairs is a clubbing scene but also have dining tables. However, food is not authentic French as they also serve pizza and pasta. If you like to have a chic dinner in an ‘expat’ scenery in a cramped space with volumed up clubbing music and don’t mind bad acoustic, this may be your place to be.
‌Absolute must drink are the fruit juices. They are full of flavour and taste natural. At the evening market stands at Jeema el-Fna square, a small fresh orange juice cost MAD5 and another type of fruit from MAD10.

El Fenn Hotel Roof Terrace Bar & Restaurant

My Impressions of Marrakech

I love Moroccan food but the variations on the menu are limited. It’s always the same dishes on the menu. Tajine, pastille chicken and fresh fruit juices or smoothies are our favorites.
Beautiful Moroccan architecture.
Too much commotion in traffic, even in small ‘pedestrian’ alleys. Heavy pollution with smog and noise everywhere, except for when people sleep at night.
Be respectful and people will act the same.

Medina – authentic local hammam bath house

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14 April 202315 April 2023

Simple Grated Zucchini Spicy Mint Pasta

Simple grated zucchini spicy mint pasta within 30 minutes. It’s a quick & easy recipe with refreshing mint and spicy flavours. This recipe goes perfect with spaghetti, linguine, fettucine or fusilli. In general, any kind of pasta goes well but these are my favourites to cook in a ‘semi-dry sauce’.

My first time eating this zucchini pasta was at my friend’s home and I loved it! Her friend from Greece was on visit and cooked for us a quick meal as it was quite late for dinner 😊. She learnt cooking this simple pasta from a family in Sardinia while she explored the island. A typical home-made pasta that feeds people’s soul with happiness.

For the refreshing taste, I use Greek dried spearmint (dyosmos). I got this from my friend after having this superlicous pasta experience, supplied directly from the farmers and no chemicals. The flavours are close to fresh peppermint but it packs a more potent punch with spicy notes and is milder than peppermint.

In addition, I will use shallots, oyster mushroom and lemon juice in my recipe for the extra texture and flavours. In the original home-made ‘Sardinian’ recipe, it contains only garlic, chili, zucchini and parmigiano topping. You can omit all additional ingredients and keep to the original flavours. The cooking method and steps are the same.

You can also make this pasta vegan and gluten-free, it all depends on what ingredients you like to cook with.

Cooking time for one regular portion: less than 30 minutes

Ingredients & Tools

Pasta for 1 person
½ grated zucchini aka courgette
1 chopped garlic toe
A little bit of thin sliced spicy chili. If your chili is hot spicy, use much less as you like to have a nice balance between mint & spicy flavours.
1 overfull tsp cut dried mint leaves or extra to taste
Salt
1,5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Topping: fine grated parmigiano cheese
Pan for pasta
Colander
1 big bowl
Vegetable grater (ultra coarse grater)
1 big mug

Additional ingredients for the extra texture and flavours

½ chopped shallot
¼ fresh lemon juice
50gr or 2 handful shredded oyster mushroom

What to do?

————- Boil the pasta ————-
Pre-boil water in the water boiler for 70-80°C. If you don’t have a temperature regulating boiler, no problem. Just boil the water.
Spread the pasta in the pan and pour in the boiling water.
Put a little bit salt in the pan and cook for 10min. It’s better to check your pasta package on how long it needs to be boiled. Cooking time may differ for different brands.
Very important – do not pour oil in the pasta and stir the pasta from time to time.
————- Prepare ingredients ————-
While boiling the pasta, rinse the zucchini and cut in half for 1 person. No need to peel the skin.
Grate the zucchini in a big bowl.
Chop 1 garlic toe.
Chop ½ shallot.
Shred 50gr (2 handful) oyster mushroom or tear along the stem.
Cut ¼ of a lemon.
————- Start cooking ————-
Once the pasta is boiled for 10min, fill 1 mug full of pasta water and keep aside for later.
Drain the pasta in a colander and let it be.
Re-use the pan and heat the pan with 1,5 Tbsp olive oil.
Sizzle the garlic and add the shallots. Make sure that the garlic does not burn, avoid brown-ish colouring.
Add the zucchini in the pan and sprinkle some salt.
Stir ingredients until the zucchini gets a bit soft and add the oyster mushroom and chili.
Stir ingredients and simmer light for a few minutes. Add extra salt to taste.
Once all is soft and most liquid is evaporated. Turn the heat low.
Above the sink, swirl ½ cup pasta water in the colander to make the pasta loose as it might stick a bit.
Toss the pasta in the pan, add 1 overfull tsp dried mint or extra to taste and stir all ingredients for another 1 min.
If you find the pasta ‘sauce’ too dry, you can pour in a little bit of the remaining pasta cooking water in the pan to make it moisty.
Squeeze ¼ lemon juice into the pasta and stir quick & short. Switch off the heat.
Serve the pasta on the plate and sprinkle grated parmigiano cheese on top.

