As if split in two by a vertiginous rift crossed by an equally vertiginous bridge, Ronda has seduced many an artist - Hemingway, Rilke, Welles - by its beauty and its typically Andalusian character.
Day 1: Arrival in Malaga and check-in at the hotel. City tour on foot through the historic quarter of the city. Visit to the Alcazaba or, alternatively, hammam at El Andalous. Dinner at the El Pimpi bodega.
Barcelo Malaga, the funniest of business hotels
The first thing you see is a sculpture. A large metal snake running from the ceiling of the lobby to the foot of the bar. In fact, it's a slide descending directly from the meeting room floor to the bartender's counter. The tone is set: the very contemporary Barcelo Malaga does not take itself too seriously, even when it is hosting the most serious of events for up to 600 people. What's more, the establishment is perfectly located, just a 15-minute walk from Malaga's historic centre. What's more, with its direct access to the station platforms, it revives the tradition of the grand chic hotels of the beginning of the last century. As for the rest, the rooms are resolutely modern and the atmosphere is one of relaxed business. One of the 50 best business hotels in the world according to Wallpaper.
Estacion Vialia Maria Zambrano C/Héroes de Sostoa, 2 - Phone: + 34 952 047 494 Email: malaga@barcelo.com - Internet: www.barcelo.com
City Tour - Malaga, it's so light
Malaga isn't very complicated. There's the lower town, where pretty much everything happens; there's the Alcazaba on the heights, where everything happened during the Arab occupation; and then there's the port. On a city tour, you'll want to take in the lower town, with its cathedral, its main shopping streets and the Plaza de Constitucion, where life goes on today. Wander through the jumble of narrow streets once frequented by gypsies, bullfighters, journalists and Garcia Lorca. Stop off at a café, preferably the historic Café Central, or a bodega. And don't miss a visit to the Carmen Thyssen museum, with its collection of 19th-century Spanish painters, before taking in the sights and sounds of Pablo Picasso's birthplace. But above all, you'll get a real taste of the Andalusian way of life. It's so light, so cheerful.
Bodega El Pimpi - Warm is the night
Andalusia is said to be one of the warmest and happiest regions in Spain, and it's true. But what the clichés don't tell you is that southern Spain has a lot to say, and that you have to shout to be heard in a bodega. Málaga's most famous bodega is El Pimpi. Everyone comes here, has come here or will come here one day. Since 1971, live flamenco at El Pimpi has been above all popular, and the wine flows freely against a backdrop of bullfight posters and stacked barrels. Tapas? Nothing very sophisticated. But that doesn't matter, because what counts here is the atmosphere. A unique atmosphere where the student world mingles with the night world, tourist groups with old ladies dressed to the nines and stuffing themselves with cakes.
Calle Granada, 62. Tel: + 34 952 22 54 03 Email: reservas@elpimpi.com - Internet: www.elpimpi.com
Alcazaba - The high walls of a Moorish fortress
From the top of its walls, more than 10 centuries look down on you. These are the walls of the Alcazaba, the ancient Moorish fortress that dominates both the sea and the old town of Malaga. It's a delightful walk along old dry-stone walls, through Andalusian gardens with their marvellous fountains, twisting between defensive baffles, past fortified gates, up staircases overgrown with vegetation, before arriving at the old palace flats. When time is of the essence, or the fatigue of a day's exploring becomes too much, a large lift from the old town takes everyone up to the top. But that would be a real shame.
Day 2: Visit the Picasso Museum, then stroll along the seafront and the bustling quayside of the marina. Visit to the Centre Pompidou. Lunch at the wine library and boat trip in the Bay of Malaga.
The wine library - Tapas y vino
Originally, in the 19th century, they were saucers placed on wine glasses to stop flies getting drunk. Then they were filled with peanuts or olives, and today we have dozens of very inexpensive little dishes, stuffed with Iberian ham, tortilla and potatoes in spicy sauce, to be eaten as you please. The only problem is choosing a restaurant... So, while you're at it, you might as well fall back on an institution, such as the Los Patios de Beatas wine library, an 800 m2 temple dedicated to wine with a gourmet restaurant offering over 400 wines and serving highly sophisticated tapas.
Los Patios de Beatas C/Beatas, 43 - Phone: + 34 952 210 350 Email: info@lospatiosbeatas.com Internet: www.lospatiosdebeatas.com
Museums - Picasso and then... the conceptual aet
With some thirty museums, Malaga is also a city of culture. Admittedly, it's not Madrid, but all the same... There's the Picasso Museum, housed in a pretty house with a patio, and featuring, among many other masterpieces, early oil paintings by the greatest painter of the twentieth century. Then there's the Centre Pompidou, a branch of the Parisian institution recently installed here for a minimum of five years, renewable, and which stands out from the end of the harbour for the enormous multicoloured glass cube that tops it, the work of Daniel Buren. A diversion is in order, if only for the installation on the ground floor, Ghost by Kader Attia, which, while conceptual, is nonetheless incredibly powerful.
