[Jay]

Hi everyone

Well we're just three days away from our five day family break back to Malaga in the Andalusia region of Southern Spain.

We last visited back in 2022 so there's lots of new places that have opened up and are bookmarked for a visit (plus some favourites)

It's going to be a wonderful relaxing time and a full report will follow upon our return.


Cheers
Jay 🇪🇸

[Trappist]

Have some great fun in Malaga Jay.
I've been there a couple of times, and have very good memories.
The weather is changing here in Belgium from sunny warm towards colder and rainy. I wish I could join
Already waiting for the full report !!!!
Cheers,
Filip

[Jay]

Hi folks,

We're back from another fantastic 5 days in sunny Malaga, we had a wonderful time visiting bars old and new, indulging in the most delicious Andalusian food (properly delicious) and enjoying the occasional tipple (or two  )

But...something wasn't quite right - with myself. For about a couple of weeks before jetting off I'd been feeling slightly "off" but just shrugged it off and carried on.

However it wasn't until we were on day 2 of our trip that I noticed that beer wasn't agreeing with me. When visiting a bar just one glass would leave me uncomfortable (incredibly bloated) and it also had a bitter taste...funny thing is that Vermouth and cocktails had no negative effect and tasted just perfect 😄

The bloating feeling got so bad that I would go a full day with hardly any food. I quickly knocked beer on the head and the bad feeling instantly subsided.
It wasn't as bad as it sounds, we still visited every bar (beer and tapas) we wanted to and explored every inch and I just ordered Vermut during the day and cocktails by night...winner winner.

Arriving back home and Linda had a box of Covid tests ready (forward thinking on her behalf) and after us all testing I tested positive.

This is the third time catching this bug and this time it's left me with a husky voice and an aching back but it's just about taking things easy before returning to work tomorrow 

I'll still be doing a post on the bars, sights and food of this magnificent Southern Spanish coastal town (just try and stop me) it's part of going away.

Cheers
Jay 

[Trappist]

Arriving back home and Linda had a box of Covid tests ready (forward thinking on her behalf) and after us all testing I tested positive.

Wauw Jay, that Covid will never end
Luckily you still managed to do that wonderful trip, and Vermouths were the salving solution.
On a similar note. 2 Days after the weekend of the BBF, I became sick too. Beer didn't please me either. A dripping nose, not being 100% in true shape.
It's that during that busy weekend, I talked to many people. I'm sure that I caught Covid too. But after a couple of days, things became better. Katrien had no problems at all. I don't have the Covid tests at home, and I don't need to go to my work either. So, I didn't test myself and stayed home.
Anyway Jay, glad you still had a great trip to Malaga and the pix will sure follow. Thanks mate 
Cheers,
Filip

[Viv]

Hey guys,

Jay, sorry to hear that you weren't feeling 100% recently. And that you tested positive for Covid.
There's plenty of other bugs going round and apparently there are new strains of Covid, and that's
just life unfortunately. Feeling 100% every day for me is simply pure fantasy! Vermouth is good
for the digestive system, hence often why it is tasted on the continent. I've recently been having less
beer and more dry sherry, Dry Martini and Campari. Sometimes just having had one strong beer feels
like a minor hangover the next morning! "Live" beer ( refermented in the bottle ) should be good too
for the digestion. I've had some bloating on and off for quite a while now but I had virtually
every blood test possible and nothing negative showed up.

Filip, sorry to hear that you weren't 100% recently either. We probably all have a cupboard full of
PPE masks left over but few test kits, and I saw recently some places charging £99 for a test!
Outrageous!

We all need a beer!

Cheers!



Viv




     

[Jay]

Hi folks,

First off thanks for the kind words, I'm still not exactly A1 and beer is still a no no but bit by bit and day by day things are improving...but enough of me, more on Malaga.

Now then even though this is our second visit this Southern Spanish town (and me not feeling my best) it was even better than our first, so let's get at it.

Things were pretty much the same as our last visit, with one notable exception. The Belgian Delirium themed bar that was across from the apartment we stayed at last year was sadly no more, it's sadly been turned into a kebab shop.

I'm happy to report that a few of our favorites were still going strong - Birras Deluxe, La Botica de la Cerveza and Central beers






































And so on with the new bars, but first a confession. What with me feeling the way I did I often had just the one beer and towards the end of our trip just settled for a Fanta Lemon with Linda doing her best and me photographing her beer.