I hope you enjoy this simple meal 😊 Bon appetite.

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8 April 202314 May 2023

Indescribable experience in Sevilla during Easter week

Indescribable experience in Sevilla during Easter week, I just can’t describe it and will try to share my holy week (Semana Santa) journey by photos and videos I took. I’m not religious myself but no doubt this is an incredible experience to see this live in Andalucia! The dedication & powerful synergy in the Semana Santa processions is one thing not to be missed here in Sevilla.

Young and old people march along the paths to the church, an entire week of processions by different brotherhoods. Some give away candies during the march, often by children and some give away religious cards like Jezus or Maria. It was amazing in seeing how Spanish folk start walking the procession at a young age and keep the traditions.

I was lucky in recording a small part of the procession in Sevilla from a balcony. The pasos (wagon with large sculptures depicting scenes from the bible) even made a turn at the end of the street. Watch here the short video with powerful orchestra marching together with the brotherhood.

On this post, I will also share my favorite foodie places, roof terraces and some shopping and sightseeing spots. For shopaholics, bear in mind, most shops may be closed during festivals.

Watching various Catholic brotherhoods marching on every procession is a remarkable experience. The people marching in Catholic pointed hats (capirotes) & robes are called Nazarenos. In the old days, Nazarenos represents penance. Some historians believe that the capirote dates back to the time of the Spanish inquisition (1478–1834). Sinners had to wear a capirote and walk along the streets as a form of public humiliation to do penance and to absolve from their sins.

Today, only Catholic brotherhoods wear the capirotes. The costumes still represent penitence but those wearing these robes are not doing penance anymore and its now more a majestic representation once they were. Nowadays, the brotherhoods proudly lead the pasos to their church or cathedral holding large crosses and tall candle lights.

Each march can last for hours, some starts from 15-ish and ends around or past midnight supported by family or friends on the side to give them water & food.

When you observe the details, you will notice that carrying the wagon and the walk movement between Malaga & Sevilla are different. The brotherhoods in Malaga carry the wagon around the wagon lifting the weight on their shoulders and swing a bit while walking. With the brotherhoods in Sevilla, they lift the wagon underneath on their neck and take small steps moving forward. You may have watched the YouTube video I shared on top of this post.

To see how the brotherhood march in Malaga, watch this very short video.

I’ve seen the necks of the wagon carriers, bruised, skin damaged and they have a red glowing hump at their base of their neck. I’ve been told that the wagon weighs more than 1000kg and not to forget, the warm temperature in Sevilla adds up on the hard work they offer. During the day it can be around 27°C and marching slowly in robes and coned hoods covering their entire head is a high appreciated dedication. At least it is my impression and opinion ☺️

Their devotion for their religion is sky high. Some hard core brothers march barefoot, a devotion to be closer to Jezus and share the pain and suffer. I’m not sure if this is the correct reason as I’ve been told by a Spanish man and I think it makes sense but you never know.

Personally, the most thrilling part is the orchestra; powerful drums & trumpets making your heart pounding and witnessing a brotherhood marching slowly and leading the pasos holding large crosses, lanterns or lit candle lights🕯️

Where to eat

In Sevilla there is no lack of great tapas bars nor restaurants. Every corner you pass by, you can eat or have a drink. I share a few of my favorite places when I visit Sevilla every single time.

Gastronomic Bib Gourmand Az-Zait restaurante. I enjoy my dinner here from my heart. The service is friendly and impeccable and quality versus price is marvelous. A-la-carte 3-course including wine, table water and high quality of brandy as digestive approx €60 per person. You can also opt for a menu.
Have a tapas in the oldest tapas bar in Seville dated from 1670, El Rinconcillo.
PETRA, a small trendy tapas restaurant with splendid service & tasty food.
Very popular tapas bar & restaurant in an apartment hotel complex, Espacio Eslava.
Cozy wine bar with small bites at Vinoteco Lama La Uva.
Small inside & outside but great classic tapas at this taverne, Los Coloniales.
A lot of locals having their tapas at Casa Manolo Tapas Bar Sevillano.
Have a Fika (coffee & sweet) at Hotel Alfonso VIII on their patio in the inner garden. Their interior design and architecture are marvelous.
Have a sunset drink at Mariatrifulca. Get a table on the rooftop on the river side as you will get an amazing view looking over the river & the old center. Drink prices are decent, approx €3,5 for wine.
Have a good coffee & pastry at Ofelia Bakery.
Take away a good & strong roasted coffee at Virgen Coffee.