Picasso Museum. Palacio de Buenavista C/San Agustín, 8 - Internet: www.museopicassomalaga.org
Pompidou Centre. Pasaje Doctor Carrillo Casaux, s/n Muelle Uno, Puerto de Málaga
Internet: centrepompidou-malaga.eu
Mini cruise - On the big blue waves
The port of Malaga is a real port. It's full of cargo ships, cruise liners and sailboats; it's full of seafarers, tourists on the move and diners from fancy restaurants. It's like that, it's all mixed up. While enjoying a chic cocktail in the setting sun, we board a sailing boat to discover Malaga from its bay. A white city dominated by the walls of the Alcazaba, the same walls that the sailors on the gold-laden galleons returning from the Americas would have seen in their day. When Malaga was one of Spain's richest ports.
Sail & Fun. Local PPL4-01. Muelle Pesquero S/N Puerto de Malaga Tel: +34 952 219 518 - Email: info@sailandfun.es Internet: www.sailandfun.es
Day 3: Visit to Ronda, its white city and bullring, followed by a walk around a bullfighting farm.
Ronda - The king of white villages
What a shame! Ronda, a victim of its own success, tends to resemble the Place du Tertre on a summer's Sunday. This is especially true of the bullring, which is one of the most beautiful in Spain and was visited by Hemingway in his day. Fortunately, this splendid little white town, set on the edge of the cliffs of the Andalusian Sierra, offers a much quieter Renaissance city on the other side of a vertiginous bridge, a labyrinth of narrow streets enlivened by flower-filled balconies and elaborate railings. It's a wonderful place to discover, if you take the back roads as the locals do. Then, five kilometres from Ronda, Rafael Tejada, a passionate matador, offers a safari-style tour of his bull and horse farm. It's a fascinating walk that offers a better understanding of a controversial part of Andalusian culture.
Reservatauro Carretera Campillos A-367, Km 34 - Phone: +34 951 16 60 08 Email: info@reservatauro.com - Internet: www.reservatauro.com
Day 4: Discover Marbella, the seaside resort with its historic centre, and Puerto Banus, the marina. Shopping in the chic boutiques of Puerto Banus.
Marbella - Costa del Sol jet set version
Everything has been said about Marbella. And usually not in a good way. They've said it's artificial, full of ill-mannered Russian billionaires and arrogant oil kings... Well, it's not. Especially out of season. Which is good news for business tourism. In fact, most of the hotels are of a very high standard, most of them tucked away in the greenery; there's also a magnificent promenade along the seafront; there are, of course, countless chic boutiques, but there are also some very 'normal' ones. Of course, there's Puerto Banus, Marbella's marina, where yachts are a dime a dozen and Ferraris are rented by the hour, just long enough to show off. Let's move on. There is also, as a gift, a charming old town.
Alternative - Resort Puente Romano
It's a garden, almost a Douanier Rousseau, with more than 400 different species, olive trees, palm trees, orange trees, banana trees and a small river to cool things off. There's even a Roman bridge, a real one, with swans on holiday all year round underneath. At the end of this virgin forest: the sea. The Puente Romano has welcomed just about every beautiful person in the world. 259 rooms, suites and villas, nine restaurants, including one run by Michelin-starred chef Dani Garcia, another fusion and a third gluten-free. Meeting rooms for up to 650 people, a Six Senses Spa and perfect tennis courts. Member of Leading Hotels of the World.
Puente Romano Beach Resort & Spa Marbella. Bulevar PrincipemAlfonso von Hohenlohe - Tel: +34 952 820 900 - Email: reservas@puenteromanoo.com - Internet: www.puenteromano.com
Grand Melia Resort Don Pepe - Grand chic by the sea
Its strength lies in its location, just a stone's throw from Marbella's old town. Secondly, it's compact, with just one building to hold a large group together. Thirdly, and by no means least, is its proximity to the sea, right there behind a clump of trees. The rooms are spacious, most with sea views and balconies. 194 rooms, including a 325 m2 Moet&Chandon Penthouse Suite, the only one of its kind in the world. The Red Level lounge, also known as the executive foor, offers a complimentary 24-hour snack and beverage service. Six restaurants, including an Oyster & Caviar Champagne Bar. Meeting rooms for 30 to 420 people. Landscaped swimming pool. Spa and luxury boutiques.
C/José Melia - Tel: +34 952 770 300 - Email: gran.melia.don.pepe@melia.com - Internet: www.gran-melia-don-pepe.com
The players in the operation
TRANSPORT > Air Europaa Skyteam member, operates three daily flights from Paris CDG to Malaga, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The flight lasts two hours and in-flight services are subject to a charge. Tel: 01 42 65 08 00 - Internet: aireuropa.com
ORGANISATION > Spanish Tourist Office in Paris.
Customer > travel agents specialising in business tourism.
Group size > 12 people.
Operating time > 4 days. Programme > Discover the MICE opportunities offered by Malaga and the surrounding region.
INFORMATION > Spanish Tourist Office in Paris (closed to the public).
22, rue St Augustin. 75002 Paris - Tel : 01 45 03 82 50 Email : paris@tourspain.es - Internet : www.spain.es
GUIDES > Petit Fûté, Lonely Planet, Géoguide, Le Routard
Special report - Andalusia: the Costa del Sol is a fiesta
- Andalusia - The Costa del Sol is a party
Meet Elena Valdes Del Fresno, Director of the Spanish Tourist Office in Paris