First bar is a new one, just a few months old and owned by a New Zealand couple hence its name The Kiwi. A small one room bar with 8 beers from tap and a fridge filled with beers. A worthwhile addition to the Malaga beer scene but we found a lot better.

















Another bar and this is a well established one that we somehow missed on our last visit. La Fabrica is a massive brewpub serving beers you won't see in other bars and delicious food






























Another new bar to us was El Ricon Del Cervecero and this one proved very popular (both with us and the locals) and despite being located slightly out of the tourist hot spots this place was absolutely rammed when we arrived (just one empty seat at the bar) both inside and out bustling, a 5 minute wait and a couple more seats became available.

About 9 well chosen beers from tap with fridges and shelves filled with bottles and cans, is it any wonder I was like a kid in a candy store and chose some amazing beers to bring home (for when I'm back on form  ) with the knowledgeable owner pointing out the special beers.



























Walking around the center of the old town (where our apartment was situated) we stumbled across a bar that from the outside looked like any other but an out of place Brewdog sign pricked our curiosity. Apart from the usual Spanish beers you see in every bar they also had a selection of a dozen or so Belgian beers and very competitively priced.









A bar we just could not miss was La Tranca and indeed we visited 4 times. Not a beery location but for a true locals taste and some deliciuos food then this place is a must


















The most amazing meatballs in almond sauce




Beef Sirloin in Pedro Ximinez sauce...YUM





Cocktails on one of the many rooftop bars offered spectacular panoramic views of Malaga with the beach front to one side and the sun kissed mountains on the other


















During our last time we paid a quick visit to Malaga Central Market and to be honest it left us a bit underwhelmed so another visit was a must and what a massive improvement on last time. Maybe it was the timing of our previous visit what with half the stalls closed but this time it was a hype of activity with so much delicious looking food on offer...my do we LOVE a foreign market






















So there we have it folks, a slightly hindered return visit to Malaga, a town I wouldn't hesitate in recommending to anyone thinking of visiting the Andalusia region.


Now then what, where and when is next for us.....in November we have a quick 2 day trip to Porto, hopefully I'll be 100% fighting fit by then.


Cheers
Jay     
 

[Trappist]

Well Jay, you still had some AMAZING Holiday vibes !!!!
i'm surprised you still don't feel for 100% healed. What a nasty virus this is   
But no worries, in a couple of days, you'll be mister healthy again 
Your pictorial report is  - once again - a true joy to read !! A fantastic job really 
The pictures are mouth-watering. The beers look tasty too. And the mediterranian vibe is so tempting to go there ASAP !!!
Anyway, what a great report again. It'll be posted straight to the main page. 
Cheers and a fast recovery to you Jay
Filip

[Tony]

Great report as usual Jay. After reading your Porto one, we booked to go there this week but Bridget hasn't recovered from her broken hip and we had to cancel. Malaga is now on the bucket list. We hope you are feeling better by now, what a terrible affliction to not be able to drink beer.

[Jay]

Great report as usual Jay. After reading your Porto one, we booked to go there this week but Bridget hasn't recovered from her broken hip and we had to cancel. Malaga is now on the bucket list. We hope you are feeling better by now, what a terrible affliction to not be able to drink beer.

Thanks Tony 

Sorry to hear about you having to cancel Porto, here's wishing Bridget a speedy recovery.

Speaking of Porto we're now less than 4 weeks away from our weekend return but I'm still off the beer, I'm still not able to face a glass even after 4 weeks but fingers crossed I'm back on form come Portugal (thankfully my appetite is returning to normal)

This dose of Covid sure is hanging around 😷

Cheers
Jay 

[Trappist]

but Bridget hasn't recovered from her broken hip and we had to cancel.

Hi Tony,
Wishing Bridget a very xtremely speedy recovery !!! Fingers massively xxxxxxxx
Cheers,
Filip

[Trappist]

Speaking of Porto we're now less than 4 weeks away from our weekend return but I'm still off the beer, I'm still not able to face a glass even after 4 weeks but fingers crossed I'm back on form come Portugal (thankfully my appetite is returning to normal)

This dose of Covid sure is hanging around 😷

Cheers
Jay 

Wauw Jay, that's amazing !!! what a nasty virus
Fingers xxx for a speedy recovery too Jay.
Cheers,
Filip