Roof terrace

Abba Sevilla Hotel
Fontecruz Sevilla Seises
Hotel Casa de Indias by Intur. The time we visited was only accessible for hotel guests. It may be because of Covid period.

Nice local boutiques

Ofcourse there is the fancy Spanish El Corte Inglés shopping warehouse but how about browsing in local (artistique) boutiques? Sharing a few streets but there are more. I browse in the smaller streets of the yellow area. When you keep yourself away from the main stream shopping area you will see a lot of small nice boutiques.

Calle Cerrajeria
Calle Don Alonso el Sabio
Calle Lineros

Where I like to hang out

Plaza España & park. At the square or in the shadow of the outdoor building site, there are regular good flamenco street performance. Probably in late morning or early/ late afternoon to avoid the hot temperature.
Setas de Sevilla, the mushroom sculpture and it has a rooftop walk (ticket required). Or have a take away coffee or ice cream and sit on a bench enjoying the view from the platform (one staircase up from the streets).
Wander around in Triana center. It’s less crowded and also nice to see the other side of the river.
Walk along on the other side of the river at Triana on Calle Betis. It is an excellent viewpoint to contemplate some of the most famous landmarks of Seville, the Torre del Oro (bull fighting arena) and the splendid Giralda. There are also a lot of bars and restaurants where you can have a nice cold drink and enjoy the old town of Seville from a distance.
Mercado de Triana – covered market selling vegetables, fish and meat. There are some small tapas bars or restaurants where you can enjoy a tasty lunch. A nice one is at Cerveceria Loli. However, service can be slow and the food may be served luke warm.
Stroll in the yellow areas of the centre in “Feria and Casco Antiguo”.
Calle Alfareria – pottery workshops that have been multiplying for centuries and where some wonderful decorated patios are located.

Special

Nothing fancy, it’s more like a cultural centre where you can have a beer and watch free flamenco performances, poetry or photography exhibitions in an old coal warehouse. This place, La Carboneria is hidden behind a big wooden door with a patio in the back. Opening times from 19pm. Suggest to go much later in the evening or check their agenda.

Sevilla is a charming city where I never get bored. Nice people, plenty of gastronomy and tasty food bars, and wonderful architecture in almost every street in the old center. I hope you will enjoy Sevilla as much as I do and if you have nice places you like to share, please do ♥️

If you like to watch other short videos of the procession, you can click on the links below.

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8 February 202326 February 2023

Retreat holiday in Bali, Indonesia

Retreat holiday in Bali is an absolute must do on your holiday list. My first visit on this beautiful island was back in 2010, returned in between and today with my partner for a relaxing holiday. This island has so much to offer, a lot to explore and to see, like serene nature, diverse landscape, beaches, mountains, culinary and cultural experiences and above all friendly Balinese people. For those, who like a vibrant life with music & (beach) party scenes with busy traffic, stay at Seminyak, Canggu, Kuta or Gili Trawagan.

The major income of this island is tourism and infrastructure to move yourself from A to B is by taxi or private drivers. Some also call themselves as tour guides or tour organisers and often speak basic English. To my knowledge, there is not much public transport. I heard, there is a red coloured public bus with a service route driving in the south area and may also go to Ubud but not further more. Nevertheless, Bali offers a wide range of activities that will fit to everyone’s interest. You can rent scooters or e-bikes to explore the area where you are staying in.

I will share some practical tips if you have plans to go to Bali. Normally, I stay at least 2 weeks up to a month and still have not seen everything yet. I like exploring on a slow pace and absorb the tranquillity and beauty that this island has to offer.

Climate

Dry season is from April to mid-November. It can feel very hot with the combination of sun and humidity, but you will enjoy more of rainbow colours on the underwater activities like diving and snorkelling.
Rainy season is from December until March. Rain can be for a few hours or a half day long. Bring your flip flops in case you like to be outdoor wandering in flooded streets. Get cheap ponchos at the convenient store for IDR20-25K or bring your hotel umbrella. Climate is very humid and often its cloudy sky. Bear in mind, you can still get heavy sun burns under a grey sky.

How to get around

Hire a private driver for travelling from A to B or for a full day to see more in a specific area. Do not only underestimate the distances; road quality, landscape and traffic can have a big impact on your trip too and the time that you spend on each site. A day trip (8-10hrs) including driver and fuel cost approx. IDR 600K-700K for max 2 guests. A nice gesture is to offer your driver a meal and drinks, and tip extra if you are happy with their services. Their English are often basic. In case you like to know more about facts of the places you are going to visit, suggest you to hire an official tour guide. High likely, it will cost you more but for sure it would give you a memorable tour with knowledge and professional experience.
You can also rent a scooter for approx. IDR 80K per day but bear in mind of rocky roads, pot holes or crazy traffic especially in a town. Ensure you arrange an international driver’s license and legitimate to be used in Bali. In bad luck, you can be hold off and get a ‘fine’ by the local police or urged to buy a Bali drivers license from them.
Download taxi service app e.g. Gojek or Grab. I don’t like using Grab as this app inquires a lot of privacy details. Uber does not exist here.
At Nusa Dua Benoa and the west coast around Seminyak, Kuta, Canggu, Legian – there are plenty of Bluebird taxis available that runs by the meter. Others, you will need to negotiate for a fixed price.

How do I find a private driver

Most local drivers use Facebook as their business advertisement channel and can be contacted via FB messenger or WhatsApp. Before my trip, I signed up for FB group “Bali Travel Forum”. In this private group, you can find travel tips from other fellow travellers, queries about travel itineraries or local advertisement on day tours or just post your inquiry related to your travel to Bali. During our trip in Bali, we had good experience with below private drivers.

Angga Bella: friendly male driver from Bali. He had exposure working across borders in shipping and speaks good English. In our opinion, Angga is a decent tour guide as he was able to answer our queries about local daily social life things. Find him on Facebook or contact him on WhatsApp +6281239237529.
Jhon Gus: funny male driver from Bali. Jhon speaks decent English and we had good fun with him during our drive from Nusa Dua to Ubud followed up by an unexpected daytrip in line with our itinerary. Jhon is genuine, honest and is not shy at all when you ask questions about life and tourist scenes in Bali.
Evi Rose: friendly female driver, originally from Java. Evi speaks basic English. She is so kind in helping me out to get lemongrass roots. They are here so more fragrant and delicious. I hope I can grow them in my home town. Find her on Facebook or contact her on WhatsApp +6287858866379.

Money exchange

At the airport, the money exchange booths offer a less beneficial rate. If you wish to exchange cash, suggest letting your driver to stop by a BMC money exchange shop just outside the airport area or just withdraw money from an official ATM of a local bank (BRI, BCA, BNI). Exchange rate depends on your ‘home’ bank. During your travel in Bali, be cautious for unauthorised money exchange booths. The bank does not always provide money exchange service (I have no idea why but it happened to me) for which you will have to go to a money exchange booth. Pay attention if their bill board display starts with “PT.”, I have been told that they are legally authorised money exchange brokers. Don’t go to places where they also sell clothes, souvenirs and tours etc.

Lovely mosquito’s

I always buy local repellent at a convenience store. The brand Deet or western stuff just don’t work and are always so expensive. I don’t mind the chemicals in the local products for a short period of usage because it’s more effective. The itchiness is unbearable, scratching continuously and getting open wounds is a no no. The product I buy is called Soffell. A small bottle cost approx. IDR12K. They sell in different fragrance and come with spray or body milk. Personally, after trying both, I like the body milk. Less sticky on your skin and nicer in smell. For after-bites, I buy Autan cream and cost approx. IDR14K. Prices differ in each store.

Pricing

All made for tourists. Don’t stress if you don’t see price displays. For local art and souvenirs, you will have to haggle to an acceptable price. Don’t pre-book your tours online. There are plenty of local suppliers with different pricing and are decent low comparing to online bookings.

Data sim card for tourists

Free WiFi is almost available everywhere in cafes or restaurants but sometimes it bring some inconvenience to ask for the password or it could be that the WiFi is not fast enough. Personally, I prefer buying a local sim to be online whenever I want without any hassle. In Bali, you can buy a tourist sim card that is only valid on sim-lock free smart phones and valid for xx days . Regular sim cards are only for residence. Registration might be required with a copy of your passport. Try to avoid unofficial sellers and buy a sim from a mobile shop. Operator Telkomsel has a good coverage in Bali as well as in remote areas. I paid via my driver’s contact for approx. IDR200K for 32GB.

Retreat areas

On arrival from a long-haul flight, I like to stay in a serene surrounding and the ability to visit local ‘tourist’ eateries in the area. When you stay at a resort for more than 3 nights, the menu gets boring at some point and it’s nice to wander around and see local places 😊

Nusa Dua ITDC, is a luxury hotel area with lushy and clean streets. Perfect for an arrival retreat for a few nights and not hearing cars honking all the time. Borrow a bike from your hotel and bike to Benoa area where its more lively.
Or stay at Sanur, it’s less serene than ITDC but excellent stay for a few nights along nice beaches that offers more cafes and restaurants in the area with easy access to Nusa Penida or Nusa Lembongan. It’s a great place to stay with family or finding peace with stores on walking distance.
In Ubud area, stay in a villa or in a lushy landscape along rice terraces. These are often located outside the town centre. Choose a stay where they offer free shuttle service to Ubud centre. Check with the reception how much a pickup will cost if you miss the shuttle. Then, at least you know an approx. price for a taxi haggle to get back to your hotel. Ubud centre itself is quite busy with traffic and offers mainly touristic (hand)craft markets, retail boutiques, massage salons, cafes and restaurants which are for sure super convenient if you like to drink & eat.
Menjangan National Park, is a lushy remote area with deer’s and monkey’s. We stayed here for 6 nights because we like diving at Menjangan island, a divine place for snorkelling and diving. Would highly recommend the beach villa’s if you are looking for a fabulous experience. Our resort, unfortunate offers only a range of paid activities and to our regret, is that we should have rent a scooter at the closest town so that we can mobilise ourselves a bit among local shops and have some variation in food choices or get local snacks and chips. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our stay at The Menjangan Resort but personally we think that 5 nights would have done good.

Tipping

Tipping is always appreciated but certainly not expected like the tipping standard as in the US. Some restaurants have a service charge which is divided between staff. I don’t tip for everything but do tip extra for good service e.g. IDR20K or a bit more. For drivers, I give between IDR 50 – 100K depending on the service duration. And hiring a driver for a day trip, a nice gesture is to offer them a meal & drinks.

Food journey’s

Try out different sambal types along your local food tastings. I like sambal matah which has fresh shallots, lemongrass and chili.
If you like snacking, try out their local chips. We really like the brand “JACKnJILL Piattos”, they have different sambal flavour chips and are yummie! There are also nice coconut ‘digestive’ bisquits.
Ubud: had an amazing dinner experience at Hujan Locale. Enjoy your coffee breaks at BitterSweet located in a retail store or at Pison.
Nusa Dua: visit a seafood restaurant at Jimbaran beach and enjoy a sunset dinner on the beach. Grilled seafood packages between IDR300-1000K for 2 persons including a beer. Just walk along the beach side and pick a place you like or where most people hang out. At the north point of Benoa, there is a hidden local gem, it’s a seafood place with nice view over the sea seeing airplanes taking off or landing or people enjoying watersport. This place calls Pinisi House Bali. Bear in mind, they have squat toilets (Feb-2023).

Not to miss out places

Uluwatu temple
Sunset grilled seafood dinner on the beach at Jimbaran. Lots of seafood places to choose from.
Tegenungan waterfall
Tegallalang rice terrace
Pura Tirta Empul temple
Mount Batur trekking
Ulun Danu temple
Try out the famous Luwak coffee at a plantation
Tanah Lot temple
Some luxury hotels offer a day pass for their (infinity) pool looking over a lushy jungle view or rice terrace. We enjoyed our swimming dip at Padma Resort Ubud a lot as the pool was comfortable heated. It’s about 1hr drive from Ubud centre. Cost IDR400K p.p. including towel and IDR 200K for food/beverage. Reservation would be recommended. The hotel has a shuttle service to Ubud center, perhaps you can check if you can hop-on for free with the day pass that you have booked with the hotel.
If you travel from south to the northern part of the island vice versa, make a stop at Belimbing Rice Terraces. These are so much more impressive than the Tegallalang rice terrace. There is a restaurant cafe where you can sit down and absorb the serene view. No entrance fee required (Feb.2023).
The Pupuan region has the largest rice field landscape. The car ride among those fields are amazing.
Other places that would be nice to go but I haven’t been there yet are: infinity pool with rice terrace view at Alas Harum Bali in Ubud (agritourism park), divine Diamond Beach at Nusa Penida, Tirta Gangga in Karangasem (former royal palace with three pools available for swimming), mountain retreat spa with spectacular views at The Monkey Bar @BellaKita in Klungkung (2022 daypass price IDR75K including towel and IDR50K credit for food consumption.

Happy travels in Bali & feel free to reach out if you have questions.

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31 March 20222 January 2023

Discover things to do and where to eat in Costa del Sol, Axarquía, Spain

Discover things to do and where to eat in Costa del Sol – updated on 30 December 2022: Living semi in Andalucía brings me much joy in life and one of them is exploring interesting places on an easy pace across four seasons with sunshine almost all year round 😊. Most of the time, I combine my trips with a nice outdoor activity such as a village/city/beach walk or a nature hike and ending my day with a culinary experience.

On this blog, you may not find tips on museum visits (only exceptional) or historical stories about the places I’ve visited. Nevertheless, I hope you will find something on this post that triggers your interest for your travel plans or maybe just find a nice restaurant for your day.

Most of my stay in Spain, I stay in Axarquía. This is a district of Málaga province in Andalucía on the east side of Malaga. Its name tracks back to Arabic meaning of “the eastern region” and covers the sunniest places on the east coast of Costa del Sol with an average of 320 sunny days a year. Axarquía is composed of 31 municipalities and I will share the places which I like or visit the most.

Towns and villages covered in this blog are: Frigiliana, Nerja, Torrox Costa, Torre del Mar, Caleta de Vélez, Vélez-Málaga, Salobreňa. More recommendations to be updated for Lake Viñuela, La Maroma.

Frigiliana

Frigiliana is my most favourite village so far which is also Spain’s most beautiful and well-preserved village.

Take a stroll in this picturesque village, explore the small streets with beautiful blue painted doors and window shutters, see colourful flowers in pots or pink bougainvillea growing on white walls that bring a heart-warming feeling. Ladies don’t forget to wear comfy shoes as the streets and alleys are charmingly cobbled in this village. Note that shops are often closed during siesta time (14-17pm) and in winters (Jan/Feb), some may be even totally closed having their winter break.
Prefer a guide telling you all the historic stories of this village? You can book a guided tour in English. Costs for an adult is €4. Check out for more information on this link www.frigilianatours.com
Want to go for a spectacular hiking route Rio Higueron and El Fuerte? This route takes you from the beautiful village of Frigiliana into the waters of the Rio Higueron following it upstream to near its source in the Carrascal. Find more about hiking routes in Frigiliana and in its Natural Park Sierras de Tejeda on this link.
Explore other activities on the official tourist office website for Frigiliana.

My favourite food places in Frigiliana:

Restaurante El Jardin – serves a range of fresh Mediterranean cuisine/Marrocan food. It has a divine terrace looking over Frigiliana village. To get there, it’s quite an uphill walk but worthwhile. Main dish approx. €20

Transportation

You can easily drive to Frigiliana by car from Nerja, it’s about 4km. There is one big parking garage, or you can park along the main road for free if there is a spot available. At high season, very unlikely to find something though. Taxi always possible.

Another option is taking the bus that runs every hour between 07:20am until 20:30pm. Bear in mind, there is no bus service outside these service hours, also not on Sundays and not on public holidays. The bus departs from Nerja bus station. Ensure you have small bills/change to pay in the bus, one-way cost €1,20. For bus time table, please check here.

Nerja

Nerja is well known across Spain for its natural beaches, with many of its coves frequently featuring amongst the candidates for the best beach in Spain.

Balcón de Europa, undoubtedly the heart of Nerja (balcony square) with amazing sea and mountain views.
Nerja caves, one of Spain’s most popular and spectacular historical sites. Sometimes, they hold classical music concerts onsite. For the early birds, they offer limited free entrance for EU citizen from Monday until Friday, on the first opening slot at 09:30am. Check for reservation rules on their website.
Wet and wild hiking trail along (in) the river Rio Chillar. The river flows through Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Nature Reserves. On your journey you will have the opportunity to bath in a natural gorge and waterfall. Be prepared that your shoes get soaked and bear in mind to wear steady walking shoes. Accidents has happened here and would be good to have urgent SOS numbers to reach out to.
For some beach moment, go to Burriana beach, it’s a cosy ‘posh’ beach with nice and modern restaurants. There are nice natural beaches along the coast nearby Nerja but bear in mind there are limited facilities. Access is often along the national beach road.
Tuesday market, located in Almijara II urbanization on the way up to Capistrano San Juan neighbourhood. They sell leather goods, textile, Spanish artisan pottery, spices, vegetable and fruit. Opening hours at 09:30-ish until 13/14:00pm. Take the Verano Azul blue bus from town, approx. €1.
Sunday Nerja Flea Market (also called as Rastro), find all kinds of second-hand items eg lamps, paintings, furniture, fabrics, clothing, books etc. Location is the same as the Tuesday market in Almijara II urbanization and starts from 08:30am until 14:00pm.
Explore other activities on the official tourist office website for Nerja.

My favourite food places in Nerja:

Spanish & seafood: La Marina Marisqueria. There are two types of seating areas. On the left side of the entrance is the tapas area. You can choose one free tapas from a designated list with each single drink you order. On top, you can also order dishes from the menu. On the right side, these are tables where you can order from the menu but no free tapas 😉. Tip – be assertive when you want to get their attention to place your food/drink order.
Italian: L’antica Nonna Mia. I highly recommend their fresh pasta dishes and tiramisu. Just superlicious and super value for its quality, price and quantity! On a nice sunny day, you can enjoy the surroundings at their divine terrace with sea view.
Italian: for a typical Italian style pizza, I would go to Vitaliano da Cristina (close to Nonna Mia and has a nice terrace with sea view) or go to Paparazzi.
For carnivores go to Posada de Iberica. I just love this place! Small menu, delicious food prepared with passion and all managed by a friendly man from Argentina. It’s a small cosy brown café style restaurant, a one-man show who serves quality food, good quantity and for a good price.
Prefer a trendy gastronomic experience with table settings and cosy atmosphere? Go to Fusion by Silvio Santogiacomo, Pápalo, Restaurante Unico.
At Burriana beach, one of my favorite trendy gastronomic tapas place is RAW Lounge.
Do you like drinking cocktails? Go to Hemingway’s, I always go back to this place to get close to my cocktail standards. Wanna go for a nice holiday feeling with amazing rooftop views? Go to Terazza Buddha Lounge bar or the Volk’s Bar Sevillano (take the elevator situated inside Sevillano restaurant).
For the best churros in town, I go to a simple local place at Café Bar las Cuatro Esquinas. They serve fresh fried churros between 09:00-12:00 noon and from 17:00-19:00pm. Chocolate lovers, order a cup of hot chocolate to dip in, you will not regret!
Breakfast: is your breakfast the most joyful meal to start with your day? Go to Parador Hotel, it isn’t cheap, ~€20pp but they serve an amazing buffet breakfast with a divine sea view on the terrace. They serve fresh orange juice, various bread, amuses, cheese/meat cuts, cereals, yoghurts, cold & hot platters and sweets and more to have a happy day.
Like to enjoy your morning coffee with a nice sunny sea view? Go to Café Anahi, they have a small balcony terrace in the back with decent local prices in a top touristic location.
For a nice tea-time, I like to go to Mena Garden Nerja. It’s situated at the back of the hotel in a charming inner garden. Their carrot cake is delicious! Not too sweet of not overly layered with crème.
For good bread or pastry, especially their carrot cake, go to bakery Panadería Confitería Salvador Nerja.

Torrox Costa

Have a nice morning or sunset run or walk on the beach boulevard of Torrox Costa. This beach can be quite windy comparing to other beaches but gives an uber relaxing holiday feeling. The boulevard offers plenty of beach cafés and restaurants, and a nice simple breakfast menu for about € 5

Monday market next to Iberostar hotel building. They sell leather goods, textile, Spanish artisan pottery, spices, vegetable and fruit. Opening hours at 09:30-ish until 13/14:00pm.

My favourite food places in Torrox Costa:

For the best ice-cream in Nerja and neighbourhoods, I tried them all and this is in my opinion the best place for milky ice cream at Vistamar Helados Artesanos. Note that they are closed during the winter season, I believe from October until March. It could be that they are open for weekends with limited opening hours in March.
Spanish & Seafood: Marisquera Encinas, one of my favorite typical local places where Spanish families gather for a weekend lunch. The food is delicious! Highly recommend their creamy Russian salad, almejas, boiled gamba’s, shell fish conchas finas naturale, grilled fish, paella or soup rice meal – arroz con bogavante (local lobster) or arroz con carabineros (mix seafood with giant shrimps). If you want to lunch during Spanish time, after 14pm, I highly recommend you in booking a table in advance. Bear in mind, this is not a fancy place, tables are setup on the pedestrian street facing a busy road. However, the seafood is divine with local cosiness! Another nice place and has a beautiful terrace on the seafront boulevard is at Restaurante La Farola. It’s a very popular place among locals and tourist, a table reservation for lunch would be highly recommended. Especially on the terrace.
Spanish: restaurant El Tito Arenas, a hidden gem with a relaxed local atmosphere. Excellent service and delicious food at great value. Their back garden terrace is nicer than the street side. Highly recommend their entrecote and on Friday’s lunch time, you can pre-order arroz con bogavante dish for €9,5 pp. On other days, its minimum 2 persons order and cost more. For the latter, suggest a table reservation.
Spanish: a little bit off from Torrox Costa boulevard, along the main road towards Nerja at the beach front, you have chiringuito Jose Jimenez 34. Great service and delicious paella! Pre-order your paella with your table reservation to avoid disappointment as they won’t make this for you when its busy. They have mix (chicken/seafood) or seafood paella. Cost ~€22 for 2 persons and lobster paella for €46,-
Breakfast or lunch: trendy small cosy place at Entre Vientos, close to the lighthouse with nice sea view. Craving for real German bread or torten (sweet pie)? Go to Wolfgang und Karina’s Backstűbel. They serve an amazing breakfast set for ~ €5,5 that includes excellent coffee, various bread, cheese/ham and jam, or add ~€1,5 for scrambled egg.
Craving for some good Belgium beer and good simple food? Go to Le Comptoir Belge. In my opinion, when a place serves good crunchy tasty fries, that’s the place to have a good meal! They have a nice terrace with sea view.
For gastronomic Spanish go to Restaurante Pata Negra Playa. Serves Spanish food in a modern twist with excellent quality and price.

Torre del Mar

A popular beach site for local tourists with nice chiringuitos (beach bar/restaurant) along the boulevard. This nice promenade goes all the way to Caleta de Vélez, approx. 4km.

My favourite food places in Torre del Mar:

Spanish: Chiringuito Casa Miguel, a nice trendy place with great service serving delicious grilled/fried seafood. In- and outdoor seating at the beach front.
Spanish & seafood: El Señuelo, a very popular place among the locals. They have a tapas seating area at the entrance or tables on the terrace (however facing a parking place) or indoors. Spanish lunch time in weekends (after 2pm), I highly recommend you booking a table in advance.

Caleta de Vélez

Take a nice stroll at the little harbour where all the sailing boats are docked and have lunch or a drink at one of those bar/ restaurants.

My favourite food places in Caleta de Vélez:

Spanish & seafood: Marisqueria Mani, popular among locals with decent prices. The fish is fresh and delicious!
Spanish & seafood: Chinchin puerto, a trendy posh place located opposite of the little harbour. Atmosphere is superb, food is good but prices are a bit high-end.

Vélez-Málaga

Take a very nice town walk along the alley’s, especially walking up to the fort (Alcazaba La Fortaleza). It’s quite uphill but you will get an amazing 360 view over the town and sea. This town still has preserved its local vibe. There aren’t many tourists here and this is what I like the most.

My favourite food places in Vélez-Malaga:

Spanish tapas bar: Restaurante la Gamba Dorada, this place offers a nice vibe with great services. You can choose one free tapas from a designated list with each single drink you order. What I most like about this place is, they offer a wide variety of red, white and rose wine per glass, so you don’t need to buy a bottle to taste the wine.

Salobreňa

A beautiful white village on the Costa Tropical, dominated by a hilltop castle from the Al-Andalus period. This castle transitioned from a Phoenician to a Roman site, then to an Arabic fortress and at last conquered by the Catholic kings.

Take a stroll in the old town, walk along the narrow streets and relax in tranquility.
Visit the fortress castle that offers a mixture of architecture from different periods. At the top, you will have a 360’ panorama view. At clear blue sky, you can even see Sierra Nevada.
Don’t miss the beautiful beach that is at the bottom of the town. Take a nice stroll along the boulevard and enjoy a glass Tinto de Verano (soda mix with wine) or sangria.

More recommendations to be updated for Lake Viñuela, La Maroma.

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29 March 202125 February 2023

Terrors of El Caminito del Rey and its magical nature

Terrors of el Caminito del Rey is a divine destination to visit. El Caminito del Rey (The King’s Little Path) is a walkway, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Ardales in the province of Málaga, Spain. This beautiful scenic walk is breath taking and brings more natural sights you can visit for a day. You can find other hiking trails and gorgeous blue lakes for a magical chill out.

How to plan your visit?

I suggest booking your tickets in advance as this attraction can be fully booked for months. We are fortunate with the Covid restrictions and could pay a visit without mass tourism. You can buy tickets online on their official website.

This hike takes about 2 hours in a stretch of 8km without a guided tour (guided is optional) and is a one-way walk from the northern point to the south, ending at the village El Chorro. We took our time in enjoying the nature and there are benches available where you can consume your sandwich at scenery spots.

Route El Caminito del Rey – The King’s Little Path

In general, the hike is an easy combination of walking on flat soil paths, boardwalks and steps. For those being afraid of heights, the boardwalk is about 1,5-meter width having a metal thread fence. Some boards have an opening of ~3cm in between, so flat solid shoes are highly recommended. I believe children under the age of 8 are not allowed to entry, please check the entrance rules on the website. Along the path there are staff keeping an eye on safety and protecting the nature.

Car parking options:

You can park your car at the starting point or finishing point. If you choose for the latter, you can take the ‘Caminito del Rey bus’ that brings you to the starting point. The bus fare is €1,55 per person for a single trip and drives every 30min during operational hours. You can easily find the bus stop as there are clear signs on the streets. The bus ride takes approx. 20min. If you are lucky, you can park your car for free along the mountain road or find a spot in public parking spaces. Otherwise, you can park at the visitor center for €2 which is close to the starting point.

How to find the starting point?

This was a mystery for all visitors, both to locals and foreigners. There are no clear route directions, neither clear information on the website on how to walk to the starting point. Take as reference on Google map ‘El Kiosko, Ardales’. This building has a restaurant, bar and a little kiosk and is located along the mountain road. On the right side of the kiosk, there is a tunnel. Pass through the tunnel and turn right on the path. There is a sign with El Caminito del Rey. The walk to the starting point takes approx. 20-30min. At the starting point, you need to queue for your entrance slot. Bear in mind, they do not sell entrance tickets here. Once you pass through the ticket scan, a helmet and a brief introduction on safety & rules will be provided in Spanish or English. What about toilets? No worries, you can find toilet facilities at the queuing area… but be sure you have your own ‘toilet’ paper 😉

I hope you will enjoy this beautiful walk and magical landscape!

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